He isn't afraid of anything! He is completely unfazed by any man! After all, He did just make a man come back to life...again! This Man is either clearly who He claims to be, or He is the best imposter to ever travel the plains of Israel.
It's all because of the Lazarus situation. And He knew it. Lazarus's resurrection has overwhelmed everyone. No one has ever made a dead man come back into existence! To call his spirit back into his body?! Now, even Herod Antipas, the king, knows and he's demanding to speak with this Wonder-Worker. This can't be good for his kingdom... For Caesar... For the Roman Empire...
————
"Who is this Man?" Antipas barks as he paces across the cold floor of his throne room. At the tone of his voice, the men, those they call Herodians, hiccup and take a step back from him, giving him space. They fear providing the wrong response.
Then—
"Uh... they say..." One of them musters a reply, "...They say that He's only a prophet, my lord. And we know what happened to that last prophet, remember?" He looks around for support from his other brothers, hoping to impart reassurance into the king.
"Yeah... He's only from Nazareth," another weighs in. "According to their sacred writings, we know that nothing good comes from there. I've personally spoken with one of their own, my lord."
Antipas freezes, drags himself to his throne, and then throws himself down into the cushioned high-back. Then, he leans forward resting on his elbow, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.
Another chimes in, "They believe he's just another one of those...uh.... what do they call it?" He looks at his chubby brother to his left for help.
"A false messiah claimant—"
"—Yes...yes! A false messiah!
The men chuckle amongst one another at those words.
Antipas raises his head, his face stern and unmoved. He doesn't see the humor in their response. At all!
The Herodians quickly regain their composure.
"Uh... Know this, my lord..." One of the more devious ones speaks up, "...There's nothing for you to worry about. We all know exactly how things end for the ones who desire to be a 'savior' for these people. Don't we?"
The other advisors agree in harmonious compliance, hoping their assurance will pacify and calm the king.
Still worried, but slowly adjusting his countenance of disgust with a mask of confidence, Antipas replies, "Bring the Man to me. I would like to talk to Him... you know, maybe see some of this magic myself."
The men laugh. They are Herod's true followers. His pawns. His worshippers. For a moment, Antipas smiles and chuckles with them, but beneath that visage, fear has gripped his heart like a vine smothering and coiling a massive oak.
————
But—that meeting never happens. After all, who is Antipas to now demand a meeting with Him? As soon as the Man knows of Antipas's desire, He denounces this summit. Establishing His kingdom, even within King Antipas's own kingdom, is more important in this hour than discussions and secret meetings.
And to make matters worse, the citizens of Antipas's kingdom are joining the Rebel's kingdom. This means war! A traitor moves methodically among the people... Soon, a riot would ensue. Antipas knows it will! He has to stop it before it breaks off.
"At that time, some Pharisees came up and said to [the Man], "Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you."1
Amused and not afraid to speak His mind, the Man said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Look, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work. Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is impossible that a prophet should be killed outside Jerusalem.'"2
Things grew tense within those final days leading up to the finale that no one expected... except the Man, Himself, of course. The people, those who trusted and believed in Him, had gone absolutely crazy about Him, creating a fame that spread His name throughout all the country. But—those who doubted... those Herodians cloistered up with some of the Man's very own people, the Pharisees...were hellbent on bringing Him to an end.
So from that day on, they plotted to take his life.
John 11:53 NIV
And the kicker was: He knew it and did nothing to stop them!
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