John the Baptist was in bondage, in prison for telling the truth. The prison could take away his physical freedom and made him physically limited.
It is fruitful to analyze different people in this gospel incident and their bondages.
John the Baptist – In physical bondage, unable to move physically according to his wish, was the result of his standing for the truth. But he was a free man as Jesus says “the truth will make you free”. John was a man of the Spirit therefore his was a liberated person though he was in chains.
Herod – The tetrarch, physically free but he was a slave of his emotions (he was planning to marry his brother’s wife though he knew it was wrong) and his pride (since there were many gusts he did not want to break his promise knowing that he was doing wrong). He was not a liberated person but suffering severely from his own self made bondages.
Herodias – the would-be wife of Herod, physically free but slave to her anger (she was angry towards John the Baptist) and her mentality to revenge. She was suffering from psychological and emotional bondages.
The real liberation is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the freedom of the Sons and Daughters of God through we have physical restrictions. As Nelson Mandela said after his long imprisonment -'those who imprisoned me are in severe bondages and in need of freedom'.
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