Courage and Hope – 14th July
King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,[a] ‘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, whom 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[b]; 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[c] 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 dish.’
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 dish. 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.
Sometimes the only good news in a really terrible situation is someone simply doing something right in it all. It might be only a small thing, but it is a good thing that brings hope.
That is what we find here today in this sad, sad account of a very unfair and brutal scene perpetrated by some very troubled human beings.
This account of how that great man, John the Baptiser, met his end is told from the future looking back. John’s death, just as his work down by the river was a signal to Jesus to ramp things up and keep going into his mission
Back at the beginning, John’s baptising ministry seemed to trigger the beginning of the Messiah’s ministry (Mark 1:4-9).
Now John’s brutal and unjust ending seems to signal the beginning of the real work – the suffering and the dying of the Messiah for the life of the world, including these vert troubled Herods!
Mark does not say anything about Jesus’ feelings at the news of his cousin and forerunner’s unjust death. At the very least, it must have sent a shiver up Jesus’ spine, not to mention the others when they finally returned from their very exciting little mission tour, which we hear happens right at the end of this retelling of John’s end.
If this can happen to John it could happen to Jesus.
Jesus has sent them out to be guests in homes using his authority to bring healing and freedom to people. While on this field trip, we hear that this terrible thing has happened at that hands of that terrible man, Herod Antipas.
Antipas is a son of the infamous Herod the Great, who died in 4 BCE. Antipas is a “tetrarch” installed by the ruling Romans in Galilee. His power was close to absolute. As long as he protected Roman interests and made sure it was ‘all quiet on the Judean Front’ as far as Rome was concerned, he could treat a low-status prisoner like John however he chose.
Herodias, Antipas’ wife, had divorced one of Antipas’s half-brothers. Mark refers to that half-brother as Philip, but other ancient sources identify him as Herod. (Three of Herod’s sons were named Herod! – very confusing!) John, being the truth-teller he is, tells Antipas straight that this is not on, according to Jewish law in Leviticus 18:16; 20:21, which say, “Don’t marry your wife’s sister and engage sexually with her while your wife is living”.
What does Antipas care? Like so many, he was not particularly interested in living a moral life – just a powerful and successful one……
We know that Herodias had a daughter from her previous marriage. Her name was Salome. Even though Mark calls the dancing daughter ‘Herodias’, it seems likely that it is the daughter Salome.
It is not clear how old she is or why she (and not other servants) dances to entertain Antipas and his elite guests. She may have no choice in the matter.
Lots of classical art makes this scene highly sexual. It may have been. It may not have been. Whatever it is, it is just dark.
Salome does seem to be aware of her Mum’s dark desire for payback on John, but still seems to be more like a pawn being used by her mum and dad: Dad – using his oen daughter to entertain his top echelon guests: Mum, using her daughter to get her enemy – John. Great parenting skills on display – not!!
But then Mark adds some detail that adds to what is going on.
We hear that the power-man Antipas fears John. But at the same time Antipas enjoys conversing with him. It is like when you bump into the kid you are not quite sure about who has a reputation around town for doing and saying weird things that might be pretty strong or violent or just unhinged to most people, but also can have some interesting things to say – even spiritual truth to tell….. You fear the kid, sometimes dismiss the kid, but you are kind of interested to hear what he says…. He is so far outside your life that he brings some other perspective on your life……
Antipas has John in that dark prison cell not to punish him but to protect him. This is protective custody. He is protecting him from certain death at the hands of his particularly troubled wife! Maybe Antipas also has John as you might have a special ‘pet’?. Like the farm hand who has his sheep dog, Antipas goes and speaks to that dog when no one is looking when he feels the need to get things off his chest or find some spiritual moment….
Now we see him show his complete lack of character.
He makes this idiotic pledge to reward his dancing stepdaughter with up to half of his kingdom, right in front of his company of elites. That is like the coach saying at Round 1 that he will run through the streets of Adelaide during the packed Fringe Festival every day or the festival if his team does not make the grand final this year!
This moment surely reveals Antipas as arrogant and reckless. He uses his power in terrible ways. His unwillingness to risk embarrassment “out of regard for his oaths and for the guests” (Mark 6:26) makes him literally shameless.
What is shameless? Being shameless is believing that nothing matters more than nourishing your own vanity. He will protect himself from shame at any cost. He will switch to flight or fight to protect his own ego. When challenges he will either dismiss, deny or disappear or come out swinging and lay back. He is not a person who can ever be challenged. He would never be a person to ever apologise for anything. He would always be a person who finds someone else to blame for any mistake or weakness.
Know people like that?
Been a person like that?
Antipas will obviously push down whatever fear of God remains within him that rise in him whenever he speaks to John down there in that dank prison.
Any glimmer of light will be snuffed out as he can’t help but move to protect his own interests.
By this silly oath, he has backed himself into a corner – in public. The troubled wife seizes on her opportunity to get final and full payback for being told the truth by the prophet John.
Maybe Salome just wants to please her mum when she adds to her mum’s demand that John’s head needs to be presented “on a platter.”
The deed is done and John is done.
Surely if this terrible account shows anything, it tells us that human beings and their serious flaws are every bit as dark, dangerous and destructive as all those demonic powers we have heard Jesus confronting in this first part of his mission.
Sin in us humans is complete. Given the right circumstances, we can be somewhere around Antipas and Herodias as we shift blame, try to control, operate not in peacemaking and reconciliation but in pay back and dominating.
What can redeem this situation and what can redeem us?
The only light many see in this terrible tale are those brave disciples of John who pluck up the courage to go to that fortress of poison people and deal with these very characterless and destructive people in order to honour their teacher and prophet. They get his body to give John a descent burial among his disciples (and presumable Jesus’ disciples, some of whom were originally John’s disciples).
Sometimes a little thing done for the respect and honour of a person in the situation is the hope in the situation. Hats off to those brave disciples of John.
But there is also more hope coming. Surely Jesus when he gets news of this knows. Surely he knows what is coming as this mission plunged further into enemy territory – the territory of human sin and fear and blame.
And he will do it. He will keep plunging into the dark human heart and will himself take the full wrath that demons and humans can throw at love.
He will be treated as some freaky pet in a cage – for all to look at and shake their heads at as they pass by his cross.
He will be treated by some as some low-life pawn in the political and religious machinations of a ruing elite and an occupying power as he is strung up on that cross to keep the peace.
But in this present darkness, he will be the redeeming feature of our human story. He will be the courage of God to enter this fortress of human ago to free us from ourselves and the likes of Antipas and Herodias. He will be the hope of God for us who were his enemies, now made family of the King living under his freedom from all our darkness and the world’s violence.
He will be all conquering love for all our fear and blaming and ego and self orientation and the destruction we cause, so we don’t have to live so characterless.
Now we are the ones who live in the courage of God to do large and small; things that are right and good in any situation so there is hope in any darkness.
We use his name to pray. We rest him hearing his speak often.
We make for peace in family.
We stay the course through good and bad with people, especially our close people.
We protect the vulnerable.
We do what we can to assist people as they improve their lot in life.
We avoid the greed and control that seeks to gain name, things and success at others’ expense.
In these ways, we are being Jesus’ courage and we are bringing his hope wherever he sends us.
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