John the Baptist
John the Baptist is said to be "in the desert of Judea" and "baptizing in the Jordan." The traditional site of John's ministry is on the East bank of the river opposite Jericho. The political significance of this site, or anything anywhere nearby, cannot be overemphasized. All Israelites would be conditioned to associate this spot with Joshua's entry to the Holy Land, and the amassing of a large crowd hear can only look like a coup waiting to happen. No wonder the authories in Jerusalem get skittish and send out observers.
John's words could hardly help. He speaks of the coming of God's Kingdom, which most Jews of his day would have associated with a geopolitical movement, and warns of a "coming wrath." Whatever meaning we may give his remarks in retrospect, they would have been highly inflammatory in the moment.
We learn elsewhere in the gospels of John's displeasure over Herod's marriage to his brother's wife. Josephus sheds a special light on this. In addition to the moral overtones of the marriage, Johns was also apparently aware of the political ramifications. In order to marry Herodias, Herod had divorced his previous wife, a princess from a rival kingdom to the East. Josephus reports that the resulting dissolution of political ties with this kingdom left Judea open to attack from the East. Throughout Israel's history, foreign invasions had been witnessed by the prophets as instruments of God's judgment on Israel. Coupled with John's actions, one might be led to suppose that John was expecting an imminent invasion from the East and was preparing a faithful remnant.
His baptism, with the stated purpose of "forgiveness of sins" was probably a communal rather than a personal repentance intended to cleanse the remnant of the sins for which he understood that the current regime in Jerusalem were about to be punished.
Whatever John's actual intentions, it is easy to see how Herod could have understood the Baptist's ministry as a form a of sedition bordering on military rebellion.
John's words could hardly help. He speaks of the coming of God's Kingdom, which most Jews of his day would have associated with a geopolitical movement, and warns of a "coming wrath." Whatever meaning we may give his remarks in retrospect, they would have been highly inflammatory in the moment.
We learn elsewhere in the gospels of John's displeasure over Herod's marriage to his brother's wife. Josephus sheds a special light on this. In addition to the moral overtones of the marriage, Johns was also apparently aware of the political ramifications. In order to marry Herodias, Herod had divorced his previous wife, a princess from a rival kingdom to the East. Josephus reports that the resulting dissolution of political ties with this kingdom left Judea open to attack from the East. Throughout Israel's history, foreign invasions had been witnessed by the prophets as instruments of God's judgment on Israel. Coupled with John's actions, one might be led to suppose that John was expecting an imminent invasion from the East and was preparing a faithful remnant.
His baptism, with the stated purpose of "forgiveness of sins" was probably a communal rather than a personal repentance intended to cleanse the remnant of the sins for which he understood that the current regime in Jerusalem were about to be punished.
Whatever John's actual intentions, it is easy to see how Herod could have understood the Baptist's ministry as a form a of sedition bordering on military rebellion.
