Unscrupulous yet cautious, Herod Antipas ruled Galilee during the lifetime of Jesus Christ.  His father, Herod the Great, had been completely heartless when he ordered the cold-blooded killing of every baby boy around Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate the newborn king of the Jews.  Like his father, the younger Herod had no love for Jesus or for John the Baptist.  Their ministries were causing an unprecedented sensation throughout the land but Herod Antipas was not as ruthless as his father.  In fact he tried to avoid the conflict which these men would cause him.
      Yet Herod Antipas had a particular disdain for John.  Herod had taken his brother Philip's wife as his own and John had boldly pointed out his wrongdoing.  The king wanted to arrest and execute John for this, but he was afraid the people would revolt because of their high regard for John.
      Then the wife in question, Herodias, forced Herod's hand.  She persuaded Herod to have John arrested.  Then, using her daughter's sensuous dancing to corrupt his thinking, Herodias obtained an order to have John beheaded.  This unnerved the ruler.  Not only did he fear the people's reaction, he privately appreciated John's preaching.  But he had promised to do whatever his pretty niece wanted, and, at her mother's request, she asked that John be beheaded and his head presented to her on a platter.  So it was done.
      When Jesus Christ was arrested and dragged before Pilate in Jerusalem, Herod happened to be in the city.  Pilate tried to take advantage of this in an effort to shift the role of judge to Herod Antipas.  So Pilate sent Jesus and His accusers to Herod.  After all, Jesus was a Galilean, so His case came under Herod's authority.  Herod was eager to meet Jesus because he wanted to see Him perform a miracle.  But Jesus refused to answer Herod's questions.  So Herod and his soldiers mocked the prisoner and sent Him back to Pilate.
      Scripture says Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies, became friends in the aftermath of Jesus' crucifixion.  These two cowardly leaders found a common bond at the turning point of civilization.  They may have feared this man from Galilee, but they could not acknowledge the existence of a power above their own or that of Rome.