Lesson for the Lord’s Day
But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. Luke 3:19,20
As I was reading a book about the world’s worst tyrants and villains, I noticed that the author did more than simply list the evil behavior of those wicked men. After he described each man in turn, and listed the various atrocities and cruelties that each had committed, the author selected a specific event that each of those wicked men had been involved in, and described it in great detail, so that the readers might get a better understanding of person involved. In many cases, the author would note that the event selected was probably the worst crime that the tyrant had committed. Although Herod the tetrarch would never have made the list of the worst tyrants because he simply was not important enough, he did have a worst crime, as our text points out.
John Baptist was not shy about telling the people in his audiences about their sins. And when it came to the sins of public figures and rulers, John did not mince words, either. Herod was living in adultery with his brother’s wife, and John did not hesitate to let Herod know that that was wrong. Nor did he hold back about Herod’s other crimes and misbehaviour. We are not told what all of those other things were, other than to take note that Herod was a nasty, cruel, and wicked person. But Luke records in his Gospel that the worst of Herod’s crimes was his arrest, and eventual killing, of John. When Herod stands one day at the Great White Throne, he will surely be reminded of all of his many sins. And atop the list will be this, that he imprisoned and killed John. We may wonder sometimes why God allows His servants, His children, to endure suffering and martyrdom. But we can be confident that God notes all of those who torment and abuse His own, and that every evil action against His children will be answered for.
In many cases, we are unaware of the widespread atrocities committed against Christians in Communist, Moslem, and Hindu lands, of the killings and torture that are hidden from public view and never make headlines in our western media. But God knows them all, and not one of those perpetrators will avoid the full penalty for their crimes. We should also be aware that the atrocities committed in our own part of the world – although not as savage and deadly – are all known by God. Think of the Christians who have suffered because they have refused to endorse or promote homosexuality; every one of their tormentors, and the judges and other officials who have backed their tormentors, are facing terrible judgment for their crimes. So are all of those who have stood in the way of the preaching of the Gospel, even to those who have refused a Gospel tract or insulted a witnessing Christian.
Never forget that God sees all of the wrong done to His own. Not only will He recompense fully for all that His saints suffer, but He will also exact full judgment against those who commit such sins. -Jim MacIntosh