Herod

[nebula]

Thought question:

When Jesus stood before Herod, He didn't make a single effort to persuade him to seek God.

Contrast this with Jesus' conversation with Pilot.

Why did not Jesus say anything to plant seeds in Herod's heart?

[Matthitjah]

Joh 9:39

¶ And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they who see not might see; and that they who see might be made blind.

There's a whole lot of folks walking around modern day today like this. They exclaim that they can see, but are in fact blind. They deny the very Word of God before their very eyes and make him into the image that they desire. They will not see Him.

It's also crucial to note that Herod's only reason for seeking out an audience with Jesus was to see Him perform a miracle like He was a parlor amusment or something.

[xero]

Mark 4:10 "And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them."

Acts 28:25 "And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,26Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:27For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.28Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it."

Isaiah 6:10 "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed."

[Guest shiloh357]

Thought question:

When Jesus stood before Herod, He didn't make a single effort to persuade him to seek God.

Contrast this with Jesus' conversation with Pilot.

Why did not Jesus say anything to plant seeds in Herod's heart?

Jesus spoke to Pilate, to Caiaphus, but not to Herod. I don't think He even looked at Herod. Herod was a very, very wicked man. He was every bit as wicked as many of the kings in the OT.

That was the worst possble thing for Herod. When a man becomes so wicked that he gets to the place where God will not talk to him, he has crossed the line.

[appy]

Herod had ample opportunity to hear and except the same good news that all others had. He had many interviews before and after imprisoning John the Baptist. We can be sure that John shared with him God’s word and who Jesus was and his mission in every interview. However Herod, on those visits simply wanted to be intellectually entertained. Jesus’s ministry wasn’t done in secret meetings behind closed doors but in the Temple, synagogues, houses, along side the shores of lakes and on hillsides, in towns . If Herod had really wanted to know the truth and who Jesus was he could have attended any of those places where Jesus was giving sermons.

Herod was a depraved person who had already emphatically and repeatedly rejected the truth. And now that Jesus was bound before him, on Herod’s terms was suddenly interested, but only for the purpose of being amused. Therefore, our Lord had no intention of satisfying the curiosity.

Edited August 19, 2012 by little brown church

[nebula]

Ok, these are good thoughts.

Now let me expand my thought behind the question a bit.

What happened to seeking and saving the lost? Why did He not do whatever it took to get Herod to come into the Kingdom?

(Thinking in terms of how we witness to nonbelievers.)

[Matthitjah]

Ok, these are good thoughts.

Now let me expand my thought behind the question a bit.

What happened to seeking and saving the lost? Why did He not do whatever it took to get Herod to come into the Kingdom?

(Thinking in terms of how we witness to nonbelievers.)

I don't believe Herod wanted to come into the Kingdom even though he were dragged kicking and screaming.

[Guest]

Ok, these are good thoughts.

Now let me expand my thought behind the question a bit.

What happened to seeking and saving the lost? Why did He not do whatever it took to get Herod to come into the Kingdom?

(Thinking in terms of how we witness to nonbelievers.)

I think Jesus knew He'd be wasting His time testifying to Herod. Since Christ could see into a person's heart, my guess (and that's all it is) is that something told Him witnessing to Herod would be a pearls before swine thing -- a waste of time. Another option is the prophecies about the Messian being silent like a sheep before the shearers?

[other one]

Herod was a edomite and you can read in Obediah about what God thinks about them.

[nebula]

Yes.

But what of how we relate to unbelievers?

If I ever treated an unbeliever (even one who flat out rejects God) the way Jesus treated Herod, I'd be labled a Pharisee and preached with, "Jesus hung out with the sinners," and so on and so forth.