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Mark 6:14-29
John the Baptist Beheaded
14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”
And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”
16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”
17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.
21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.
The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”
“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.
25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
I suspect that this story is one that has been brought to greater awareness among practicing Christians because its portrayal in the TV series The Chosen. Both the character of John the Baptist and the circumstances of his murder were brought to life much more vividly in that series than they have typically been in the past.
Looking back over the almost thirty years that I’ve been preaching regularly, I’m not sure I’ve ever preached a sermon on this story. I’ve seldom used it as the basis for our Reflections. I suppose that’s because it’s a story that doesn’t have an obvious application to our lives of faith today. There was only one John the Baptist, after all. I tell the people that I worship with that they should look for a “So what?” in every sermon and probably in every Bible Reflection. And It’s not apparent what the “So what?” of this story is supposed to be.
I guess I’d have to start with the understanding that John the Baptist was speaking and acting under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. In the world in which he lived — among the Hebrew people – he would have been considered a prophet. We tend to think of that word in terms of the ability to foretell the future, but among the Hebrews being a prophet meant he would have been considered to be speaking for God. That’s why Old Testament prophets so often began their preaching by saying, “Thus saith the Lord . . .”
And speaking a word that he considered God’s own is what brought John the Baptist into conflict with Herod. (And by the way, this would be Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great who shed so much innocent blood trying to kill the baby Jesus.) Herod had divorced his own wife and was living with his brother’s wife Herodias, and John the Baptist had apparently been publicly criticizing Herod for doing that. The ancient historian Josephus wrote that Herod Antipas was fearful of John’s influence over the population in Jerusalem and the surrounding region, and that Herod was afraid that John’s public condemnation might cause unrest among the religious faithful.
So Herod had John thrown in prison. Herodias wanted John executed, but Herod refused, and we’re told that Herod liked to listen to John. It’s also possible that Herod might have feared offending God. After all, his father was understood to have been struck dead by God for presenting himself as a god.
So you can see why this represented a volatile situation – a ruthless dictator living with a woman who’s resentful and afraid that John is going to mess up her cozy situation. And the spark that ignites the situation comes in the midst of what must have been a drunken birthday party. Herodias’ daughter came and danced for Herod’s guests. It must have been a pretty good dance, because Herod impulsively allows the girl to name her own reward for the performance. The girl asks her mother, her mother asks for John’s head, and the life and ministry of John the Baptist comes to an ignominious end.
It seems to me there are a couple of things that we really should carry away from this story. Maybe not lessons on what to do, but rather reminders of the ways of the world Paul tells us we are not to be “conformed to.”
The first point comes from John’s role as a prophet. Throughout history, one of the most important functions of the prophets was to “speak the truth to power” – to stand up to the powers of this world and call them to account for their sins. And like John the Baptist, lots of the prophets came to brutal ends. As it turns out, the powers of this world are not that interested in being called to account for their sins.
And, of course, John’s story points to a common fate of the prophets in modern times, too. Last week our country stopped to remember a prophet who called the powers of the world to account for the treatment of the poor and the racially marginalized. And he was tear-gassed and beaten and thrown in jail, and finally he was killed.
I suppose the other sad detail of this story that needs to be recognized is that John the Baptist wound up being murdered so casually. He wasn’t tried and executed on deep theological grounds, or as part of a meaningful war of ideas. A brutal ruler doesn’t want to look bad in front of his drunken buddies or his girlfriend, so John the Baptist dies.
But John the Baptist played his part in the drama of Salvation history. He prepared the way of the Lord, and he helped to establish baptism as the sacrament that marks us as members of the body at work in the world. And while he was at it, John the Baptist also served as a prophet speaking the truth to power.
It might be true that there’s no better way of identifying a true prophet than by looking to see whether he (or she) is making the powers of this world angry. The path of the prophet is usually a rocky and painful one. But it’s through them that God works mightily – reforming his church, establishing a more just society, preparing his way into the world.
Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you for the role John played in the story of Jesus’ coming, and for his example of courage in the face of the corrupt powers of this world. By your Spirit, give us the courage to stand up for your way as he did, and protect us from the casual evil of those worldly powers. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Henry
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