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And 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!" For Herod himself 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 the 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 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 6:13-29
Yesterday, we read that Jesus came to His own country, the town of Nazareth, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts - but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
And 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. The first lines of the reading set the scene for a "flashback" of King Herod. This is Herod Antipas, technically governor of Galilee, son of Herod the Great (who slew the infants in Bethlehem in Matthew 2:16). Jesus has just sent out His twelve apostles on their first mission. His ministry is expanding, including the power that He has shared with the apostles to heal, to cast out demons, and to preach repentance. Jesus' expanding fame makes Him well known, and He has come to the attention of the king.
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 himself 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. Again, the Gospel testifies to the reputation now of Jesus: some call Him the Prophet (a Messiah-like figure predicted by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15), and some say Christ is Elijah (who was prophesied to return, working signs and wonders before the coming of the Lord, in Malachi 4:5). The king fears that John the Baptist has come back from the dead. My study bible points out that while John worked no miracles in his ministry, the king fears that John now has powers at work in him because he has risen from the dead. Therefore, he fears John more dead than alive. Here the Gospel gives us the story of John's death at the hands of Herod. Herod had divorced his wife in order to marry his brother's wife Herodias. The fact that his brother was still living at the time made the arrangement unlawful to the Jews (a Roman woman could divorce her husband, but a Jewish woman could not -- only a man could initiate divorce). John the Baptist spoke out against the unlawful character of the marriage, angering Herodias who wishes to kill the Baptist. We can see for ourselves the corrupt quality of the house of Herod. But Herod is fascinated by John, as he will later be fascinated by Jesus. He knows that John is a holy man, and enjoys hearing him.
Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the 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 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're given the story that explains Herod's fear that John has risen from the dead. It is a story about the exigencies of power. Herod knows John to be a holy man. He doesn't want to kill him; he is exceedingly sorry. It's also a story about the wisdom in Christ's forbidding the swearing of oaths; a rash promise has now trapped Herod before all the nobles, high officers, and chief men of Galilee. And we're taught about corruption in the telling, how a road we've chosen can trap us into something that we know is wrong, even as we comply.
What is corruption? I think it's a question that today's text asks us to consider. If we look at the family of Herod, we see great corruption. His father, Herod the Great, was known also as Herod the Builder. He was responsible for the embellishments of the Temple that made it one of the Seven Wonders of the World. But he was also known for his extreme ruthlessness. Scheming for power within this dynasty meant plotting murders of family members, including children and parents. Although Antipas is nominally Jewish (his father Herod was the son of a convert), he is not considered by those whom he rules to be truly one of them. Into this context comes John the Baptist, who condemns the unlawful marriage. Herod Antipas is a governor for Rome. Although popularly called "king," he serves Roman rule. Perhaps we have to look more closely at the ways in which power is used to understand what corruption is. In the end, it seems to come down to what we truly choose to worship. Power and position are very persuasive ends in a social context. The whole world seems to structure social order as all that there is, and so the immediate "good" seems to be a place of power or position to covet. This is seemingly what the world offers as the ultimate good, no matter what the "currency" may be, whatever that highest place of authority is. Christ's ministry calls us out of this "worldly" picture, and to a different sort of adherence to a goal, to worship. To worship God is not to simply follow what the social order offers. God takes us outside of the worldly picture, into a different set of goals, a higher order of worship. When Herod swears an oath before all the important and leading people of Galilee (the region he rules), he is in some sense putting all of his faith in these human positions, their rank and authority in his kingdom. He is ignoring the higher authority of what he truly knows, that John the Baptist is a holy man. And that's our picture of corruption. It's a failure to put worship in its rightful place, to give God what is God's. Jesus comes into the world with a ministry calling all attention to God -- repentance and the gospel of the Kingdom as the focus He calls us toward. Everything about Christ's ministry is in conflict with a worldly sort of power. His apostles go out on their first mission in total humility: without money, staying in the first place they're offered, and merely shaking the dust off their feet in testimony against the places where their message is rejected. As Messiah, He does not come as worldly king, does not amass an army, but rides "triumphantly" into Jerusalem on a donkey. This is the way He calls us out of the usual desires and demands for worldly power, and His power works to heal, to cast out demons which afflict and oppress. Those who will truly oppose Him and send Him to His death are those who resent His authority and His criticism and His threat to their places of leadership. Let us consider carefully what we worship, what we place as our highest goal. It is a good check on our choices. Corruption is no less than placing other gods before us, and there are so many, myriad ways that we can do that. We are fooled if we think that is always obvious, or that we don't need constant grace, humility, awareness, and discernment to see it. There is a hint given here in the accompanying fear that Herod experiences that John the Baptist is risen from the dead, with great power accompanying him. Our confidence in God is a confidence in God's love, that we will find God's way through all things the world presents to us. Let us always be aware of the choice.
