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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 finished chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel -- the chapter in which He introduces the use of parables to His ministry. The chapter began with Jesus teaching the parable of the Sower and giving its explanation in private to His disciples (see 13:1-23). He then gave the parable of the Wheat the Tares, and the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven. Once again in private, the disciples asked Him to explain the parable of the Wheat and the Tares to them. Finally He taught His disciples the parables of the treasure in a field, the pearl of great price, and the dragnet. When Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and 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." 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. We're told that Herod the tetrarch, hearing about Jesus, fears that John the Baptist has returned from the dead. This ruler is also known as Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. It is the first time we're told that authorities of the Roman imperial government have taken notice of Christ's ministry (although nominally a "Jewish" king, he governs as representative of Roman rule). The gospel then proceeds to tell us why precisely Antipas has this fear about Jesus. Herodias, his wife, had been married to an elder son, called Philip in the text, who seemed in line to succeed their father, Herod the Great, after his eldest surviving son plotted against him and failed. But knowledge of the plot and failure to report it led Herod the Great to drop Herodias' husband from succession in his will just days before his death. Herodias then divorced her husband (legal for Roman women, but not for Jewish women), and she later married Herod Antipas while her first husband was still living. Thus, this is the basis for outrage of the Jewish people, as a violation of Jewish law. John the Baptist, as prophet, speaks openly against it.
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. We are given a flashback of the gruesome story of John's death at the hands of Herod Antipas and the plotting of his wife Herodias and her daughter. For the Church, the Baptist is not only understood as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets and herald of Christ, according to the word of Jesus (see 11:9-11). He is also understood as defender and protector of marriage. Moreover, his martyrdom is seen as allowing the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades, for John is "forerunner" there as well as on earth. In John's obedience to God, he preferred death over compromise. In his own time, John was revered as a holy man, both among the disciples of Christ and the Jewish people in general.
In John the Baptist, we see the great example not only of obedience but of service to God. He is bold and fearless in his defense of God's word, the law given through Moses. He speaks as one who defends the faith and the people, boldly 'speaking truth to power' as a common phrase would have it. As martyr, he dies for his faith and for his role in salvation, serving the Kingdom as herald even to those in the tombs and who also await the light of Christ. This is the way the Church sees him, and we must also keep in mind how his own contemporaries saw him, as true holy man and figure of greatness. While we may consider our own contemporary practices of divorce to be much different from that time, we may still look at this picture of Herod Antipas' time and his court and consider the repugnant nature of worldly power and its violations of all things sacred here, the basis of any form of ethics. Herodias is clearly a schemer and manipulator; even her own daughter is taught that the death of a holy man -- in such a horrific fashion in the image of his head upon the plate at a birthday feast -- is justified if it serves personal power. Herodias was born into a royal family, orphaned by the execution of her father by Herod the Great, and given to her first husband by him as well. Herod the Great's rule was known for its cruelty and even murderous plotting among his family, notorious even for its own time. In that light, John's outspokenness serves as a reminder of the tremendous courage of those who seek God's word and will in all circumstances, even in times of the most fiercely vile practices in service to power, prestige, and worldly gain. He stands as a beacon of light among great darkness, who fulfills his role as herald of the great Light coming into the world, and as prophet of God's word. In the salvation plan of God, he is herald even to the souls of those who await Resurrection. He remains an example of faith for all of us, as light in a time of darkness.
