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

 

   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 th 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 hears of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

 

- Mark 6:14–29 

 

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, and among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do not 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 Jesus, 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 was the son of the one who slew the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  His father was known as Herod the Great, and the king in today's reading is Herod Antipas who rules for Rome over Galilee.  Although he was technically called a governor, my study Bible explains, he was popularly called king.  He knows that John the Baptist worked no miracles while he lived, but now -- because of the events of the first apostolic mission of Christ's disciples -- he believes that John was raised from the dead, thinking that powers are at work in him.  So, 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 work signs before the second 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), while others interpret it to simple mean that a new prophet had arisen.  

 

 But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.   The account that begins here, and that makes up of our reading for today, is given parenthetically, explaining John's death and how it came about, so that we can understand why Herod fears that John has 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 perception of John, for he was held in the highest esteem (Mark 11:32). 

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 th 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 hears of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.  My study Bible tells us 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 in our world.  It notes that the beheading of John the Baptist is remembered on August 29th in the Orthodox, and also in other Churches, both Catholic and Protestant.  An Orthodox hymn sung at Matins for this day declares, "Your tongue, which constantly speaks of God, has preceded Christ into death and is sent to preach Him to those in Hades."

Note the scandalous bloodthirstiness and indulgent lascivious nature of Herod's court on display.  These are things that surely scandalized the Jews under Roman occupation.  First of all there is John the Baptist who is clearly a representative of the Law.  (In fact John is considered to be the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.)  He is imprisoned in the first place because he chastises the king and queen in that their marriage is unlawful; for Herod's brother had been married to her and he is still living.  But even Herod knew that John was a just and holy man.  Therefore, he heard him gladly.   The language of the text is indicative of something evil coming into play, when we read, 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.  For this is the same language we read in Luke's Gospel, after Christ's temptations by the devil.  Luke 4:13 reads, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."   What provides the opportunity for the martyrdom of John the Baptist is the setting of Herod's birthday party, and more specifically Herod's undisciplined susceptibility to flattery and vanity.  His nobles and "chief men" are present, he allows himself to swear an oath to the girl whose dancing impressed him (again, scandalous behavior to the Jews, to parade a daughter in this way among all of these men), and his inability to say no although he knows John to be a "just and holy man."  It's the opportunity for Herodias' power-hungry and murderous behavior, directing her daughter to ask for such a horrific "present."  We can only imagine what a hideous and bloody scene that was, like a special dish presented on a platter and given to the daughter, and a daughter trained to be dutiful to her mother's evil behavior in turn putting it before her mother like a special dish prepared for this birthday feast.  Herod and Herodias, due to their maneuvering for power, would die in exile themselves.  But all of the story speaks to passions run amuck and used for perverse purposes, the "opportune time" for evil influence.  And the result is that when Herod hears later of Jesus, he fears that it is John who has arisen from the dead, imagining that John has returned with a kind of arcane power to use.  What we might observe here is the progression from bad to worse, and how giving in to our passions allows unforeseen consequences and bad actors to manipulate us in our weaknesses and temptations.  It enforces for us the importance of repentance and of self-knowledge, of learning to say "no" to self-indulgence, and especially of the need for the practice of discernment and prayer to keep us on a good road in our lives.  For the word of God is "living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" as St. Paul tells us (Hebrews 4:12).  This Word, we know, is Christ, and He is the way, the truth, and the life that we need to guide us through our vulnerabilities (John 14:6).  Let us always remember God.

So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"

 

 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

 

- Mark 6:14–29 

 

On Saturday we read that Jesus went out from Capernaum and came to His own country of Nazareth, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

 

 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  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!"   This King Herod is Herod Antipas, the son of the King Herod who slew the infants in Bethlehem (see Matthew 2:16).  Although he was technically a Roman governor (or tetrarch) over the region of Galilee, he was popularly called King, my study Bible reminds us.  He knows that John the Baptist had worked no miracles while living, so now he believes that John was raised from the dead, thinking powers are at work in him.  Thus, my study Bible concludes, he fears John more dead than alive.  Elijah was expected to return and work signs before the second coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).  The Prophet is understood by some to refer to the Messiah, the One foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15).  Others interpret this as simply meaning 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.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  The text begins the explanation of John's death, so that readers will understand why Herod would think that John was risen from the dead, and working through Jesus.  My study Bible asks us to note that Herod, with his wealth and soldiers, feared John, who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (Mark 1:6).  This is a testament to both the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's perception of John, who was held in the highest esteem as a just and holy man and prophet (Mark 11:32).  Somewhat similarly to the way he will respond to Jesus when He was taken into Herod's custody (see Luke 23:6-12), Herod takes a kind of delight in listening to John, as if he is a rare marvel held in captivity.

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.  Here is the parenthetical "backstory" that explains Herod's fear that in Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead, whose powers are at work.  We can note the lawlessness and scandal of Herod's court, especially from the perspective of the Jews whom he ruled, for whom allowing a daughter to dance at such an affair and before the men of court would be unthinkable. The fact that Herod swore a very rash oath tells us about his character, and his fear of losing face in front of the nobles, high officers, and chief men of Galilee.   Herodias' advice to her daughter in asking for a "gift" speaks for itself of a thoroughly selfish lust for personal material power and the bloody violence that goes with it.  

 

 What can we make of Herodias' advice to her daughter, to ask for John the Baptist's head on a platter?  Certainly we can see how self-serving it is, how thoroughly selfish and driven this woman is in her quest for power.  She's married Herod as a gambit to "trade up" for power, even while her first husband, his brother, is still living, something entirely scandalous to the Jews, and proclaimed to be unlawful by John the Baptist (and historian Josephus as well).  This struggle over what is lawful and what is abhorrent to the Jews is at the center of the story; although raised as a Jew, we can see what is scandalous to the Jews in Herod's court and his manner.  It reminds us of Christ's words to the disciples regarding power:  "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them" (Mark 10:42).  This story is a prime example of the power to "lord it over" others, and the outcomes where this quest for power means everything.  It is a story in a microcosm about the breakdown of decency where struggle and competition for power form the basis for relations, even a relation between daughter and mother.  This is a mother who allowed her daughter to dance before the men at the court in a manner scandalous to the people of her time, and who advises her daughter -- who could have asked for any good thing for herself -- to ask for John the Baptist's head.  Let us note how one generation succeeds another continuing in the same bad direction:  the girl takes this one step further, and proclaims she wants John the Baptist's head on a platter, as if it is another splendid dish on display at Herod's birthday party, a prize that tops off the rest of the banquet.  Indeed, it then becomes a gift which the girl bestows upon her mother.  One would not be surprised if that was considered, in this family setting, a gift of love and loyalty from daughter to mother!  This holy and revered prophet's head on a platter gives us an idea of the depths to which we human beings can fall without a sense of how God wants us to live,  a visceral reminder of where a pure quest for power leads.  It reminds us of the corruption that can pervade the most sacred or intimate relations within a family, and that there isn't really a place where we don't need to remember God first, and remind ourselves what we are to be about.  Life will not simply take care of itself; it is we who need to take care of life and understand how we are to live it, what we respect, and how we are to serve what is good and true.  Indeed, if we look at the life of Herodias herself, we see that this marriage with Herod Antipas resulted in a disastrous war and exile for both of them.  I have heard on occasion priests and other Christian writers refer to what they call "familyolatry."  Many of us want to see family as something sacred in and of itself, but one look at the family of Herod the Great and its bloody history of internecine murder and scheming between even the closest of blood ties should tell us how wrong it is to assume that simply of itself, family is incorruptible.  Apart from faith in the good and a life lived in this consciousness, there is nothing that keeps us truly "civilized" and from breaking down into the worst effects of selfishness and abuse.  As those who are faithful to God, we can look at Scripture in both Old and New Testaments and must be aware of what we see there.  We are not presented with a world without problems, but a world in which it is up to us to remain salt and light, and be vigilant in remembering what we are to be about, despite what we might see others doing.  Indeed, without this effort, we may lose even what we think we have.