Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised
from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him. Now Herod had
arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the
wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him “It is not lawful for you
to have her. Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they
regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter
of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so
much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her
mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. The
king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head
was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and
told Jesus.
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Reflection:
Who is King Herod? King Herod is a tyrant, a leader
who will never think twice to supress anyone who dares cross his path. He
will not only suppress, Herod could even order the killing of anyone he wants so
that he could remain in power.
Respect for human rights is not part of the
vocabulary of Herod, abuse of human rights and dignity is. This is the reason
why John the Baptist was imprisoned. John did nothing wrong he simply said what
was to be truthfully said yet John suffered for it.
Many leaders are like King Herod, they would bully
themselves with the use of strong words to achieve what they want . We must be very
careful and watchful of these kind of leaders for they would not do us any good.
They will only bring us to perdition and they would only bring shame to the
country which they lead.
Let us be observant about their pronouncements most
especially off the cuff pronouncements for this is where they reveal their true
personalities. This is where we could get a glimpse of the true character of a
leader. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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