A Sermon Preached in Union Church on Sunday Morning, October 10, by the Rev. E, F. Horst-Smith But when Herod heard thereof he said "It is John, whom I beheaded. He is risen from the dead."
In our last address of this series announcing his own emphatic opinion we spoke of the dual personality of "It is John, whom I beheaded. He King Herod. We saw that he washs risen from the dead." Those not absolutely and entirely bad. He spreading reports about the fame of] had his good points. He was for|Jesus were just the stimulus. that Anstance distinctly drawn towards was required to arouse into activity John, the austere prophet of the' all those haunting fears connected wilderness. Something within him! with his foul deed. The prickings of responded to the message of that! conscience that he thought he had Tugged preacher. 'There was a[deadened started anew." 'The' sup-rational Herod, a man capable of pressed memories Teapeg fort. reflexion, waa also another Herod, a man of But' unfortunate Now Stirred Into Activity 3
strong animal passions' that were Now no one interested in the re-not accustomed to restraint. This, ligious movements of the time could baser Herod had fallen an easy) have mistaken Jesus for John. They) victim to the allurements of Herodias had been seen side by side; their Bnd otters to whom he sold his soul diferent. charncteriatica had been And Herodias was determined to, noted and commented upon. Even exact the full results of her vietory,|after the imprisonment of Joh:
to remove any obstacle from! messages had passed between hin ier path. The main hindrance tolud Jesus. The worldly and cynical ther plans was John, of whom she/court of Herod was however out of} conceived maliciotis hatred. His|touch with these things—they were!
arless words had condemned her!not_in its line. But the reputation and she was resolved to vent her! of Jesus had reached such dimen. spite on him sooner or She! sions that in the course of time even therefore created a fered heard of it. And, as we have said, the first effect of those reports! slave, She produced an atmosphere was'to stir his guilty conscience into in which his passions would be in-! activity. flamed and this reason stifed. And It has been said that Herod was} she was not without potential allies.) a Sadducee, though I gather the There were Herod's companions, evidence is' not complete. As you} action whose presence made independent know the Sadducees did not believe! for they made a in the resurrection. What is pro-would wish to, bably true is that Herod had' bewer daughter!come utterly worldly and had Salome whose dancing so fascinated belief of any kind—either in. the him that he made the wild promise|tesurrection or in anything else that to grant her anything she liked up; mattered. But even if he were al to one half of his kingdom. And,'nominal Sadducee, we can easily when the psychological moment, understand that he believed in the! arrived, Herodias presented her' Tesurrection of John at least, what. ultimatum, the head of John the, ever he may have thought of the Baptist on a charger. Herod was' test of mankind. Por fear plays troubled.
The voice of reason' strange havoc with intellectual. be-protested with what strength it had,!1iets. You remember the story of the But the demands of passion, were' atheist who when in peril eried: "Oh much more claimant and he yielded., God, (if there is a God) save my He promised to give her anything' soul (if T have a soul)". "He still asked up to one half of his king.' gave some sort of a sop to his earlier!
In actual fact he surrendered] intellectual beliefs but showed that the whole, for Herod the man ab- tis instinctive fears had. strong in favour of Herod beliefs of their own, The case of the animal and of his keepers. Here Herod was even more tragic still ended the career of the saner, better,!and any theories he may have held cooler Herod. ent to the winds. Sadiucee or Conscience Cannot Be Deadened eclated it is Sein? when grice It is probable that for Herodias headed. He is risen from the dead." there were no qualms or misgivings, That unforgettable, haunting me-ut for Herod the murder of Johajmory was his skeleton' in the the Baptist was not a pleasant re- cupboard. And that is the fatal collection, "He would do all he could' result of sin. A criminal may or} to blot the whol ered by others. memory. Shall we be far wrong of the detective and the supposing that he gave himself up! instincts of sleuth hounds may fail to unrestrained vice in order to keep\in tracing him.
But he cannot cut of the field of consciousness al escape from himself.
His terror-memory that was unpleasant and) stricken conscience will ind him, 'The inconvenient, But no memories ave'minions of the law may follow a lost. If they are crushed down from' false clue, but "be sure your: sin will the higher levels of consciousness,|find you out." The guilty conscience they still persist in the deeper levels|¢an administer.terrors ang tortures and carry on their unseen activity] that make the sternest legal punish-there. And every now and then! ments trifles in comparison. "A man when the censorship of the mind is'may drown his conscience with relaxed, they spring forth in. the, drink, he may suppress it by a life form of a dream, or during a brown! of excitement and worldly pleasure. study, and particularly when they' But he is ever safe. God's universe are stimulated to activity by some, inst him and it is filled with association, as when something oc-' that may easily upset all curs to recall the erstwhile forgotten' his calculations.
Tt was' so with Herod. The A Ray of Hope countryside was full of reports of a But now I want to suggest to you new Teacher and Healer. People|that in this tragic situation there had been filled with wonder at His was yet a tay of haje. Can it be pity and His power, Who was He?) that the tortures of a guilty con-Opinions differed considerably, science are merely vindictive? Is though they were all tributes to His the torment it imposes meant greatness, There was a popular ensure suffering for suffering's sake? belief that before Messiah came,|There are many theories of pun the prophet Elijah would return tol ment: one is that the punishment earth, Could this be He?
In!should fit the crime, another that temperament Jesus and Elijah had) it should fit the criminal—which is not much in common, But in feel-la very different matter.
This latter ity to truth there was resemblance theory which is rapidly—gaining! enough to give colour to the idea. ground and practically holds the There was also the belief that a, field to-day is that punishment should prophet like unto Moses would be! be reshedial, that it should do some-Taised up. The idea that Jesus was thing to wean the criminal from the Himself the long expected Messiah) error of his ways. It should help to Seems not to have occurred to people reform him. Was not that the up to that time, but they thought purpose of the conscience prickings he might well be amongst the im-lof Herod? Were they not a proof mediate forerunners of the national that God had not abandoned him? Deliverer, But none of these varied Is not something of that kind the opinions made much impression onjmeaning of that strange paradox Herod. He closed: any discussion you find in the book of Psalms: that went on in his presence by "There is forgiveness with Thee!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.