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

In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus traveling to His hometown of Nazareth. He taught in the synagogue, and the people were astonished. They said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

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." The Gospel tells us that the powers that be, of the state, are beginning to take notice of Jesus' ministry. Here, we are given the mind, the way of thinking, of Herod the tetrarch, otherwise known as Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. He ruled over the regions of Galilee and Perea, places where John the Baptist and Jesus spent much of their ministries. He governs in the name of Rome. With this opening verse to chapter 14, Matthew opens up a question for us: Why does Herod so fear John the Baptist and the powers at work in Christ?

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. In the context of Christ's ministry, we are given an explanation of the mindset of Herod. Here, Matthew tells us that Herod wanted to put John to death for criticizing Herod's marriage to Herodias (his living brother's former wife) as unlawful. This marriage would also lead to a war that was disastrous for Herod because it added to already existing territorial disputes. But it is clearly an affront to Jewish culture, to the population who form his subjects. (Although it seems Herod nominally professed Judaism, he was educated in Rome and also seems to have practiced Roman pagan religion depending on his environment.) The Gospel emphasizes the importance of the figure of John the Baptist, widely considered by the people to be a prophet, a holy man. Here, we're told that Herod Antipas would rather put John the Baptist to death, but elsewhere we're given hints of Herod's fascination with the man and what he teaches, that he would enjoy speaking with John -- as he later was also fascinated by Christ. As Roman ruler, both desires are reasonable in his position: he would put to death anyone who threatens his rule, while at the same time curious about the power both Jesus and John represent.

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. Matthew sets the scene for us here. It's a great banquet in honor of his birthday, with all the nobles and "best people" of Galilee, and it is before them that Herod makes his lavish promise to the daughter of his wife.

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. In the context of Matthew's Gospel, Herod is sorry, perhaps because of the multitudes who revere John the Baptist. Elsewhere, however, we are told that this is also a personal sorrow: Herod acts even against his own conscience. Regardless of the origin of his sorrow, Herod's clearly prompted by his rash oath, and his own worldly power that works through the appearances of men. This scene sets for us the words of Jesus in fulfillment, His condemnation of hypocrisy and living for the opinions of others rather than the opinion of God.

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. A tremendously gruesome scene gives us a picture of Roman rule in the eyes of the Jewish subjects. This bloody image, which we can liken to a kind of cannibalism -- even of a great holy man! -- tells us something about the picture of worldly rule as contradicted to that of Jewish religious history. It conjures up for us the power of the Old Testament, with its condemnation of syncretism by various kings who ruled Israel (including scandalous reference to pagan religions that embraced even child sacrifice and temple prostitution), and Jesus' condemnation of hypocrisy. It shows us the conflict, in stark contrast, between the life of the Kingdom of God and the corruption of worldly rule. I believe that we really have to take into account the Jewish Scriptural history at work in this context to really grasp its powerful meaning. Importantly, we note there is no revenge here nor hint of violent rebellion but the ending is peaceful, humble, faithful: John's disciples come to take his body to properly care for John, and then go to tell Jesus. They are going about the work for the Kingdom. This must be our response to the world, to our own sadness and sorrow.

Let us consider the picture of a daughter bringing to her mother the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Not only is it a bloodthirsty picture of lust for absolute power without any regard for the laws of God, but it's a hideous picture of a family relationship, a devoted daughter. And therein we get a second dose of reality: that devotion to any relationship, no matter how "sacred" in the context of worldly life, really must be governed by the laws of God, and not the laws of men. Because worldly power can be absolutely corrupt, this goes to any worldly institution, even our most basic forms of family life. God's law comes first, before all things. Repentance in this case would have constituted even one of these actors deciding there are more important things than worldly power, and worldly institutions such as that of the house of a monarch, pleasing others who hold power in that system. But it is not to be; this is an hour of the greatest evil. My study bible has a note that emphasizes our picture from the Gospel of the evil that exists in our world: "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." (In this context, we remember that Hades is a Greek term for the underworld before Resurrection, the world of all the dead; it is not synonymous with hell.) In some sense, the theme we have here behind the "scenes" of this gruesome story is one that continues from last week's readings of Jesus' parables. The good and evil live side by side, and the holy and the good are not immune from harm. It will form a great and powerful story for the early Church, which suffered so much martyrdom, and I believe it forms an important story for us today. Worldly power is now constituted in so many forms, and it can be used by us for good or bad depending upon our choices. We live in a world where the situation is similar in the sense that good and evil live side by side. As Jesus' parables of the past week have taught us, we await Judgment by the Lord, at the end of the age. For now, we who live in this world make our choices. We can't lose sight of the fact that these choices are important and essential, nor, I believe, should we lose sight of the fact that sometimes -- maybe even most times -- the good will suffer at the hands of the evil. This is not condemnation of the good or holy; rather we are not to be fooled by appearances. All is an opportunity for testimony and the working of the Holy Spirit -- even as my study bible points out that John the Baptist becomes forerunner to the dead, to announce the "good news" of the Kingdom to all beings who haven't known Christ. Let us consider once again, then, the great paradox of good and evil, of the world in which we live in which both exist side by side, like the Wheat and the Tares. In a powerful sense, this is an invitation to each of us to be like Him, to be God-like, sons and daughters by adoption. We have the power to make choices, to witness, to give testimony through what we choose. Don't be discouraged by seemingly "bad" outcomes. Many have gone before each of us already to declare their faith; it's not the opinion of men but the opinion of God that counts as far as our soul, who we truly are, is concerned. Crucifixion and beheading are not the end of this story. Neither is Hades, but rather Resurrection, and the power that is always making all things new that lives in us. In that mixture of good and evil in the world is the opportunity for us that God calls us to, to be something better than just what the world makes of us or what we are born into. Herod has great reason to fear Resurrection (echoed in his fear of John's resurrection). He has failed to make the choice he could have.