I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter

Now King Herod heard of Him, for his name had become well known. And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." Others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets." But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!" For Herod had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and chief men of Galilee. And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you." He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom." So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!" Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

- Mark 6:14-29

On Saturday, we read of how Jesus preached in His hometown synagogue, but those who knew Him and His family could not accept the person they now see before them. His fame, His authority and His healings do not engender faith among those who know Him as the carpenter, who know His family. He said, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."He could do no great works there, only some healings, and he marveled at their lack of faith. Then we read that Jesus sent out the Twelve Apostles, two by two, on their first mission. They preached repentance, they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Now King Herod heard of Him, for his name had become well known. And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." Others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets." But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!" Herod Antipas was the governor of Galilee, popularly called a king. He is the son of Herod the Great, who sought Jesus' death shortly after Jesus' birth. It is a time of momentous change, propitious events, signaled perhaps most vividly by John the Baptist and his preaching. John was an extremely highly revered individual in his own time, and especially among the early Christians. Here, we see his reputation and his power among the people: even after his death, Herod fears that John the Baptist has returned in the person of Jesus.

For Herod had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. Here we are given a flashback, and a great reason contributing to Herod's fear of the return of John. My study bible points out John's fearlessness in telling the truth to one with utmost power. Still, we read, Herod was highly interested in him, and "heard him gladly." Moreover, he feared John "knowing that he was a just and holy man" -- the power of faith may be an awesome and curious thing even to those who wield their own worldly kind of power. Even Herod fears John!

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and chief men of Galilee. And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you." He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom." So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!" Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb. We see the work of worldly power: the world of manipulation and greed. Manipulation, where appearances are everything and substitute for truth, suffices as the way that "the world" works here. We are reminded of Jesus' words about those who prefer the "praise of men" over the "praise of God." Yesterday's reading (about Jesus' hometown) taught us of the power of image as a stumbling block to faith. As his wife, Herodias, in effect, sets a trap for Herod through her daughter -- and he is trapped through his need to put on the proper appearance for his guests. If you think about it, she could have asked for great wealth, but instead she wishes only for her vengeance on this holy man, to rid herself of this thorn in their side who criticized her marriage. Perhaps she figured that after John the Baptist is done away with, her marriage and kingdom will be safe -- she can then claim and use all the wealth she wants. But ridding herself of the messenger will not remove the truth. Eventually, this marriage would prove a disaster for both Herod Antipas and Herodias. Not only did it provoke problems among the people because of the earlier divorce criticized by John as against Jewish law, but it also resulted in exacerbation of long-standing grievances - particularly with the father-in-law of Herod's first wife - over kingdoms and territories, resulting in a war in which Herod suffered terrible losses. Later, Herod would be accused of conspiracy by a nephew. Accompanied by Herodias, he would be sent by Emperor Caligula to exile in Gaul, present-day France, and die there.

What do we learn of this kingdom of manipulation, where plot and intrigue suffice for truth and integrity? My study bible has an interesting note about Herod's fear of John. "What a comment on the righteousness of John the Baptist: the king feared John! The royally clad Herod was frightened of a man clothed in camel's hair, a servant of God who lived out in the desert." In recent readings in Mark's Gospel, we have had occasion to contrast the Kingdom with the workings of the demonic or evil in Jesus' healing encounters. In the story of the woman with the twelve-year blood flow, her "affliction," as Jesus characterizes it, is a word for "scourge," a popular method of torture by whipping (which Jesus will Himself endure). The demons called "Legion" oppress the man with self-destruction and cutting himself on the stones; the demons themselves fear "torment" from Jesus, translated from a Greek word for torture by beating, commonly used in examination of criminals. What we have, then, is a world ruled by manipulation in all forms, especially the expedience of violence and of false accusation, a "justice" system of torture and torment in both examination and punishment. And this is contrasted with the holy world of the Kingdom -- the work of truth and righteousness, of love and mercy, and ruled by the true Judge. The Gospel of Mark is giving us a clear contrast of what the two "kingdoms" are like: the one ruled by the strong man of this world, and the one Jesus, the "stronger man," seeks to "break through" into this world, into our midst, to bring to us through His work, through righteousness and mercy. We have a clear choice: which one is yours? In a note on the story of today's reading as it appears in Matthew's Gospel, my study bible says, "In a world of shameful wickedness, the righteous are afflicted and suffer death, though they are great in the eyes of God." Righteousness may not always result in a trouble-free life! The gruesome story of the death of John the Baptist reminds us this is so. We note the courage of John, of the disciples and Apostles and, of course, of Christ Himself. There will be countless more to follow. Even so, knowing that we may also work to bring a Kingdom of truth and love and mercy to this world, what is your choice? In this way, our very suffering itself may have meaning and value, and be used for something far greater than we can imagine or understand.