And the king immediately sent an executioner and commanded him to bring his head.
Herod, despite his inner sorrow, quickly carried out the sinful command. This haste shows that when a person once decides to ignore the voice of conscience, afterward he often rushes to act so that he will no longer think about his injustice. He sends an executioner as though it were an ordinary legal action, while in reality a great crime against justice was being committed. In this way evil is passed from person to person and is carried out through those who obey unjust commands. John the Baptist, who was the voice of truth, is killed by a decision made in the atmosphere of a banquet, because of human caprice and pride. This reveals the moral distortion of worldly authorities when they are cut off from God’s law.