Many of Jesus' contemporaries expected the Messiah to be a political leader. There was, however, also a tradition that the Messiah would be unknown; he would be something of mystery. It is not surprising, then, that Herod failed to understand who Jesus was. Herod's thoughts are a reflection of his guilt and fear because he had killed John, whom the people regarded as a man of God, a prophet. His thoughts are also a result of his pagan superstition.

Though Herod was totally mistaken, his thoughts may provide us with some points for reflection. Our faith in Jesus has liberated us from all superstition. We know and accept him as our crucified and risen Lord, but we should not then presume that we know him perfectly. Rather, each day, as we live out our faith, we grow in our knowledge of who Jesus is.

We know our catechism. We recite the Creed at Mass and believe what we proclaim: Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. Thus we are indeed very different from Herod, but we should not be complacent in our faith. Our faith calls upon us to grow in faith, hope and love.