Luke 9: 7 & 9
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed. "Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him.
As humans we are curious about many things. For many of us we leave the discovery of the hard things to the scientists. But when we're young, we can't help but be curious. Mom says, "don't touch the hot stove," then the child just has to touch it to see how hot it is. It's part of our innate search for truth.
Looking at today's reading, Herod the tetrarch is curious about Jesus. Now Herod is not a good person; after all he had John the Baptist beheaded. Nevertheless, he was still curious. He was looking for answers to questions that were difficult. Many told Herod that Jesus was John the Baptist or Elijah. Herod knew himself that it wasn't John. He didn't believe it was Elijah or any of the prophets. Maybe Herod wanted to know of a potential adversary or even a potential ally. But he knew that this Jesus was causing a stir and pulling people to his cause.
Isn't that what happens to people today that are searching for truth, for answers in their life? People today might ask, "I've heard of Jesus and Christians, but don't know much about it. I wasn't raised that way." I'm sure that's a refrain for some. Even Jesus asked his own followers, "Who do you say that I am?" Pray today for a more open heart to ponder the question Jesus would ask you, "who do you say I am?" Meditate on this in your search for truth and love in your life today.
