Luke 9:7 & 9
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed. " Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him.
As humans we are curious about many things. If you have a question or curious about a topic, where do you turn? Most of us turn to the web. Back in the day, we'd turn to the news (tv and paper), because that's where you generally got unbiased reporting. But much of that has changed in the last 25 or 30 years.
Looking at today's reading, Herod the Tetrarch is curious about Jesus. He knew some of the teaching of the Jews; that a king would come, resurrected from the dead, and it would probably be a prophet. So it would make sense for him that it would be Elijah or even John the Baptist. Now Herod is not a good person; after all he had John the Baptist beheaded. Nevertheless, he was still curious. He was looking for answers to questions that were difficult. Many told Herod that Jesus was John the Baptist or Elijah. Herod knew himself that it wasn't John; he didn't believe it was Elijah or any of the prophets. Maybe Herod wanted to know of a potential adversary or even a potential ally. But he knew that this Jesus was causing a stir and pulling people to his cause. He was wary and uncertain. This causes fear….the fear of the unknown.
Isn't that what happens to people today that are searching for truth, for answers in their life? People today might ask, "I've heard of Jesus and Christians, but don't know much about it. I wasn't raised that way." I'm sure that's a refrain for some. The scripture today ends, "And he kept trying to see him." We all want answers, to seek truth. The problem is today that if some don't believe the truth, they question it, and even result in name calling and personal attack. We sink to speculation and false opinion that can cause scandal. For answers and truth, turn to scripture. All of your answers will be found in prayer, in study and faith in Jesus. The answers may not come right away or in the way you want, but it will be truth.
