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 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 not might 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 verse was also included in yesterday's reading; as noted there my study Bible comments that to anoint the sick with oil has not only medicinal value but also sacramental.  God' healing power is bestowed through creation, and there are various examples of such throughout Scripture (Mark 5:27; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15, 19:1-12).  In such a way, oil is also a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14).  This verse, however, seems to be included with today's reading so that we understand the one that follows.  The disciples' successful first apostolic journey, manifesting the casting out of demons and healing via Christ's shared power, sets the context in which Herod has become aware of Jesus.

 

 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 son of the one who killed the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  Although technically a governor, my study Bible says, he was popularly called king.  Although he knows that St. John the Baptist worked no miracles while living, Herod now believes that John has been raised from the dead, and the things happening in Christ's ministry are powers at work in him.  Therefore, my study Bible points out, he fears St. John the Baptist more dead than alive.  

Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  These are still references to the observed power at work in Christ's ministry.  Elijah was expected to return and to work signs before the coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).  The Prophet, according to my study Bible, is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, the One foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15).  But others interpret it as meaning simply 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 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.  My study Bible explains that this account of the death of St. John the Baptist is given parenthetically.  That is so that readers will understand that his earlier death has resulted in Herod thinking that John had risen from the dead. 

 

 There is a lot to "unpack" in today's reading.  It's most interesting in terms of what we might observe about Herod Antipas, and in fact, about the whole lineage of Herod the Great.  This was a family known for its bloodthirsty practices even in a time when ruthless power and ambition were something normal for rulers.  We already know of Herod the Great (Herod Antipas' father) and his slaughter of the innocents of Bethlehem, and we can learn something from it to give us insight into what we read here of the behavior in Herod Antipas' court.  First let us understand that Herod Antipas in today's story is the ruler of Galilee, and that he rules for Rome.  His brothers ruled other provinces of Israel.  We first note that Herod begins to become suspicious and even paranoid as he makes note of the "powers at work" in the apostles and generally speaking in the ministry of Christ.  As he is a king who serves Rome, part of a family of ruthless rulers who killed their own family members for power, he is always going to be alert for any other sources of power, or people who seem to wield power in his jurisdiction.  Like his father, who killed the infants of Bethlehem out of jealous protection of his own power when he heard about the birth of Christ, Herod Antipas also is going to jealously guard power and authority.  This will also extend to a desire to control whatever is of worth in the province, including those who are influential.  St. John the Baptist himself was a highly influential figure in his time, as he was popular with the people and widely seen as a holy man.  So, when John the Baptist denounced the marriage of Herod and Herodias, as she had been married to his brother and the brother was still living, this is perceived as a threat.  According to this story, it is particularly the ambitious Herodias who hates the Baptist for this, as John has suggested their marriage is not lawful.   Subsequent actions of this particular king and queen reveal their historical (and eventually, failed) ambitions, ending in exile.  But for now let us focus on the story, because it exposes all the unleashed and unregulated desires of this court.  To have a daughter dance before powerful men would have been scandalous to the Jews in the first place, and yet this is fine for Herodias.  It is also used as part of her scheming ambition.  Such is the hatred of Herodias for John that she wanted to kill him.  But Herod himself is a little more sophisticated with regard to the power of holiness, in the sense that he understands John is something special and different, set apart.  Herod knew enough so that he feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  Moreover, John must have obliged somewhat the king's curiosity and possible desire to learn from him, because when he heard John, John did many things, and Herod heard him gladly.  But this is Herod's birthday, and he's in an expansive mood.  He gave a feast on his birthday for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  He's so carried away by the dancing of Herodias' daughter in front of himself and all of these important men of his kingdom, that he swears to her a rash oath:  "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  There is a reason why this proves to be an opportune day as the Evangelist describes it.  Herod is vulnerable to his passions and has let them get the better of him; Herodias has understood this and will make the most of it.  She eagerly advises her daughter, who has such little sense of herself that she must ask her mother what to request.  Herodias has a ready answer for the daughter who seems merely an extension of herself:  "The head of John the Baptist!" Her daughter takes this vivid and bloodthirsty sense yet another step further:  "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."   It's seems an illustration of the principle behind Jesus' indictment of the scribes and Pharisees:  "For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves " (Matthew 23:15).  Although Herod is exceedingly sorry, He does not have the courage nor the discipline to stand up to the pressures of the court.  So, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  It's in some way reminiscent of St. Peter's collapse of nerve before a servant girl when he denies Christ three times (Luke 22:55-62).  So in Herod's court, and in his conduct, we see the excesses of extreme passion:  ruthless ambition, a lack of all proper respect for boundaries (including the protection both of holiness and of human life), an inability to "lose face" in front of the great men of his court, a young girl's seductive dance.  All of these are antithetical to traditional Christian values of discipleship, and the point of seeking self-mastery in the disciplines of the church, including the ability to be humble, to "bear a little shame," in the words of one Orthodox priest who writes authoritatively on that subject (see this book by Fr. Stephen Freeman).  Herod has no self-control, even though he has some kind of awareness of holy power; he has no ability to say no in these circumstances.  And there, we come to the traditional practices of Lent (fasting, almsgiving, prayer), and their aim to help us to develop greater spiritual self-discipline -- and especially a greater detachment from our passions.  Every indulgence is here, and so are the bloodthirsty and deeply unjust results.  Note this is especially true of the lack of respect for innocence, whether it be of a child (Herodias' daughter) or of the holy man and prophet, St. John the Baptist.  The other sense of "appetite" at play here is the desire to claim more power.  There are two types of power at work to contrast:  the holy power of Christ's ministry including now in His apostles and that of St. John the Baptist, and the material power of Herod and the rest of his court.   We have recently been given to understand the response of Christ's neighbors from His hometown to the abilities He expresses; they both marveled and were offended (see yesterday's reading, above).  John's holy power elicits similar responses:  Herod marvels over his prisoner and has a curiosity as if examining a rare jewel or delightful new discovery, but Herodias is deeply offended and envious of St. John's capacity to limit her ambitions and material power.  Here we meet with the force of envy that will be the ultimate culprit in the desire to murder Jesus (Matthew 27:17-18).  For a holy power such as the one that works in Christ's ministry is not to be owned nor controlled nor limited by anybody; neither can it be harnessed for an exploitable outcome or end.  This holiness may, in fact, touch any of our lives.  But it will be up to us to either receive it and follow where it leads us, or we will stumble in the attempt to exploit it and use it.  Let us consider how priceless the gift of grace, and how we so easily stumble, as the Scriptures teach us.