Matthew 14v8

And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.

Not only was there great spiritual expectation during the time of John the Baptist, but also great opposition. The closer Herod got to repenting of his sins, and specifically repentance from having married his sister-in-law, the more opposed his wife became to John, the source of the message. John and his message of repentance threatened all that she thought she had gained in the world. The problem in Herod’s mind was whether to follow God and his own conscience, or follow his wife and her selfishness and opposition to John the Baptist. This opposition to the message continues today, as people are more interested in the benefits of sin, however temporary, than the eternal benefits of staying within God’s will.

For further discussion of this verse, please see also Mark 6v14-26 {22 } {23 } {24 }.