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 came to His own country of Nazareth in Galilee, 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.   Jesus has sent out the twelve disciples on their first apostolic mission.  This King Herod was the son of the one who slew the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  Commonly he is called Herod Antipas, and he was tetrarch of Galilee.  Although he was technically a governor, my study Bible says, he was popularly called 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!"  Herod now believes that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead, thinking powers are at work in him.  Therefore, my study Bible says, he fears John more dead than alive.   Some suggest that Jesus is Elijah, as the prophet Elijah was expected to return and work signs before the coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).  The Prophet is interpreted by some as a reference to the Messiah, the One foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), but others interpret 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.  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.  These verses, in which we're told the story of the death of John the Baptist, are given parenthetically by Mark, in order to explain why Herod believed that John the Baptist was returned from the dead.  John's objection to Herod's marriage to Herodias was based on the fact that her previous husband, Herod's brother, was still living, as a violation of Jewish law.  While the dynasty of Herod the Great ruled for Rome, they at least sought to observe an appearance of Jewish heritage.  My study Bible asks us to note that Herod feared John while he was living; he knew that John was a just and holy man.  Herod, as ruler of Galilee for Rome, had wealth and many soldiers, and yet he feared John who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (Mark 1:6).  My study Bible suggests that this is a testament both to the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's perception of John, for he was held in the highest esteem (Mark 11:32).  

 

 The story of the death of John the Baptist gives us a kind of preview of the death of Jesus, in the sense that it shows a ruthless material world on display in which power and the desire for power rules all.  In the death of John the Baptist we see the meeting of the holy within a world ruled by those like the family of Herod.  It should be noted that even in a world dominated by clashing powers and kingdoms, and expanding empire and military might, the dynasty of Herod had a particular reputation for cruelty, tyranny, and brutality.  Herod the Great (the father of the Herod -- known as Herod Antipas -- in today's reading) is known not only for the story of the murder of the children of Bethlehem, but also exiled one wife and son in favor of another woman who could secure his royal position, and later executed several members of his own family, including his second wife.  In the story of John the Baptist's death we're given a story of vindictiveness and cruelty; Herodias' desire is to punish John for criticizing her marriage to Herod Antipas.  At least her husband has somewhat of a consciousness of awe of John's righteousness and holiness, but she seizes the occasion of a rash promise made to her daughter to secure her own vengeance and punishment on an enemy who is already imprisoned.  Using her daughter, manipulating Herod, and having John's head presented to this dinner party of nobles, high officers, and chief men of Galilee, is a visceral way to display ruthless power -- even a kind of image of cannibalism of anyone who gets in the way of ambition.  And as a historical figure, she was clearly an ambitious woman.  Unfortunately her own scheming resulted in disastrous defeat and exile for herself and Herod Antipas, in which they lost a war fomented through territorial disputes engendered by their marriage.  Eventually accused by a nephew of plotting against Caligula, Herod Antipas and Herodias were exiled to Spain, where they died at an unknown date.  For all their plotting and cruelty, only disaster and more death and destruction resulted.  But such is the world into which John the Baptist, last and greatest of the Jewish prophets and forerunner to Christ was born.  This was the world into which John brought his message of baptism of repentance in preparation for the coming of the Lord.  My study Bible comments that as part of God's plan of salvation, John's martyrdom allowed the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades, for John was the forerunner of Christ there as well as on earth.  The story of the beheading of John the Baptist enforces for us the viewpoint of the Scriptures on our world, that Christ enters as Physician and Savior to heal a world in which evil permeates, made worse through the sinful and selfish choices of human beings.  It should be understood that the practices of the Herodian court were scandalous to the common people and also to the pious religious leaders such as the Pharisees in their own time.  But in a modern context, we can look at this story and see the hallmarks of ambition, envy, and ruthlessness unchecked by any understanding of religious faith or God's call in our lives.  The vicious behavior of Herodias is a model for us of the end result of frustrated entitlement and greed taken to its conclusion of extreme rage, magnified through lack of restriction and unchecked by social barriers in its expression.  When we look at this story, we might be able to understand some of the stranger results of extreme ambition we occasionally read about in newspapers, a reminder of the dangers of life without the mediating effects of religious faith in a God who calls us to righteousness and compassion.  This lurid and cruel story may be taken as an extreme expression of what we might call "lawlessness" in religious terms, but nevertheless functions as a cautionary tale in circumstances where ambition for power is all, and selfishness is the only standard, even among family members.  For the world still needs our faith, and the chaos of life outside its mediating influence is still far too close at hand.  In this context, Christ's preaching of repentance and humility remain necessary as ever.