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

 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, "As 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 (the "headquarters" area of His Galilean ministry) 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 not 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.

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.   This King Herod is Herod Antipas, tetrarch or governor of Galilee, commonly called a king.  He rules serving Rome, and he's the son of King Herod who slew the innocents, seeking the Christ child (Matthew 2:16-18).  The story of the death of John the Baptist is told so that we understand the history of this king and his attention to Jesus.  John did no miracles in his ministry, but Herod now fears that John has returned from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.  Talk of Jesus has reached Herod's attention.   In popular understanding, Elijah was expected to return and work signs before the coming of the Christ (Malachi 4:5).  The Prophet, my study bible says, is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, the One foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), while yet others interpret this as simply meaning a new prophet had arisen.  John the Baptist had challenged Herod's right to marry his brother's wife, Herodias, while his brother was still living, as a violation of the Mosaic Law.  If we're to understand a picture of the family of Herod the Great (father of this Herod Antipas of Galilee), history paints a vivid picture of lawlessness and violence even by the standards of his time.  Herod is not only known in the Gospels as the one who slew the infants of Bethlehem, but is known to historians for murdering some of his own children.   He's also known as Herod the Builder, whose most splendid project was the reconstruction of the temple.  Here the text tells us that Herodias wanted John dead.  But Herod Antipas has a kind of fascination with the holy, fearing John and knowing him to be a just and holy man, and heard John gladly.  My study bible remarks on the fact that Herod, with all his wealth and soldiers feared John, who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (1:6).  It notes that this is a testament to the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's understanding of John, for he was held 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, "As 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.  Here we're given the story of the beheading of John the Baptist.  It's easy to observe the character of this court and its noble family.  Herod is given to lavish oaths, and subject to manipulation by Herodias.  Although the king was exceedingly sorry, because of the oaths he swore before those nobles and high officers and chief men of Galilee, he did not want to refuse her daughter's request. 

In the Gospels, state power frequently comes to conflict with holy power.  Nowhere is this more vividly illustrated in this story of Herod Antipas and his history with John the Baptist.  There's a basic conflict between holy power, such as in the person and ministry of John the Baptist, and the use of power for self-centered purposes, such as that of Herod the Great and Herod Antipas.  We see how the use of power plays a role through the whole family and its corruption.  Herodias is a bloodthirsty woman bent on destroying John the Baptist, the thorn in her side, who has publicly proclaimed her marriage unlawful.   The gruesome outcome of unchecked power is this picture at Herod's birthday party, of the dancing girl, giving John the Baptist's head on a platter to her mother.  Even the idea of having her daughter dance before all these men is a scandalous idea for the contemporaries of Christ, for why would one expose a daughter to men in this way, rather than protecting her modesty?  In some sense, we could say that lust is playing a role on all levels here:  that is, lust that is also for power and covetousness on every scale, for what one can get by any means deemed necessary.  There is a story here about our own aims and ambitions, and how important it is to serve God, because that one crucial decision within us may be the one upon which everything else hangs.  There is also an important message about what comes first.  Simply because Herod Antipas is Rome's governor in Galilee does not, in the point of view of the Gospels, give him the right to do whatever he wants to do.  God's authority clearly is superior, but we human beings have the thorough free will to reject that authority on any level, even to the depraved point we read about in this story.  This picture lays out perfectly clearly that God does not take away our capacity to make such a choice, and that the truly holy and just suffer in this world.   Despite his own reluctance to harm John, Antipas is seduced by his own lustful behavior, swearing extreme oaths and carried away by his own birthday excesses; he's trapped in the circumstances that are meant to honor him.   It's a cautionary tale for all of us.  It highlights the importance of a prayerful life.  So often we think that we must let something slide, agree to something as circumstances are against us, not stand up for something we know is right.  Perhaps we think a position of authority allows us to do whatever we think we can get away with, or we're surrounded by people who simply encourage that kind of use of power.  But if we observe carefully, we can watch and see where greed leads, lust for power and material things, when that triumphs over all other choices and moral considerations.  There is a breakdown into a kind of chaos that happens, regardless of the outside picture one's position in life may represent.  We see cruelties happen in families all the time, but the question is how those things happen, what it is to which we turn a blind eye, or how we avoid the difficult decisions.  Herod Antipas could have suffered the humiliation of taking back an oath in order to avoid having John beheaded.  But his regret simply wasn't enough of a commitment to what was more important and more valuable than his position and worldly power.  Let us consider, in whatever capacity we are responsible for decisions made -- in our families, in our workplaces, in our personal and private lives -- what the importance of a commitment to love of God means.  One thing leads to another, as so many have understood when it is too late to change a regrettable incident.  Our choices and responsibilities are essential and important to us:  God has built them into what it means to be a human being.  It matters not at all how insignificant a place we may feel we hold in life, nor how great or responsible to others we may be.  The story is the same, and our choice always remains.