Paranoia and Fear

Author: Joseph

Date: October 4, 2020

Herod Antipas feared the people, which is the only reason he did not kill John the Baptist. Why was he trying to kill John the Baptist? Herod had taken his brother’s wife, Herodias, as his own after she was divorced, which is against God’s commandments (Leviticus 18:16; 20:21). John publicly denounced the relationship and convinced many others as well to loathe this perverted affair. Yet, Herod could not bring himself to actually kill John because he was afraid of the people, whom understood John was a prophet. Herod saw John’s many followers and supporters as a threat to his own security as ruler, so he restrained himself.

Herod, indulging in sinful deeds as he delighted, had a birthday celebration for himself. His niece, the daughter of his new wife, Herodias, danced before him for entertainment. Herod lusted after his niece and was so aroused that he made an oath to give her whatever she desired. He was willing to make an oath simply because she danced before him and he found fleshly pleasure in it – Herod seemed to know no boundaries with his desires (cf. Leviticus 18:17). Herodias, tired of John the Baptist’s criticism of her and Herod’s immoral and perverted relationship, instructed her daughter to ask for John the Baptist to be killed (she asked for his head). Since Herod made a foolish vow to do whatever she desired, he had to follow through.

Herod was then grieved at her request, not because he liked John the Baptist, but because he was cowardly and afraid of how the people would react since they regarded John as a prophet. Herod was potentially committing political suicide by performing this execution, but he had sworn he would do it.

The evil deed was completed and Herod was chased with a sense of fear thereafter. When Herod heard about Yeshua and the miracles He was performing, he thought John the Baptist had come back to life. Herod was guilty, paranoid, and greatly afraid because he saw that Yeshua had even greater power that John the Baptist, having performed miracles. Herod’s guilt chased him and now he greatly feared Yeshua, not knowing if somehow this “resurrected John” (as he believed) would come to him for vengeance.

People who dwell in wickedness and perversion are like Herod Antipas. Their uninhibited evil desires drive their actions. Their poor decision making and foolish loyalties get them in continuous trouble. Herod did not have to marry Herodias. Herod did not have to seek perverted entertainment in his own niece! Herod did not have to make a foolish oath to his niece from his lustful desire. Both his evil desire and his foolishness got him trapped in performing even more evil – killing John. Herod’s life was chaotic and unnecessarily complicated because he chose to pursue evil and delight in perversion.

Herod Antipas was unable to even recognize God, through Yeshua, because he was paranoid that the man he killed, John, was somehow alive again and might seek vengeance against him. Herod’s sin had driven him so far into bondage and spiritual blindness he had nothing left to his life but paranoia and fear. Though he sought to indulge in fleshly sins, these couldn’t satisfy him and added to his emptiness. Instead of repenting, he continued to attempt to fill the void with additional sins.

"...embrace the humility of being wrong before God, and recover your life..."

Great danger exists in adding sins to sins and running away from repentance. Repentance is really the only option for freedom and recovery of our lives. No matter what we do to numb the guilt or attempt to hide away our sins from being uncovered, the end is still the same when we do not repent: our lives become chaos, full of paranoia and fear. Instead of trying to run away from God and “make it work” by continuing in unrepentant sin, stop right now and consider how foolish that is. It is time to turn around now, embrace the humility of being wrong before God, and recover your life before it leads to chaos and death.

What sins are you continuing in and hoping that it will “work itself out?” Do you feel paranoid about something you do? If so, it is very likely something you need to repent from. Remember, there is no guilt in righteousness. Only when we sin do we feel chased, paranoid and in fear.

Matthew 14:1-12