Herod the Fox

Herod Antipus, known as “Herod the tetrarch” in the New Testament, was one of the sons of Herod the Great who murdered the children in Bethlehem and rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem, and both Herods are likewise remembered by Christians for their wicked deeds.  At the death of his father, Herod Antipas became the ruler in the Galilean region.  Herod took Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for his own wife, and John the Baptist criticized him for it.  He told him, “It is not lawful for thee to have her” (Matt 14:4).  That led to the events surrounding John the Baptist’s beheading which was ordered by Herod.  When Jesus was taken before Herod at the time of his trial, the king “was exceedingly glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he has heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.” (Luke 23:8).  So he wanted to see some sign of Jesus, and certainly was not interested in understanding whether He was really guilty of what He was being accused of.  He’s another example fulfilling the Savior’s words that “a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas” (Matt 16:4).  Given the affair of taking his brother’s wife, clearly Herod can be labeled as adulterous.  He sought the sign from Jesus, and indeed it was not given.  In fact despite all that he had hoped to see when meeting Jesus in person, Jesus “answered him nothing” (Luke 23:9).  Herod was one of the few that Jesus called by a belittling name.  When some Pharisees came to Jesus and warned Him to depart, saying, “Herod will kill thee,” Jesus responded, “Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow” (Luke 13:31-32).  He was a fox because he was deceitful, treacherous, and perhaps most importantly had murdered the man that the Savior regarded as “more than a prophet” (Matt 11:9).