Luke 9:7-9

Luke 9:7-9

And Herod the Tetrarch heard all of the things that became.  And he was perplexed because it was being said by some that John was being raised from the dead, by some that Elijah appeared, and by others that some prophet of old has risen.  But Herod said, “I beheaded John.  Who is this regarding whom I hear these things?”  And he was seeking to see Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Herod heard and was perplexed.  Shame on Herod.  Herod was a leader of the Jewish people and was technically Jewish himself.  He had every resource available to him.  He should have been familiar with the prophecies about the Messiah.  He should have surrounded himself with wise people who could have helped him discern.  Instead, he is perplexed.  He isn’t prepared, he is confused.  All too often we find that the people who have no excuse to not know are some of the least prepared.  Of course, there are exceptions to this as well.  We should all examine ourselves and make sure that we are using our resources well to draw closer to God and what He is doing.

How do you prepare yourself for God’s action in your life?  Where in your life are you guilty of not doing what you should?

Second Thought:

The people are also confused.  Some want Jesus to be Elijah because that means that the Messiah would be coming soon and they could throw off the Roman Empire.  Others think Jesus is just an old prophet raised from the dead to warn the people about their sin. Some people think that Jesus is actually John the Baptizer who is reborn to seek revenge on Herod.  Isn’t it interesting to see the gossip tree at work?  When people don’t understand something, rumor and speculation about.  We should avoid rumor and speculation and instead seek the truth that comes from God.

Where have you ever fallen into gossip or speculation?  Has that ever ended well for you?  Where has god been able to speak truth into the things you don’t understand?

Third Thought:

Herod seeks to see Jesus.  On one hand, this is incredible news.  Good for Herod in trying to seek out Jesus.  He is naturally curious.  That is one of the human characteristics that God can use to draw us to Him.  On the other hand, just because Herod wants to meet Jesus doesn’t mean that he is interested in following Jesus.  Herod could be genuinely interested.  He could also be scoping out potential threats to his reign.  He could be looking for a way to use Jesus.  He could be looking to see if he can partner with Jesus in order to gain popularity.  The reality is that we don’t know why Herod looks to find Jesus.  But we do know that when Herod gets his chance to be in Jesus’ presence, he has a role in condemning Him to be crucified.

Have you ever been genuinely curious about some aspect of faith?  How has God used that feeling to grow your faith?  Have you ever appeared to be curious about something with respect to faith but your motives were less than pure?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 9:10-17