Our paragraph topic is: (Herod murdered John) Part 1.
Herod was fearful. He thought that Christ was John the Baptist resurrected. And he knew that he had murdered John. He knew that he had planned and plotted to get rid of John. John was loved by the people. He was a prophet. He carried the message of the kingdom preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah. Many came to John to repent. Many came to John to be baptized. Many came to John that they may prepare themselves for the coming of the kingdom. And John was the messenger. John was the voice of one crying in the wilderness calling people to repent, telling them of the evil in the world. And John spoke of Herod. This is why Herod wanted to get rid of John. For Herod had taken John, and bound him, and put him in prison, because of Herodias, his brother's wife.
John told the people of Herod. John told the people of the sins of Herod. John told the people to repent of their evil ways and not to follow the ways of Herod. For Herod was their ruler. He set the morals of his people by his own example. And the people followed what they believed was true and correct as set by Herod. Herod had married his brother's wife. Herod had his brother murdered so that he could marry his wife, Herodias, for he wanted her. Lust had filled him with desire and he wanted his brother's wife. So he created a plot to get rid of his brother that he may have Herodias. And she, Hereodias, participated in the plan. For she lusted for Herod. She lusted for power. She lusted for the position to be the mate of Herod the king. So together they plotted that they may be together. And John spoke to the people of this evil. "For John had said to him, “It is not lawful for thee to have her."
John had spoken of the evil that existed in the kingdom. John had preached of repentance to the people. John preached of the coming of the Messiah and told the people to repent of their evil ways that they may be saved. Do not follow the ways of Herod, he preached. Do not fall into temptation as Herod did, he told the people. Do not lust as Herod does, he told the people. For Herod was living in sin and should repent of his ways. Herod should repent and rid himself of Herodias. But Herod did not follow the preachings of the prophet. Herod did not believe that he should rid himself of Herodias. Herod lusted of her pleasures and wanted to rid himself of John and his preachings. And he would have liked to put him to death, but he feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet.
John spoke of the evil in his time. He told the people to repent. He spoke to them of the coming of the Messiah that they may be saved. John was bold. John was outspoken. John was a man of God. He spoke to the evil wherever it stood. John feared not. Are you like John the Baptist, today? Are you fearless? Are you outspoken? Are you a man/woman of God? Speak to the evil wherever you see it. Speak to the evil wherever you encounter it. Be bold yet be loving. Be courageous yet be understanding. For God is the ultimate judge of evil.
We speak to evil that our words may open the eyes and the ears of those who may hear the message of the kingdom, helping them to repent of their sins and be healed by Christ. We are not to judge. We are not to condemn. We are to love. We are to understand that those who commit sin are like us. We are all human. We are all sinful. But with the light of Christ within us we sin no more. And if we do sin we have his forgiveness and his love to bring us back from sin. For it is through our repentance that we are justified. It is through our repentance that we are sanctified. It is through our repentance that we are born anew and glorified in Christ. Be a John the Baptist today. Preach the gospel wherever you go. Call for repentance with whoever you meet. For God is our creator and our father. He loves us all and would have us with him in the kingdom of heaven for eternity.
