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Gospel: Mark 6:17-29
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias’ own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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John’s death foreshadows the death of Christ.
Consider the similarities.
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Both John and Jesus were innocent.
And, interestingly, neither of their executioners held any malice towards them.
Mark tells us that Herod enjoyed listening to John the Baptist’s preaching while he held him captive. Pilate, too, was torn between killing Jesus, an innocent man, and satisfying the will of the bloodthirsty crowds.
Both John and Jesus were also persecuted for rebuking those in authority. John rebuked King Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. Jesus rebuked the religious authorities for making God inaccessible to ordinary people.
And just as the guests in Herod’s court remained silent – and thus complicit – in John’s death, no one in the crowds protested the death of Jesus, either. In fact, many encouraged it, shouting, “Crucify him!”
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Such a chilling comparison leaves a warning for us today.
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Some people are decidedly for this world, forsaking the next. King Herod’s illicit wife, Herodias is a prime example. She wanted John dead because her heart was absorbed by revenge.
Others are decidedly for the life to come. Both John the Baptist and Jesus came, “not to be served, but to serve,” giving their lives in testimony to the Truth.
Still others like King Herod are stuck somewhere in between this world and the next. But beware: one side eventually wins out.
While there was some good in Herod – he was drawn to John’s preaching – his pride and fear of disappointing his peers won the day, causing him to slay an innocent man.
As Christians, we must be weary not to fall prey to the trap of Herod or Herodias. Rather, “seek first the Kingdom of God” like John and Jesus.
What might that look like for me today?
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Image credits: (1) Saint John the Baptist Pointing to Christ, Bartolomé Estéban Murillo, Art Institute of Chicago (2) Greek City Times (3) Frank’s Blog