Reflection: Luke 9:7-9

25th Week in Ordinary Time — Luke 9:7-9

The central character in today’s Gospel is Herod, who was the tetrarch of the district. Herod had heard about Jesus and his disciples. However, he was confused and perplexed about whom Jesus was and what he was doing. He had heard several rumors. Some people were saying that Jesus was John raised from the dead. Others said: “Elijah has appeared.” Still others believed that Jesus was one of the ancient prophets who had arisen.

However, Herod knew that John was dead. After all, he was the one who had ordered John beheaded. Clearly, Jesus was not John the Baptist. Still, Herod wanted to know who this Jesus was. And he wanted to see Jesus and hear him preach. Thus he would learn more about Jesus.

Many of us at a very young age learned about Jesus. Most likely our first introduction to Jesus may have been at Christmas time when the manger scenes were set up. This may have been the first time we heard of Jesus, saw an image of him as a baby, and heard the story of Mary and Joseph and of Jesus’ birth. Most likely we learned more about Jesus and his life as we grew up.

In Jesus’ time, however, Herod and many other people didn’t have a clue about who Jesus was. They knew he was a preacher. And they knew that he was a cousin of John the Baptist. Some people actually claimed that Jesus was John raised from the dead.

Today I invite you to ask yourself: At this point in your life, who is Jesus for you? Is Jesus present in your life? Is he real to you? Or is he simply a character in the Gospels? I pray he is an integral part of your life!