Parents living their unfulfilled ambition through the children

Matthew 14:1-11: At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

It is interesting to note that the only two birthdays recorded of in the Bible are Pharaoh’s (Genesis 40:20) and Herod’s, and that both committed murder on their birthdays, for the baker was hung by Pharaoh, and John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod. In looking closely at Herod’s birthday, we will learn a little lesson from the events that happened on his special day of celebration, for on that day Herodias’ daughter danced before Herod, and pleased him so much that he was moved to grant her anything she would ask of him.

It was in this moment that the mother (Herodias) took her opportunity to get even with the prophet John (the Baptist) who had spoken against her illegitimate marriage to Herod. She, having quietly spoken to her daughter on the side, told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, which her stepfather Herod was then obliged to do, although reluctantly, for he had sworn an oath to grant her anything that she asked for.

This small account in Matthew chapter 14 reveals to us how much of an influence Herodias had on her daughter. She made the young girl dance, and by misusing and exploiting the talent of the daughter for her own advantage, was then able to get revenge on a man who had rightfully rebuked her for her marital status. The daughter was just a puppet being manipulated by someone who was trying to achieve their own ambition through her.

This is such a sad thing to witness, and is especially prevalent in this day, as parents push their children to pursue careers that they themselves were unable to reach. Furthermore, we see children on talent shows, in movies as leading actors, or as activists (etcetera), having been wrongly influenced by their parents in using their talents to pursue success, fortune, and fame. They are pushing their children so as to achieve their own selfish agenda of accomplishing unfulfilled ambition at the expense of the child’s welfare, happiness and personal dreams, and despite the long-term negative impact it will have on the child’s future.