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 em, 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 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.  Today's passage begins with the last verse from yesterday's reading.  It reminds us of the work the apostles did as they were sent out by Christ, and He gave them power to heal and to cast out demons, to perform marvelous works.  We contrast that with the power of Herod Antipas and his court.

 

 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."  This King Herod is Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, who ruled for Rome.  He is the son of the King Herod (Herod the Great) who slew the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  Although he was technically a governor, my study Bible notes, he was popularly called king.  Here, he knows that John the Baptist had worked no miracles while he was living.  But now, as Herod hears of Christ and the apostles, he believes John must be raised from the dead, bringing powers which are at work in him.  Therefore, my study Bible concludes, he fears John more dead than alive.  

Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."   It was prophesied that Elijah would return before the day of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).  In Luke 1:17, we read that the angel prophesied to Zacharias that his son (John the Baptist) would go before Christ "in the spirit and power of Elijah" and indeed, John dressed in clothing reminiscent of Elijah (1 Kings 1:8).  In Mark 9:13 Jesus affirms this role of John the Baptist.  My study Bible says that the Prophet is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, the One who was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), while others interpret it as meaning 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.  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 em, 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. This account of the death of John the Baptist is given "parenthetically," in order to explain John's earlier death so that hearers would understand precisely why Herod would think (and fear) that John had risen from the dead.  In many denominations, the beheading of St. John is remembered in the Church on August 29 (traditionally a day of fasting).  As part of God's plan of salvation, my study Bible says, John's martyrdom allowed the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades, as John was the forerunner of Christ there as well on earth.  It also notes that Herod, with his wealth and soldiers, feared John,  a man who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (Mark 1:6), is a testament to both the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's understanding of John, for he was held in the highest esteem (Mark 11:32).  

 

If we contrast the actions of Herod and his court (especially those of his "family" -- his wife Herodias and her daughter) with Christ's apostles, we see a very sharp distinction.  It's important, first, that we revisit a comment made by my study Bible (in yesterday's commentary) regarding the first line in today's reading, which is repeated from yesterday.  My study Bible notes that anointing the sick with oil has not only medicinal value but sacramental value as well.  As God's healing power is bestowed through creation (Mark 5:27; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Samuel 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15, 19:11-12), so oil is also a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14).  So we are given to clearly understand that God's healing power is bestowed through creation, even as Christ shares His power with His creatures, the apostles, and is Incarnate also as one of us.  So we see the difference between what the apostles do, and how they behave with humility and grace even as they bear Christ's gospel into the world -- and this court of Herod, left to their own devices, so to speak.  They have all the worldly wealth and power that is to be had as representatives of Rome, and yet we view their extreme corruption and ruthlessness.  It should be noted that the family of Herod took on Jewish customs and religion in order to rule over the Jews, but this account clearly teaches us how little substance there is to that identity here at this court.  In fact, John the Baptist's open criticism of Herod was that he had unlawfully married Herodias, who had been married to Herod's brother.  This was the spark of Herodias' hatred for John.  The fact that Herod and Herodias would allow her daughter to dance before the court would be scandalous to the earliest hearers of this Gospel, for it was inconceivable to allow a daughter to be looked upon in this public way.  What is on display here is a clear display of what happens when passions alone are left to rule a person.  Herod is over-extravagant and vain, giving a rash oath to the girl in front of the rest of the court, "his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee."  It is his birthday, and although he fears John, and knows he is a holy man, he is not humble enough to back down in front of the rest of them when she asks for the head of John the Baptist.  The bloodthirsty image of a young girl triumphantly returning with the head of John the Baptist, at the behest of her mother, speaks for itself in terms of corruption and the overriding rule of passions alone in this setting:  people in love with power, selfish enough to do anything to gain it, and corrupt enough to use a daughter to do so -- even to exult in butchering a holy man widely revered by the people.  This is a picture of a corrupt world, one given over to passions and selfishness -- in great contrast to the human beings who are the disciples and apostles of Christ, and sent out with His power shared with them to heal a world and bring it salvation.  We should always remember that our salvation is not only corporate, and not only for the world, but for each of us also as individuals, so that we, too might be the flower that blooms with the grace of God shared with human beings.  Let us remember that as Christ the Son of God became human, so we are to understand how our created nature can share something "godlike" through grace.  Even the oil of unction may share and bestow this grace upon those who need it, proving that the world is not corrupt of itself or its created nature, but is made to reflect the glory of God.  For that is a picture of our true salvation, as contrasted with the hell of Herod's court.  St. Paul reminds us of these distinctions, when he writes, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23), but "the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like" (Galatians 5:19-21).  Our reading today gives us an icon of this contrast, a picture of the truth.  Which would you consider to be more civilized --  those who lived in great splendor and power of an empire, or the apostles with their humility and poverty and the gospel of Christ?  Let us remember and take it to heart in our own choices for faith.