Freedom Vs Bondage

Matthew 14:3

For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.

There are two ways to view this passage:

·       The one way, from the perspective of earthly power and

·       The other from the perspective of personal liberty

Herod obviously had much greater earthly power than John the Baptist.

He was a king. He had authority to bind and to put in prison. He was powerful enough to have a man executed at the whim of a dancing girl.

But John had all the liberty.

Herod was trapped in his own flesh. He killed a man at the whim of two conniving women. He lust had compelled him to steal his own brother's wife. He had enough power to execute John the Baptist but he feared the people. But then he feared the women more than the people and had him killed anyway. Finally he was trapped in his guilt and illogically thought Jesus was somehow John the Baptist back from the dead and come to haunt him.

Even in prison and in death John the Baptist was free. He spoke what was true. He did so despite the dangers and, in the end, his soul was set free into eternity.

So long as a man is free to speak what he knows to be true and do what he knows to be right, he is a free man.