Day 15 – A battle and a choice
Mark 6:14-29
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.” Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”
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. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 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.
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. 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.” And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”. “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 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.”
The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Bern Leckie writes:
I’m ashamed to admit that I often forget how fortunate we are to be able to criticise people when we are truthful, even if those people are powerful.
It wasn’t news to Jesus’ followers that they did not always have this freedom. Opposition to what God was doing through Jesus and John the Baptist was real and deadly. Stories like this show that the opposition was beyond a reasoned disbelief or a “no thanks” to the promise of God’s kingdom, but also reaction to criticisms with grudges or wounded pride.
This story echoes one of the first in Genesis, where Cain killed Abel because his pride was hurt. It’s part of a bigger picture that we can all feel ourselves wanting to lash out to give back more than we get when we are hurt. Jesus’ call not just to put a lid on our anger and repay only “an eye for an eye” but go further and forgive, blessing people who curse us, is more than a challenge. It’s the fulfilment of God’s intention to save us from our own destructiveness.
And yet, our world isn’t there yet. Being honest, are we feeling fully free from our own urges to lash out with fury when challenged, full of forgiveness, love and blessing to pour out instead?
This is the battle we are all in - going with God or his opposition, and our choice leads us into new life or old, deadly spirals of violence.
Pray today about where you are with this., and pray for people in wider conflicts. Maybe some are like Herodias’ daughter, caught up in other people’s fury and fighting battles they have no idea how to stop by themselves. Who will God use to make a difference?