This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!

 

 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 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 may 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."  My study Bible informs us that this King Herod is the son of the one who slew the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  The one responsible for what is called the Slaughter or Massacre of the Innocents was also known as Herod the Great, king of Judea.  His son, the King Herod of today's reading, was known also as Herod Antipas, and he ruled over Galilee.  The Herodian dynasty ruled for Rome: Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee.  Although he was technically a governor, he was popularly called king.  My study Bible explains that, as Herod known that John the Baptist had worked no miracles while living, he now believes John was raised from the dead, thinking that powers are at work in him.  Therefore, 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."  Elijah was expected to return and to work signs before coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).  My study Bible comments that the Prophet is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, the One whom Moses foretold (Deuteronomy 18:15), while other interpret it as simply 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 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 account of Herod Antipas' story with John the Baptist is given parenthetically here; that is, we're given a "backstory" in order to explain John's earlier death so that we understand why Herod would think that John had risen from the dead.  My study Bible comments on the fact 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).  It notes that this is a testament both to the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's understanding of John.  St. John the Baptist was held by the people in the highest esteem; he was revered as a holy man (Mark 11:32).  

 

  This language of the opportune day reminds us of the temptation of Christ by the devil as He fasted in preparation for His public ministry.  Luke 4:13 tells us, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."  Here is another opportune time for the works of evil, this time through the cunning of Herodias, and the blindness of her daughter.   It seems that just the right temptations are here before Herod; it's the right time and place to implement a plan that will work for the evil ends of Herodias to rid herself (and her king) of the presence of St. John the Baptist.  Note how temptations work on Herod.  He's subject to grandiosity of course; but perhaps this is "normal" for a king of his time and place.  But this is a dangerous sort of grandiosity which can easily get a person of power into a lot of trouble, and cause him to make bad decisions, errors of judgment.  It is a weakness.  Here it is his birthday party, a time when a seemingly rather spoiled and temperamental person is at their most weak in terms of the need for gratification of all desires, being the center of attention.  Note how his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee are all assembled for this birthday feast.  It is before these men that he swears his oath.  There's another temptation here, and that is the lasciviousness that seems to be stirred by the dancing of the daughter of Herodias.  It seems to be something that would have been scandalous to the Jews, to allow a daughter to expose herself in this sense to these men.  But it works indeed to provide just the incentive for a rash and stupidly expansive promise to be given by Herod to this 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."   The girl goes to her mother, to find what she should ask for, indicating that she really doesn't seem fully able to think for herself, and her mother, being the extremely ambitious and unethical person she apparently is, goes after the most monstrous thing she could ask:  the head of John the Baptist.  Note that in terms of personal wealth or gain, she could have asked for "up to half" of Herod's kingdom.  But she doesn't, and neither does her mother advise her to do so.  Moreover, the girl adds an imaginative, macabre twist to her mother's demand, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."   And so it was, St. John the Baptist's head was brought to this birthday celebration on a platter, as if it were one more dish at the feast.  This is the story of John's martyrdom; and in many icons he is shown bearing his head in this way (see the photo of a mosaic at this blog post, for example).  Herod's weakness extends to his conscience, and his overriding concern for saving face before his court:  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.  In some sense, this king who is a slave to his passions and therefore weaknesses is an antithetical contrast to the person and character of St. John the Baptist.  John is his opposite:  one who has served God in all ways possible in his life, and an extreme ascetic in so doing.  His life has been lived without the comforts of the world, forgoing traditional community for his life of ascetic poverty which would become the model for Christian monasticism to come.  Herod's story (and that of his wife and her daughter) is a cautionary tale for Christians, because it teaches us about our own weaknesses, how our need for indulgence of various kinds on display here can lead to evil results in our lives.  Herod is on display as a kind of paradigm of all that was wrong with the pagan world, but nonetheless forms an image of things we might see from the pages of our own newspapers and tabloids, with modern figures of those grandiose and indulgent and wealthy enough for every excess without limits or spiritual discipline.  The beheading of John, and especially his head being presented on a platter at this dinner, is also a kind of double suggestion:  beheading would have been the easiest or "kindest" way to die at the hands of the Roman Empire.  But that it was demanded and served on a platter gives us a bloodthirsty hint of human sacrifice linked with cannibalism, also once common to the ancient world, and suggestive of the religious practices of the enemies of the ancient Jews and their opposition to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Let us remember in this context that Herod's family was meant to be nominally Jewish, even if they served for Rome.  All we need do is to consider the restrictions on contact with blood for Jews to see how truly scandalous this story is.  Let it remain a caution to us today.  For John the Baptist, and those monastics who would follow in the Church, humility before God and hospitality to others served as the greatest virtues, the gateway to all others.   In a time of excess, tremendous wealth, and unlimited freedom, our choices remain more significant than ever as to who or what we will follow, and what traditional disciplines of faith and the Church are meant to serve for our lives.  Herod's fear tells us all we need to know about what is truly stronger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You give them something to eat

 

 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him. 

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.   When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. 

 

- Luke 9:1–17 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus returned to Capernaum (after healing a demoniac across the Sea of Galilee), that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."   While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

 

  Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Here Jesus calls His twelve disciples together, giving them power over demons and to cure diseases, and sends them out to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick, making them apostles.  The Greek word for disciple means "learner" and the word apostle comes from the Greek word αποστολος/apostolos, which means "one sent out."   In so doing, my study Bible emphasizes that Jesus gave them power and authority, while He performed healings and cast out demons through His own power and authority.  Their mission is like Christ's, they are to preach and to heal.  Their demeanor is to be humble and reliant upon God, not ostentatious, and not "trading up" for a better place to stay.  The response to those who reject them is also humble, not vengeful but to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them.  

 

 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.   My study Bible comments that this is the same Herod to whom Pilate would send Jesus during His trial (Luke 23:7).  He is the son of Herod the Great who slew the innocent infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  The story of the beheading of St. John at the court of Herod Antipas is found in Mark 6:14-28.  

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.   When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.  My study Bible cites the commentary of Theophylact, who sees a liturgical parallel with the feeding of the five thousand.  He notes that Christ first healed and spoke of the gospel, and then He fed the multitude with the miraculous bread by the hands of the disciples.  In the Church, he says, a person is first healed through baptism; then at the Liturgy, the gospel is preached and the bread of life and the cup are received from the hands of the ordained clergy.  Jesus charges the disciples with the command, "You give them something to eat."  My study Bible says that this commission is  a type and preparation for the apostolic ministry the disciples will perform after His Resurrection.  They will be feeding the world with the word of God, and with the Eucharist.  St. John Chrysostom is also cited in his understanding of today's passage.  He says of the five loaves and two fish that Christ is the same Creator "of both the earth and the sea, who in the beginning brought fruit from the earth and life out of the water."  The Gospel tells us that Christ looked up to heaven before blessing and breaking the bread.  St. Chrysostom says that He does so "not as receiving power from elsewhere, but as honoring the Father who begot Him."  Moreover, St. Chrysostom comments, that Christ blessed and broke the bread teaches us "not to touch any meal until we have given thanks to Him who gives us food."  This blessing also gives us a clear image of the Eucharist, and directs us to pursue spiritual food greater than that which is earthly (see John 6:26-27).  

So, what does it mean to be fed?  How do we wish to be fed by Jesus Christ?   In John's Gospel. this miraculous feeding will lead to the people pursuing Jesus across the Sea of Galilee, even running to anticipate His arrival, because as a result of this feeding, they seek to make Him king by force.  Hence, Jesus' response, cited by my study Bible (see above) found in John 6:26-27:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  As we can see, these multitudes who followed Jesus into the wilderness are first fed with Christ's preaching and teaching about the kingdom of God.  Also, He performs healings as well.  In this context, let's ponder that in today's reading we're told that the disciples have been sent out as apostles by Jesus, on their first missionary journey.  In so doing, He shares His power with them, and they are to take it through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.   This is a kind of expansion of Jesus' ministry that marks a milestone.  Jesus' power has the capability of being shared with others, even with human beings who serve Christ.  This must surely be linked with faith, and we can see the connection of faith established through the apostles as they go through the towns -- only those who reject them and are faithless are subject to the testimony against them, the shaking of the dust from the feet of the apostles.  So when we think of what food we need, how can we leave out the importance and singular essential quality of needing food that feeds our faith?  In the perspective of the Gospels we see that this is the primary need we have, for faith leads in some way to everything else -- and to this miraculous feeding in the wilderness.  So let us think about feeding, and our impulse -- our needs -- to eat and to be fed.  We know when our bodies are hungry.  Recently experiencing surgery, during the healing process I found myself needing more food than usual, and of a certain type.  But our faith, or lack of it, must work a certain way.  While we're growing as children (or healing from an injury of some sort) we truly need food to feed the growth we're experiencing, the necessary nourishment for that process.  But faith must work the same way.  In fact, it would seem that in some sense the more we grow in our faith, the more we need to nurture it, and the more need we experience to shore it up, to find it and deepen it.  This goes hand in hand with the joy we experience in the faith, and perhaps even the challenges we face in its growth.  In the experience of the Church and her saints, it's perhaps safe to say that the more one's faith grows, so grows one's need for it and for its nurturing.  In Luke's chapter 17, the apostles demand of the Lord, "Increase our faith!"  This demand is sandwiched between Jesus' teaching on the need to forgive at each repentance of a brother, and His teaching that, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  It leads also to His teaching on what it means to be a good servant.  See Luke 17:1-10.  So Christ's way is to feed the multitudes with what they need, and to teach us what we need.  He sends out the disciples, now become apostles, to feed this need in others, and to seek and to find those who will respond to it positively, grasping it with all their capacity.  For our love of God doesn't stop but expands to hold all that God can give, until we ourselves must share with others the good things we have been given, too.  Like the disciples, our faith may be nurtured when we share it with others.  There are those who teach that all the things of which we partake become a part of us, so we need to think hard, as human beings, about what we take in, and the things in which we participate -- for these things feed us too.  King Herod Antipas seeks to be fed, in some sense, by Christ, but to what end?  Not to faith.  Let us consider carefully what we really need, and what it feeds in us, where we need nourishment day by day, and the daily bread of the kingdom of God.  

 

 

 

This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him

 

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philips's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. 

 

- Matthew 14:1-12 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass, when Jesus had finished teaching His parables (see Matthew 13:1-52), that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

  At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."   We know by now that the Pharisees and scribes have begun to plot how to destroy Jesus (see, for example, this reading).  Yesterday's reading (above) gave us the understanding of Christ's rejection in His hometown of Nazareth.  But here the Gospel begins to let us know of the powerful state of Rome now taking an interest in Jesus, and fearing Him.  Herod has heard of Christ's "mighty works" and His wisdom, and his fear is that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead -- and that this is why these powers are at work in him.

For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philips's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.     This account of the beheading and death of John the Baptist is given as a kind of parenthetical story, to explain to us why Herod fears so strongly that Jesus is John the Baptist returned from the dead with fearsome powers.  This Herod is Herod Antipas, ruler or tetrarch of Galilee.  John the Baptist had criticized his marriage to Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, while his brother was still living, by saying it was not in compliance with Jewish law.  So Herod had put John in prison.  Note all the fears of Herod:  he feared the multitude, because they counted John as a prophet. 

 But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  Note this story about the death of John the Baptist.  It is a festive occasion, Herod's birthday.   The daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  For the Jews, such a public act by a daughter before a court of men would have been scandalous to begin with.  But Herod is carried away by his passions, and promised even with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  Of course, the daughter turns to her mother, (likely the one who prompted her to dance to please the king in the first place) who schools her in the ways of corruption and political scheming.  "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter" is her request.  Although the king has enough awareness to be sorry (after all, he is at least nominally meant to be a Jew and was raised as such), because of his oath and because of those who sat with him (the "great men" of Galilee), he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  

The story in today's reading comes with a very sobering two-point conclusion:  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.  There is first of all the extreme corruption of the court, of the court of Herod who ruled for Rome.  The family of Herod the Great (Antipas' father) and his descendants was known for its ruthlessness even in comparison with his counterparts of the time.  We can see what a "bloodthirsty" story is written here, an almost sickening example of a daughter's pleasing gift to her mother.  But we must take it in light of the reading from yesterday, in which Jesus taught that "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house" (see above).  For the story of John the Baptist is a story of another prophet -- the last and greatest in the line of the Old Testament prophets -- who has died for telling the truth, for his holiness, for "speaking truth to power" as a by-now familiar modern slogan goes.  The truth of John the Baptist was his identity as the friend of the Bridegroom, who rejoiced to hear the Bridegroom's voice, and who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah/Bridegroom, teaching the people to prepare with repentance.  In this story juxtaposed with that understanding we are perhaps given yet another picture in the gospel of what it means not to repent.  This final conclusion is one more downward step in a march further and further into corruption.  Even Herod himself is sorry to kill John -- and we can read the outcome in his paranoid fears (and lack of spiritual understanding) about Jesus.  The actions at Herod's court go from bad to worse, and they reflect specific things Jesus has taught against in the Sermon on the Mount.  There is first of all the lasciviousness of the court hinted at in this dance of the daughter (Matthew 5:28).  Modern eyes and ears may not understand this well, but we perhaps should not read this story as if what was impressive was her formal dance training or creativity.  She stirs the passions so that Herod lavishly bestows a rash gift -- together with an oath (see Matthew 5:33-37).  He is afraid to take back his words in front of the other important men of his kingdom who attend, and so displays another quality frowned on by Christ, the love of the praise of others over the praise of God (John 12:42-43).  Finally, the disciples of John come to take his body to bury it, and to tell Jesus.  But at this sad conclusion we should turn our attention to the perspective of our faith.  For we have recently read of Christ's strong praise of John (while he was in prison), and His defense of John as well (see Matthew 11:1-24).   John the Baptist wears the crown of Christian martyrdom, but there is more to his story from the perspective of the Church.  In the tradition of the Church, John's martyrdom is seen as yet another part of God's plan for salvation.  For not only did John prepare the world for the Incarnate Christ, the Messiah, but his martyrdom allowed the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades.  Therefore, in the eyes of the Church, John is forerunner to Christ there as well as on earth.  My study Bible quotes a hymn from St. John's feast day:  "Your tongue, which constantly speaks of God, has preceded Christ into death and is sent to preach Him to those in Hades."   Moreover, John's life is a testimony to the power of personal holiness and integrity, as my study Bible says.  For John, who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (Mark 1:6), is feared by Herod with all his wealth and soldiers -- as well as the highest esteem in which the people held John.  Even after his death, John continues to be feared by Herod.  Let us consider, then, these stark choices between the realities of the material world, on "worldly" terms, and the reality of the Kingdom and its holiness for us.  For it is surprising how much the world, despite our easy lack of perception and understanding, really is affected by the holy power that is at work behind all things, and does permeate the creation of the world.  Let us consider John's life and what it meant to the future of the world, to the faith given to the world through Christ, and in the power of the faith we are given today.

 

 

 

Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter

 

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

 

- Matthew 14:1-12 

 

Yesterday we read that, when Jesus had finished teaching the parables given in Matthew's chapter 13, He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country of Nazareth, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  At this time, Christ's ministry and reputation for His healing and works have expanded enough so that Herod the tetrarch has heard the report about Jesus.  This is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great (who was the king who slew the innocents of Bethlehem; see Matthew 2).  Herod Antipas was commonly called king, but he ruled for Rome and was thus tetrarch of Galilee.  Today's reading is given as a kind of parenthetic explanation about why Herod feared Christ so much:  he believes that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead, and this is the explanation for the powers that Christ reveals through His ministry.  John the Baptist had criticized Herod Antipas for his marriage to his wife Herodias, who was formerly married to Herod's brother Philip, while Philip was still living -- as this was contrary to Jewish law.  

And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  This gives us the setting in Galilee at the time of Herod's rule as tetrarch.  John the Baptist was widely revered as a holy man and prophet.  In the Church John is understood a the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets, and the Forerunner to Christ who prepared the people for the Messiah (see Matthew 3).  So, Herod feared the multitude.

 

  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.  Here we're given the quite gory spectacle of the goings on in the palace of Herod Antipas.  It is not far removed from the behavior of the entire reign of the family of Herod the Great, who, even at a time of ruthless rulers in the world, was considered to be particularly cruel among his peers.  

It's important to note the excesses on display in today's reading which characterize Herod's rule and his court, because these were things that would scandalize the Jews of his time, and they are also examples of behaviors and self-indulgence the Church has historically scorned.  Indeed, the point of Christian discipleship (particularly as exemplified in the traditions of monasticism and the teachings of the Church) is self-mastery, the opposite of the behavior we see here.  First, there is the display of Herodias' daughter dancing before his court and the important men of his kingdom.  This lack of modesty -- especially by a daughter in front of a group of men -- would have scandalized the people.  Indeed, even with today's modern Western standards, we don't think highly of anyone who would display a daughter in sexually suggestive ways before friends (especially a group of powerful men).  Then there is Herod's rash oath that promised he would give her whatever she might ask.  Christ preached against swearing oaths at all, and in this excessive, over-extravagant behavior by Herod we can see why, and what it can lead to.  Because he's sworn this oath of promise in front of his court (because of those who sat with him), he can't back down, even when it comes to choosing between saving face and beheading one even he considers to be holy.  And so this bloody, murderous, hideous "family" spectacle in some way becomes normative for the reality and practices of Herod's court, although he calls himself a Jew:  John the Baptist's head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Here there is indulgence in the excesses of human passions all around:  murderous hatred, vicious plotting for power, disregard for things that are holy, the zeal of a rash oath and promise, a daughter's sensual display for the men of the court, and the bloodthirsty drive for vengeance by Herodias for the one who would stand in her way to power.  (Due to their schemes, both Herod Antipas and Herodias would end their lives in failed plots for power and death in exile.)  But we "moderns" should look at this story and understand what it meant to the audience of its time and has historically indicated regarding Christians and our own behaviors.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preaches against swearing oaths (Matthew 5:33-35), against murder and unrighteous anger (Matthew 5:21-26), against adultery in the heart and the cultivation of excessive lust (Matthew 5:27-30), against divorce without moral reason (Matthew 5:31-32), against excessive vengeance and retribution (Matthew 5:38-48).  Indeed, Herod's fear of John raised from the dead teaches us about effects of such behaviors on personality.  He also displays his immaturity and foolishness in that the only thing that matters to him is the praise of men, rather than the praise of God (John 12:42-43).  So, we might say that the behavior on display in this story of Herod's court teaches us precisely about those excesses of passion against which Christ has explicitly preached.  It is a kind of warning about what sort of society and behaviors result when all passions are indulged and there are no responsible curbs on self-indulgent and what we might call extreme grandiose behavior.  The capacity to have power and wealth to exercise such self-indulgences only magnifies the possibilities for such.  Notably, this also shapes a warning to us, who live in a society of affluence and consumer options no one could have dreamed of in Christ's time.  In our popular media we have every sort of indulgence praised by those who offer entertainments which seek to top one another in spectacle, and that includes violence, even celebrations of things traditionally and widely considered to be evil, as well as symbols of such.  Our consumer society, social movements, and even cultural changes have praised the concept of indulgence, but we rarely come to grips with the social ills created by such in a pragmatic and compassionate way that shows its downside.  Rage becomes a currency of self-expression.  In the worst of excesses the world will show us, rage is used a political weapon of violence and the worst pictures of vengeance.  And this is the world brought to us through our saturation with media and entertainments to be consumed.  Without the normative restraints on excesses of passions, without a kind of self-corrective understanding of what it means to be in control of impulses, as was historically understood to be desirable and praiseworthy self-mastery in order to serve pragmatic rational and moral choices, what results?  Couple this with a reliance on public image and an inability to stand up to a crowd baying for blood, and what will be the outcome?  Let us concern ourselves first with orienting ourselves toward our faith and the wisdom contained therein.  Where are our emphases and priorities in life?  What comes first, and what is prized?  In the end, what we really possess are ourselves and how we shape and conduct our lives, our choices, our habits and practices -- our capacity to be centered upon what makes for our peace, from the very personal and internal to the wider world and every stage in between.  Let us ponder the things we lose when we give up what He has taught, and what has been cherished and prized as wisdom.  Without it we will sorely lack maturity and leadership.

I find no fault in this Man

 

 Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate.  And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."  Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered him and said, "It is as you say."  So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man."  But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."  

When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.  And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.  Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.  And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.  Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

 

- Luke 23:1-12 

 

Yesterday we read that the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?"  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.  As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."  Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God?"  So He said to them, "You rightly say that I am."  And they said, "What further testimony do we need?  For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."

 

  Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate.  And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."  Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered him and said, "It is as you say."  So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man."  But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."   My study Bible points out here that the religious accusations against Jesus (see yesterday's reading, above) would not be enough to justify a death sentence under Roman occupation.  So, therefore, the chief priests have invented false accusations (see Luke 20:20-26), which are politically charged, so that they may persuade Pilate to put Jesus to death.  Pilate's question ("Are You the King of the Jews?"), my study Bible says, is more a mockery of this accusation than it is of Jesus, as it is clear that he does not take the political charges seriously ("I find no fault in this Man").  My study Bible comments that Christ's answer,  "It is as you say," can also be translated with the more ambiguous, "You say so."

 

 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.  And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.  Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.  And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.  Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.  My study Bible suggests that Herod sees Jesus as a novelty.  It notes for us that Christ's silence is an act of compassion.  This is because to reveal divine mysteries in the face of such blasphemy would have brought Herod even greater condemnation.  St. Ambrose sees Herod as a figure who represents all unrighteous people who, if they do not recognize Jesus as the Christ, will never understand His words nor recognize His miracles.  

It's quite interesting that Herod is seen as somewhat of a highly destructive bumbler through the Gospels.  He's consistently a person for whom holy people have the kind of draw of unusual and exotic animals from strange lands.  He is fascinated with John the Baptist.  In Mark's Gospel, we're told that although Herod had him arrested for criticizing his marriage to Herodias, he "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" (Mark 6:20).  One gets the feeling that John the Baptist was a sort of protected thing of interest for private audience.  But then Herod rashly (and perhaps drunkenly) swears to Herodias' daughter, because he's moved by her dancing at his birthday party, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you" and "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom" (Mark 6:22-23).  And then, when she's counseled by her mother, who hates the Baptist, she asks Herod for John's head on a platter.  At that stage, Herod is "exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her" (Mark 6:26), so he follows through with her wish.  Both Mark and Matthew also tell us that when Herod heard of the things that Christ was doing, he was curious to see him.  But then he also became paranoid, believing that possibly Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead, and that was the explanation for Christ's power (Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:14).  In today's reading, Herod is once again like an immature child.  He wants to see Jesus because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Herod wants to be amused and dazzled by what he does not understand.  He behaves like an overspoiled person, who sees others as things to be acquired and consumed like entertainments for his pleasure and wonder.  Christ's response is telling by His silence.  There is nothing to engage in Herod.  So, once again without any sense of understanding or wisdom, Herod behaves as a sort of spiteful teenager -- and, of course, is once again surrounded by his court as he was at his birthday party.  We're told that with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  Perhaps these are the same men of war before whom he was afraid to back down on the oath he swore to Herodias' daughter.  His character is consistently unwise, overindulgent, and vainly destructive.  Christ, accused of proclaiming Himself king of the Jews, stands before a worldly king who fails in every possible aspect we associate with good leadership.  Herod's earthly father was known as Herod the Great.  Also known as Herod the Builder, he built many monuments, but the most splendid and famous is not doubt the beautiful temple in Jerusalem at the time of Christ, which would be completely destroyed by the Romans in the year AD 70, in response to a Jewish uprising.  Herod the Great is the same Herod who slew the infants in Bethlehem, seeking to kill Christ (Matthew 2:16-18), having heard of the birth of Jesus from the Wise Men who'd come to pay homage to Him.  Herod the Great, even in a world known for its brutality and use of raw power, was considered to be ruthless even by such earthly standards as kings and emperors of the time.  Perhaps we should contrast Herod's father with Christ's Father, so that we understand that when we choose to worship Christ, we choose also to participate in an entirely different set of energies than the ruthless worldly power of the family of Herod.  In the contrast between Herod Antipas, the son, and Jesus Christ the Son, we see the contrasting outcome between the two.   The Gospel today tells us afterward, that very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.  One Roman representative becomes friends with another, and they will share in the violence done to Him, despite their knowledge that He is a holy Man.  For if we watch the way of the world, we will see that this is the way that violence works so often:  denying its culpability, and hiding behind titles and falsehoods.  Both men know that Jesus is innocent, but each somehow excuses his role.  Christ stands before them, but the real truth here is that they stand before Him.  We live in a world that still remains one of expediency, even ruthlessness, caught in a web of presumably good intentions assigned to large institutions, whole countries, administrations, and human affairs of all kinds.  But we each stand before Christ nevertheless, for He is with us.  Some leave lasting marks on the world, but none more so than the One who is condemned as an Innocent.  Let us consider what we think of as great, and what it is we might leave behind us.  

 

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.

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.

Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude

 

Loaves and fish, Byzantine style mosaic, c. 450.  Church of the Multiplication, Tabgha, Sea of Galilee

 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 

- Luke 9:1–17 

 

Yesterday we read that, when Jesus returned after healing a demoniac on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

 

  Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  The twelve disciples are now called to become apostles.  The word for disciple means "learner."  An apostle is "one sent out."  Note that Jesus gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He shares His own power with these disciples for their first apostolic mission to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick.  As those who are preaching the kingdom and bearing it with them, they are taught to do so in humility, but also as those who witness and testify.

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.   My study bible remarks that this is the same Herod (Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee) to whom Pilate will send Jesus during His trial (Luke 23:7).  He is the son of Herod the Great, who slew the innocent infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  The story of the beheading of St. John the Baptist can be found in Mark 6:14-28.

 

 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."   My study bible cites the commentary of Theophylact, who sees a liturgical parallel with this story of the feeding of five thousand.  So central is this story, that it is the only miracle found in all four Gospels.  Theophylact notes that Christ first healed and spoke the gospel of the kingdom of God, and then fed the multitude with the miraculous bread by the hands of His disciples.  In the Church, a person is first healed through baptism.  Then at the Liturgy, the gospel is preached, and the bread of life and the cup are received from the hands of the ordained clergy. 

 

But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Christ commands the disciples, "You give the something to eat."  My study bible says that this is a commission of a type and preparation for the apostolic ministry the disciples will perform after Christ's Resurrection.  They will feed the world with the word of God and with the Eucharist.  Regarding the five loaves and two fish, my study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that Christ is the same Creator "of both the earth and the sea, who in the beginning brought fruit from the earth and life out of the water."

 

Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.  St. John Chrysostom comments that Christ looked up to heaven "not as receiving power from elsewhere, but as honoring the Father who begot Him."  That Christ blessed and broke the loaves, writes St. Chrysostom, teaches us "not to touch any meal until we have given thanks to Him who gives us food."  My study bible notes that this blessing also presents a clear eucharistic image, and directs us to pursue spiritual food greater than that which is earthly (see John 6:26-27).  

Today's Gospel reading invites us to consider the question:  With what do we feed ourselves?  How are we fed?  Does life consist of the word of God with the things we take into our lives, the ways that we view the world, all that we eat, and breathe, and sleep?  While the Gospel gives us a full day in the life of Christ in the depiction of the return of the apostles, and the subsequent feeding of the five thousand, what we see is a Man for whom the kingdom of God is always present.  And for the disciples, who are now apostles, their lives will be forever marked by this bearing of the kingdom of God into the world.  At no time will their lives be simply about getting through life day to day, but rather about eating, breathing, and sleeping the gospel of the kingdom of God, and bearing that into the world.  The feeding of the five thousand, so central to the Gospels and to the tradition of worship and the Eucharist, teaches us about sacrament.  In Jesus' looking up to heaven, and the blessing and breaking of the loaves, He teaches us about a sacramental life.  All things are turned over to God for God's use and blessing.  This isn't simply about the origins of the Eucharist, but in a sense it is  about a way of life.  That is, a way of life of bearing the Kingdom into the world, and offering our world back to God, so that our lives are filled with this purpose and meaning.  In that way of being in our lives, everything can be filled with meaning and purpose, infused with the ministry of the Kingdom.  Just as Jesus starts here with five loaves and two fish, there is nothing too small or insignificant for this sacramental life.  The breath we take can be accompanied with a short prayer, such as "Lord have mercy."  Our moments can be permeated with such prayer, our lives given over and dedicated back to God.  This is our place in the world as humankind in the viewpoint of the Bible.  We negotiate this world and do so properly by returning our gifts and blessings back to God, in a kind of priesthood of humanity, and in living a sacramental life.  Everything we have is a gift from God, and we simply need to ask for blessing -- as does Christ -- to live such a life in God's purpose.  We can do the same with all of our possessions.  We can ask God to fill our relationships and bless them.  We can consecrate anything for the bearing of the Kingdom in the world.  It is our prayer and faith that mediates, our practices learned from our traditions that are designed to do so, and even our very worship that consecrates the elements of life -- our food -- as that which truly, deeply nurtures for the life of the Kingdom as we live life on earth.  Let us reconcile the two, as we're meant to do, by living lives that infuse and bear the Kingdom in this world, devoting each small thing to purpose by "remembering God."   The words in Greek and Hebrew for "breath" and "Spirit" are the same; let us remember with our breath to breathe in the word of life.