After Jesus had feed the 4,000 he gets in a boat with the Apostles to go to the other side. As He enters the boat he gives them this warning:

Mr 8:15 And Jesus <repeatedly and expressly> charged and admonished them, saying, Look out; keep on your guard and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod and the Herodians.

Jesus warned them of against two beliefs systems that could spread like leaven in their lives. The First is the Leaven of the Pharisees and the Second is the Leaven of Herod and the Herodians.  To understand the leaven of the Herodians we must look at who Herod was and how he lived.

Herod was the tetrarch of Galilee, the son of Herod the Great. Under the Roman system of government the territory of Galilee was under the joint rule of four rulers.  He was ruthless in his rule, like his father Herod the Great. He was Jewish only by the lineage of his mother who was a Samaritan. He was responsible for the death of John the Baptist and mocked Jesus before his court. His government was corrupt and had even influenced the election of the high priests.  John the Baptist was beheaded because he withstood Herod  for his marriage to his brother’s wife Herodias.

Mr 6:18 For John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

Mt 14:3  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

 It was Herodias daughter who after winning the Herod’s favor asked for the head of John the Baptist.

Mr 6:25 Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

We can see the corruption of his rule from these glimpses into his life from Scripture. Rule in the Roman system was bestowed to those who had gained (by bribes, or service) the favor of the Caesar. The whole system was corrupt.

It was not I believe the office that Jesus warned about, but the influence that office had on the society of Israel. It was a corrupt and worldly influence. Here is what I believe to be the Leaven of Herod: It is the influence of worldliness that causes the focus of life to be in the natural world and it’s governments instead of God.

It is so important to keep our focus on God and His Word. We can so easily be lead into believing that it is the rule of Government that gives us freedom.  Government’s through-out history have more than not restricted freedoms rather than endorse or allow them.  Freedom I believe comes from those who are governed by God, whom have submitted to His regulations in their lives leading to a society of those who would be self regulated. This was God’s original intent for His people, the descendents of Abraham, when He brought them into the promise land. They lived under a Theocracy and the rule of law was prescribed in the Torah. They lived by the law of Moses, towns were ruled by elders in regard to social law, and by priest in regard to religious law. When they began to depart from the law of God, he sent prophets to judge them.  A true self-regulated society. No taxes, no king, and no bureaucracy. It wasn’t until generations after coming into the land that the people asked for a king so they could be like the other nations. Worldliness had crept into the lives of the people of God.

1Sa 8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

Monarchy didn’t provide more freedom, it took away many of their freedoms by taxation and mandatory service to their kings.

Jesus came after the monarchies of Israel had totally collapsed. It was the worldliness that had crept in and had overtaken them. This is what Jesus was warning His disciples against. We must take up that fight again. We must fight the influence of this world upon our doctrines of truth and our lifestyles. To win this fight we must pray that the eyes of the believers in America would be opened to see the worldliness in their lives and that they return to God wholeheartedly.

Have a Great Day!!