Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter." And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

- Matthew 14:1-12

Jesus' ministry has come up against its early obstacles, most clearly demonstrated in yesterday's reading - which took place in his home country of Nazareth. The local people who have all known his family take offense at him, saying, "Where then did this man get all these things?" We are told that he did not do mighty works there because of their unbelief. Today, a new obstacle to the kingdom appears in the form of royal power, in Herod the tetrarch and his court.

My study bible notes on this passage: "The beheading of John the Baptist is permitted by God. In a world of shameful wickedness, the righteous are afflicted and suffer death, though they are great in the eyes of God. Through John's martyrdom the coming of the Savior is announced to souls in Hades, for John is considered to be a forerunner of Jesus there as well as on earth." Hades is the Greek term for the underworld, a place considered not "hell" as we tend to use the term in English but rather where all souls go in repose. In this sense, the gospel will go to all who have fallen asleep when Christ awaits the Resurrection after burial, therefore there is no one bereft of his presence. In the same sense, the Baptist is the "Forerunner."

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." To my mind, this is a fear born of guilt, from the use of power in an immoral way. Herod fears the return of John, a righteous man whom he has unjustly executed.

For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. Herod may be a servant of Rome, but he still fears the multitude. In that sense, he is a "hired man" to keep order as well. John is clearly a figure of great stature among the common people. Many of Jesus' disciples have come from among the ranks of John the Baptist's followers. John's outspoken criticism of Herod reflects his prophetic mission, his fearless preaching, and a good reason why he was beloved of the multitudes.

But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter." And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. At this birthday celebration, Herod is feasting before all the aristocracy and local gentry he can summon to himself in his court. Therefore it becomes important to him to put on a good face, as it were. He makes a rash promise in front of this crowd, for whom appearance is all. Jesus often preaches against hypocrisy, those who would make an appearance "before men" rather than seeking to please God, and this story illustrates something of the corruption of power that is linked to the faith in appearances and those who seek the "praise of men" rather than the "praise of God." It is a convenient opportunity for manipulation - again, so often tied in the stories of the gospels with material power and its corruption. Herodias seizes the opportunity via her daughter to manipulate the situation to her benefit. Herod, in front of his guests, is trapped by the need to maintain appearances. He will not go back on his grandiose promise - here he "fears men more than he fears the Lord." He knows that John the Baptist is a righteous man. But, trapped in the exigencies of power, and not free spiritually, he has John beheaded. The gruesome scene completes itself in the head of this universally-recognized holy man presented to Herodias' daughter on a platter. The girl bestows this bloody gift upon her mother, whose request prompted it to be done in the first place. What a triumph! We get a true picture of the bloody deeds of power that result from corruption, where appearance is all, and the heart and its realities are nowhere to be found.

There is a sort of interesting correlation to this passage in one from an Epistle of Peter on the relationship of wives to husbands. While it may be controversial today concerning the words of obedience, there is also something very timeless and important in it, which also applies to the situation in Herod's court. In 1 Peter 3, he writes, "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." While what may be most noticeable are the words about submission, this is not what is important to me in this passage. It is the emphasis on the character of the inner life that I feel is important. This is not a denigration of women and their power here at all, but rather a celebration of their great humanity, a humanity that is characterized by its capacity for relationship to God and growth in that relationship. It is the power of the inner life that Peter seeks to bring out for women, the character of the inner person - just as capable of holiness as men. And this is what we must remember and take away from our understanding, and contrast it to Herodias. She is a manipulator, she uses material power in her own way to a brutal and bloody end for John the Baptist, grotesque in its outcome of his head presented to her on a platter by her daughter. This is material power at its most corrupt, in this gruesome picture of the death of a holy man, a prophet. But Peter's exhortation is for women to be nothing like this woman for whom material power and appearance is all. He encourages all of us to aspire to exaltation of the inner person, not faith in outward appearance. He is talking about a timeless beauty, of that same treasure that neither moth nor rust destroy and nor thieves break in and steal. So, while we may think of Herod as the focus of this passage, there are also teachings here for women that we are likely to overlook in the message of the Scriptures. I do not believe that the development of the inward character teaches women to be purely submissive at all in the sense in which we might think of it as a measure of material power. Rather this passage speaks to me of a mutually supportive and loving relationship which is reciprocal in nature - the inward character on the contrary developing persona and values to which a woman is to adhere and in which to steadfastly persevere, regardless of her husband's choices. This is an indication of independence of heart and spirit, in service to God, the highest development a human being can achieve in the image of scripture.

So, what will it be? The praise of men or the praise of God? Is it the outward appearance that counts, including that of material power, or the inner person, the inner self, "which is of great worth in God's sight?" Which is truly an example of strength and courage? Which is bloody and disgraceful, limited by slavery to appearance? Which is spiritually free? We make our choices. The rhetoric of "submission" may have changed, but I don't believe this is the message here. The message here is of perseverance in a difficult situation, the beauty of the inward reality, the strength of character, and most especially the development of the spirit of a person through relationship to God. This, apparently, was just as important for women in the sight of St. Peter as it was for men. In marriages where husbands were not so inclined, it was of even more importance. This makes sense to me considering the very important and equal role women played in Jesus' ministry. We don't hear a lot about them, but they are there in the Scripture, and all indications show their powerful role among the first disciples, as they also traveled with Jesus and ministered to, supported, and counted themselves among his very earliest disciples and followers. Let us consider today what it is to develop the inner self with its strength and gentleness, forbearance and perseverance and patience, the authenticity of unfading beauty of great worth, and the admonition not to give way to fear. What image does this create for women, for example, as they age? Contrast that with the values of appearance, the emphasis of worth placed only on the material (including manipulative power), and we find this message as powerful and as important for us as ever.