Herod kills John the Baptist ~
Herod Antipas was known for his ruthless ambition and John the Baptist has no problem calling him on it. In fact, John was very vocal about Herod's lack of character. Herod was a ruler, a leader, yet he was no role model. Herod had John imprisoned for speaking out about his illegal marriage to his brother's wife, Herodias. Herodias wanted John killed, but Herod at least respected John as a righteous and refused to put him to death.
However, Herod's pride and selfish ambition ended up being his downfall. He made a pledge in public and felt compelled to keep it. Because of his hasty tongue and ego, John the Baptism was murdered. After John's death, news of the miracles of Jesus spread to Herod's court. Some said Jesus was the resurrected John the Baptist, others claimed He was the prophet Elijah, still others simply claimed Him as a prophet. All this talk had Herod intrigued for he knew that Jesus was not a resurrected John. Remember this passage during the trial of Jesus. It casts light on the interaction between Jesus and Herod later on.
So, what can we learn from this passage? Selfish ambition and pride will always lead to poor choices. It's as simple as that.
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