Saturday August 3rd: Lessons in human behaviour

The Bible is a text on emotional and social intelligence.

Matthew 14: 1 – 12

Today’s gospel could be used in a psychology class on human mind and behaviour.
The guilt the king felt for beheading John the Baptist, made him jump to the conclusion, Jesus was the resurrected John.
One of the things we learn from court room dramas, is that you should always know the answer before you ask a question. Herod did not have the benefit of television, so he did not know to promise his stepdaughter anything without knowing what was going to be asked of him.
The story shows how easy it is to be “pushed” into something you already wanted to do. Herod wanted to kill John but thought better of it, for political reasons.
It also shows how pride and the fear of embarrassment could prevent us from doing the right thing.
My prayer is to use the Bible, not only as a form of prayer and Spiritual Growth. It is also a text on emotional and social intelligence.