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

 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 went out from Capernaum and came to His own country 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.  This final verse from yesterday's reading reminds us that Jesus has sent out the apostles on their first mission.  Its success tells us that Christ's name is spreading among the people.

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!"  My study bible points out that Herod actually fears John more dead than alive.  At this point, hearing news about Jesus' disciples, Herod decides that John has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.  Herod is Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great who slew the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  He's popularly called king, but he's technically the governor (tetrarch) of the territory which included Galilee under the Romans.   The text also gives us popular reactions of the people to Jesus, so we have a sense of the atmosphere created by His mission.  Elijah was expected to return and work signs before the second coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).  The Prophet is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15).  Others understand it to mean that a new prophet had arisen. 

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.   Mark gives us the background of Herod's encounters with John the Baptist in a flashback, explaining Herod's current unease at the effects of Jesus' ministry, and why he would think that John had risen from the dead.  John had been put into prison because he publicly opposed Herod's marriage to Herodias.  She had been married to his brother Philip, and his brother was still living, so the marriage was in violation of Jewish law.  My study bible suggests that the fact that Herod, with his wealth and soldiers, feared John, a man who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (1:6), is a testament both to the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's perception of John, for they held him in the highest esteem (11:32). 

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. The Gospel gives us a picture of the court of Herod, and the ruling house of those who governed.   Herod the Great, the father of Herod Antipas, was one of the most renowned rulers of the ancient world.  He was also known as Herod the Builder.  His greatest achievement was the majestic restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem.   But he was also known -- in a world where power was used brutally -- as an exceptionally cruel ruler.  

In the Gospels, the state power is always in conflict with the power of holiness.  Material expediency isn't what is important to Christ; His mission is the fulfillment of the will of God the Father, and His method is love and compassion.  He does not amass an army to do His bidding.  John the Baptist also, as an example of holy power, acts as a prophet, speaking up for religious tradition of the Jews when violated by Herod.  The whole tone of the house of Herod can be seen in this episode recounted in which Herodias' daughter danced for all those present, and was taught by her mother to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.  For contemporary hearers, it no doubt gave a sense of the great impropriety of asking a daughter to dance in front of strangers, and teaching and celebrating immodest behavior on her part.  It gives us a good picture of the lust for power and rage present in Herodias, and what the king himself is willing to sacrifice simply because he'd made an oath.  The text tells us explicitly that Herod was aware that John was a just and holy man, that he had earlier sought to protect John, and was "exceedingly sorry" to carry out the execution -- but does so anyway.  We contrast the environment of the house of Herod and Herodias with the moral rectitude of John the Baptist.  He's an example of what is now popularly called "speaking truth to power."   He was also speaking for the Jewish people when doing so.  Although the family of Herod the Great were nominally Jewish and made a show of celebrating Jewish religious holidays, they ruled under Rome.  Most of those attending his party are also most likely Jewish, various men of importance in the region and those who are allied with him.  Hidden in the story therefore is an important implied question:  What does it mean to be a Jew?  While most of us today reading this Gospel text may not find that question uppermost in our minds, it nevertheless by just the same token asks us, "What does it mean to be a Christian?"   Both can be summed up by asking us what it means to follow the path to God.  Most ancient commentators focus on the slippery slope of the passions on display in this story:  the persuasion of immodesty for a daughter, the rage and lust for power of the mother, Herod's vain swearing of an oath in front of all -- and his inability to turn back from it.  (We compare this to David's gratitude that he did not fulfill a foolish oath; see 1 Samuel 25:21-35.)   Herod's fears reveal much about his guilt, but he lacks repentance. Historically, Herod and Herodias, for all their ambition, came only to exile. Others focus, by contrast, on the true freedom of John the Baptist.  Tertullian writes, "Set aside for a moment the term 'prison.' Just call it a temporary retirement. Even though the body is imprisoned, even though the flesh is confined, everything still remains open to the spirit. Walk back and forth, my spirit, not thinking of shady walks or long cloisters, but of the road that leads directly to God. As often as you shall walk in this way in the spirit, so often shall you find yourself not in prison."  While Herod and those around him are slaves to their passions, it is John the Baptist who remains free, even in martyrdom.   It is a crucial perspective to add to our modern lives.  What are we free for?  What claims us?  What enslaves us?  What would we exchange for our own integrity in the love of God?  How free are we to live our faith?   These are all important questions whenever we have choices to make, and need to consider goals for our life.   Lent is precisely the time to examine motivations, and develop our capacity for saying no to things that won't lead us where we want to go.