The Death of John the Baptist

Today's Reflections

The Death of John the Baptist 

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Mk 6:14-29

¹⁴King Herod heard about [Jesus whose] fame had become widespread, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

...¹⁷Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. ¹⁸John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. ²⁰Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. ²¹She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. ²²Herodias’s own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” ²³He even swore [many things] to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” ²⁴She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” ²⁵The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ²⁶The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. ²⁷So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. ²⁸He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. ²⁹When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Reflection:

Herod had John arrested. “Truth makes a bloody entrance.” This saying refers to the difficulty of attaining the truth. Moreover, those who dare to speak out the painful truth should be ready to shed their blood. John the Baptist dares to confront Herod for his sin in taking Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, to be his own wife. John pays for it with his life when Herodias asks for his head, literally.

In our society, much evil continues to spread because many prefer to “hear no evil, see no evil, reveal no evil” out of a desire not to rock the boat or out of fear for the consequences to themselves. But in the end, truth will triumph. We can see even now perpetrators of evil being prosecuted afterwards, and suffering the consequences of their evil deeds.

Recall an experience when your stand

for the truth brought you trouble.