And he wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the people, because the people accepted John as a prophet.
In this verse and the two previous ones, the inner state of a ruler is described—provoked, driven by sin, and wavering in the face of the truth. Herod had married Herodias, the wife of his living brother Philip. John the Baptist, with a straight prophetic word, did not keep silent before this open lawlessness. He said plainly, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Herod, unwilling to repent or to leave his sin, imprisoned the prophet. Yet there was no peace in his conscience. He wanted to kill John, but he did not dare. The people recognized John as a prophet, and Herod, as a ruler dependent on the people, feared an uprising. This passage shows how sin brings inner turmoil and division. Herod sees the truth, but sin brings him oppression, and fear brings him utter weakness. He ruled, yet at the same time he was a captive to his desires, his fears, and the burden of sin. In this story John is a symbol of the person who does not keep silent, speaking the truth even when danger is present. His truth-speaking leads to imprisonment and later to martyrdom. This also shows that God’s truth always remains firm, no matter how much people oppose it.