A strange fact about us human beings is that we are haunted by both sin and goodness. Herod was an odd mixture. He feared and respected John at the same time. He dreaded John's tongue while at the same time he found pleasure in listening to him. He acted on impulse. A person should never by self indulgence get into a state of losing the power of judgment and be liable to do things which may be regretted later. Herodias shows us what an embittered woman can do. Jewish Rabbis had a saying: "When a good woman marries a bad man, she can change him for good while a bad woman can change a good man to into a bad one." John the Baptist was a man of courage. He preferred death to falsehood; he lived and died for truth. He was a person who brought the word of God to people and acted as their conscience.

Most of us fall into one of several categories. We are not sure what is right and cannot decide for ourselves, too proud and ignorant to accept and change. We should strive to be humble and be courageous in standing for the truth.