"But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by [John the Baptist] con-
cerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison."
This is a fascinating passage of Scripture. Herod was basically a typical bad guy. He was ruthless, cruel, immoral, vicious, and violent. And yet the very *worst* thing he ever did, according to the Bible itself, was to lock John the Baptist up in prison. Why was this more nefarious than Herod's public incest, for instance? Because by silencing John he was hindering the gospel proclamation of the church.
Keep that in mind as you evaluate various individuals, be they public officials, or people in the neighborhood. Someone may go to a deeper hell over unrepented-of disdain for the clergy's ministry, than they would over gross and brazen adultery.
[Puritan quote of the day: "For if it were not the Spirit that persuaded the soul when the minister speaks, alas! all ministerial persuasions are to no purpose." --Richard Sibbes, in "Glorious Freedom"]
