“For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.”
Because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him — the portrait of Herod is psychologically complex: he fears John (personal reverence), protects him (guards him against Herodias), knows him to be righteous and holy (accurate moral assessment), is greatly puzzled by him (cannot reconcile John's message with his own life), yet likes to listen to him (finds the teaching compelling even while unable to obey it). This is precisely the condition of the thorny-ground hearer: hearing and even enjoying the word while the thorns of wealth and desire choke its fruitfulness.
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