The Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist

Monday, August 29, 2022

Mark 6, 17-29

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod 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. She 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. Herodias’ 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.” He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The 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.” The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

St. John the Baptist preceded the Lord Jesus in that he was born before him, preached of his coming, and in terms of sanctity, for as the Lord himself said of him, “There has not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11, 11).  His sanctity consisted of his relentless carrying out of the will of God, challenging the established religious authorities and even the political leaders of the time.  He did not do so recklessly or needlessly.  He challenged the Pharisees to put their houses in order before facing the wrath to come.  And as the Prophet Elijah rebuked King Ahab for his unlawful marriage to the pagan Jezebel, so John rebuked King Herod for the illegal marriage to his brother’s former wife.  At the height of his influence and following, he baptized Jesus of Nazareth and recognized him as the Messiah concerning whom he had preached.  In the several months following this encounter of the two, John’s influence and following ebbed while that of the Lord grew.  John understood this, and explained to one of his adherents, “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3, 30).  All the same, he continued to preach repentance and to baptize up until Herod (or his wife)  felt threatened enough that soldiers came and dragged him away in chains.

John was not formally charged with any crime nor was he tried by any court.  He was jailed simply on the king’s order.  The Evangelists imply that John remained in prison for some time, but probably not more than a few months: “When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.”  The Greek word translated here as “very much perplexed” means “at his wits end”, as though not knowing what to do about his marriage or about John.  Despite this, he heard him gladly, willingly.  It seems that with John in custody, he no longer posed a threat and Herod, who went to listen to him, does not seem to harbor any murderous intentions towards him.  Herod is shown as a dupe by the Evangelists by for swearing to give his niece anything she wanted as a reward for her dance.  She also comes across as a mere pawn in going to her mother for advice rather than stating her own preference.  The devil works this way: through the hapless and the unwary, he harms the good.  He is the master manipulator whose sole goal is to destroy whatever is good.  The knowledge that he cannot win against God only embitters and enrages him further.  The devil managed to start a war as a result of this marriage of Herod and Herodias, for to marry her, Herod divorced his first wife, the daughter of an Arabian king.  This war broke out within a year of the Death and Resurrection of the Lord and proved disastrous for Herod.  A few years after the war the Roman Emperor Caligula accused him of plotting against him and both Herod and Herodias were sent into exile in the province of Gaul, where they died in misery.

John the Baptist’s life ended not in misery but in glory, circumstances notwithstanding, for his end was attended by hosts of angels, who brought his soul to the place where the great Patriarchs and Prophets were awaiting the coming of Christ, who would appear to them on the day after his own Death.

We pray that through John’s intercession we too might stand up for the commandments of God in the face of all evil.