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

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 6:14-29

On Saturday 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.

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."   King Herod is the son of Herod the Great (who slew the innocent infants of Bethlehem in Matthew 2:16).  Also known as Herod Antipas, he was technically a governor, or tetrarch of Galilee for Rome, but popularly called king.  My study bible suggests that he knows that John the Baptist performed no miracles while living, but now believes that John was raised from the dead (verse 16), and so powers are at work in him.  Therefore, my study bible points out, Herod fears John more dead than alive.

Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  Elijah was expected to return and work signs before the coming of the Lord, in accordance with the prophecy of Malachi 4:5.  The Prophet, my study bible says, is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, the One which was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15).  Others interpret this to mean that a new prophet had arisen.

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.   The incident described in today's passage, the beheading of John the Baptist by Herod, is given as a parenthetical statement, a kind of flashback which explains to us Herod's fear that Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead.  While John still lived, he was widely revered as a holy man and prophet, and therefore his outspoken criticism of the marriage of Herod meant something among the people.  My study bible comments on the fact that Herod, with all of his wealth, position, and soldiers, feared John, who was a man who lived in total 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, as they held him in the highest esteem (11:32).  John criticizes the marriage of Herod to his brother's former wife Herodias as counter to the Mosaic Law, as his brother was still living.

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 opportune day is for Herodias, who has desired to rid herself of John the Baptist.  Note how the king, Herod, is trapped by his surroundings, his excesses, his passions, and finally even this girl (the daughter of Herodias) -- even though he is exceedingly sorry.  It reminds us that Jesus taught, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34; see also Romans 6:5-23).

We might be wise to consider how shocking this story would have been to a contemporary audience of Christ, in ways that go beyond its obviously hideous dimensions to us.  The fact that Herod and Herodias would allow a daughter to dance before other men would have been considered in and of itself a terrible breach of socially appropriate modesty, and a shocking lack of parental protection for the girl.  In every way, the court of Herod represents scandalous excess.  Although nominally Jewish, it is a sign of the decadence of Rome, and more specifically the corruption of wealth and power as opposed to the holy poverty and personal integrity of John the Baptist.  But there are other, more subtle things going on here.  As this story is given parenthetically, it explains Herod's fear that John has returned from the dead, and that this is the power at work in Christ's ministry of signs.  We first of all should notice the tremendous fears at work in Herod.  He is slavishly fearful of what his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee will think if he goes back upon an oath he swore in front of them to the daughter of Herodias.  Even while John still lived, Herod feared his holiness -- just as those who raised the swine in the story of the Gadarene demoniac feared Christ's power rather than welcoming the healing they witnessed.  After John has been beheaded, Herod still fears that the Baptist has returned from the dead, and therefore this power is at work in the ministry of Christ.  All in all, it is a picture of excess and error, strange heresy and total lack of understanding of the things of faith and spiritual truth.  There is more than a mere sign of true guilt at work in Herod as well; although he was exceedingly sorry to do so, because of his own rash oath he has John beheaded, and certainly this is now at work in him -- but he has no recourse and no spiritual depth to illuminate his own blindness.  The hideous image of John's head served on a platter is enough to tell us of the lust for power in Herod's wife Herodias.  It must be, for her, one more decorative sign of her power, a triumph.  John is one who said "no" to her ambition and desire.  These things depict a corruption that is perversion, a court gone haywire in its material greed and lust for excess of every kind.  But even though the picture is stark and extreme, we should take it as a warning about our own capacity for materialism.  We in the West live in a time of great prosperity.  If we don't understand that "every good and perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17),  then we so easily lose sight of how to steward those gifts, what to do with the lives we have been given and the blessings we have received.  When we fail to understand a sacramental life, one in which we return all things to Creator for guidance and blessing in how we are to live our lives and use what we have at hand, then we fail to put ourselves, our gifts, our lives, our own power -- such as it is -- in true order.  It also teaches us the danger of heresy, false teachings that give us only a sense of entitlement and take away all sense of being grateful or thankful for what we have.  It is gratitude that puts us in the place of clarity about our possessions and blessings, gratitude that keeps a clear mind that nothing truly belongs to us absolutely, but that it is only in the hands of God and guidance through faith that we find the personal integrity to be good stewards and shepherds in the image of Christ.  A child is a blessing:  Herodias' daughter is indulged, misguided (to say the least), exploited, and finally an instrument of the greatest horror -- the murder of John, the holy man of Israel.  It is only gratitude for what we have that teaches us what we would today call "good boundaries," the right care for all blessings including children, and a sacramental, prayerful life in which we return all to Creator in order to find our way to cultivate the true goodness and beauty of the world -- to bring out its fruitfulness and make all things bloom.  We seek holiness in order to live our best lives.  Herod's court is a picture of the greed of material gain, a life lived as if everything is simply one more thing to grasp as a personal possession, something that flatters our image of ourselves.  This includes our attitude toward spiritual truth:  nobody has a monopoly.  The Holy Spirit is the wind that blows where it wishes, and we do not control it (John 3:5-8).   John's poverty is a reflection of his radical commitment to that Spirit and where it would lead him in his love for God.  Let us consider our own choices and needs as human beings who need faith to guide us.  The real question is how aware of that need we truly are -- and what integrity means to us.  The Gospels give us examples of those who are blind to this.  Herod comes from a family known for its ruthless use of power, in a time when ruthlessness was expected of the powerful.  But he shows for us an image of the corrupt soul that knows only fear and excess, whose deeds further commit his spirit only to slavish fear and personal destruction.  Let us know and love God and take our strength in understanding and gratitude for God's love for us.