Devotion:
Read Matthew 14:1-14.
For me, this is a scene that tells me a lot about Jesus and what he came to teach us. As Luke tells us in the early chapters of his Gospel, John is a relative of Jesus. Maybe they were cousins; we don’t know for sure. But they are family.
Here, we are given the report of when John was beheaded while in prison. It was bad enough that this innocent, faithful servant of God was killed like this, but then to hear why that came about makes it even worse. He was the pawn in a silly game; a victim of someone who hated him and someone who was tricked into having him killed. It was enough to make anyone furious.
“Then they went and told Jesus.” Wonder what Jesus will do? Surely this will cause him to use his power in some way to bring Herod down, maybe kill him. What would you do? After all, this is family! “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place…..When Jesus...saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” What?! Jesus, shouldn’t you do something to Herod? Shouldn’t you seek some level of revenge for what was done to your family member?
This story may be the best example of Jesus living by what he taught. Most people would say he had a good reason to seek revenge here. How many of us, in the same situation and having the same kind of power he had, would use that power to get revenge? Jesus did not. He continues to want to teach us how to walk that same path.
Personal Worship Option:
Pray for wisdom and courage to follow Jesus on the path of non-violence.
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