He Tried to See Him

Scripture – Luke 9:7-9: 7Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.

Reflection: So King Herod was perplexed. He apparently heard a lot of rumors and stories about Jesus and what He was doing. One of the rumors was that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. But Herod had executed John. So he wondered who he was hearing about.

The last line of today’s reading opens up all kinds of imaginative possibilities. How did Herod try to “see” Jesus? And why did he want to see Jesus?

Over and over we’ve seen that Christ is always open to anyone who comes to Him with a sincere heart. And generally He goes wherever He’s invited. So do we presume Herod followed neither of those paths?

It seems to me one of the keys to seeing Jesus – perhaps the key – is humility. I think Herod was little short on that. Some days I am, too. I’ll be careful today. I’ll remember Jesus doesn’t have to see me….but He does.