Fear
“At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.”
— Matt. 14:1-2 —
There are many things which condemn men to eternity in hell. Our Lord’s instruction in Matthew 13 indicates that most will reject the Gospel, and their reasons will be varied. Some will outright reject, while others will respond with some interest, albeit from a distance.
Some rejectors will be aggressive (even violent), while others are merely indifferent and disinterested. Of those who show a degree of interest, some will look with astonishment, some with fascination, and some with mild curiosity.
All of these are evidences of unbelief, and each one will die in their sins, for they have rejected God’s only provision for their salvation—the Lord Jesus Christ. Regardless of what they may say, or what their excuses may be, the Word of God is clear:
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:18-20).
Herod had good reason to fear. Having imprisoned John the Baptist for rebuking his sinful behavior, then served his head on a platter at the request of his birthday dancer/stepdaughter/great neice (trust me, it gets complicated), he receives word there is one in Galilee performing many “mighty works.” Because of his guilty conscience, Herod believes that John the Baptist has come back from the dead, no doubt, to seek vengeance on him. His guilty assumption is wrong, however, for the one spoken of by his servants is none other than Jesus himself.
One of the evidences that men prefer darkness over light is fear. Men fear a number of things—rejection, commitment, discipline, suffering, ridicule, exposure, danger, harm, death, and a host of other unpleasantries. But these are merely symptoms of the one thing they fear the most—parting with their sins.
Christ is the light (John 1:4-5), but men love their sins and would rather remain in spiritual darkness. Only those who turn from their sins and come to the light are saved, while all others are condemned to hell forever.