Monday. [Eph. 4:25-32; Luke 3:19-22]

   Herod is an image of self-love, irritated by his troubled conscience, reproached by the truth; self-love seeks to escape this unpleasantness by applying force. John the Forerunner is an image of the truth persecuted by another’s self-love, when this self-love is able to do so. No matter how one softens the truth with all the soft words and turns of speech that tender love can invent, not desiring to injure or wound another’s heart, the face of truth will nevertheless appear before the eyes of the conscience, and stir up a tempest of denunciation within. Selfishness is near-sighted, it cannot see that the denunciation is not coming from without but from within, and it rises up with all of its strength against the external accuser. By blocking his lips, this selfishness expects to silence the inner voice as well. It does not succeed, however; it does not direct its concern in the right direction. One must pacify the conscience; then, no matter how many external accusers there will be, they will not disturb the inner world, but on the contrary only deepen it, compelling one to gather calming convictions within—faith in the crucified Lord, sincerity of repentance and confession, and firmness in the resolution to do nothing against one’s conscience. This is where one must look, and not keep putting all Johns into prison; for the word of God’s truth walks everywhere upon the earth, and each one is an accusing John to you.