July 1, 2012
First Church of the Brethren
H. Kevin Derr
“Loosing Your Head”
Mark 6:14-29
Mark 6:14-29 14King 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 don’t know what it would be like to be a rich, powerful, dynastic ruler. I have no idea. I do however a decent imagination that could be helpful in this case had. Regardless, one of the main concerns was keeping power, influence and extending power and influence. Herod the Great tied his fortunes to that of Rome. While he built greatly in Jerusalem, he also built many Roman cities. In some ways scholars suggest that his family had become more Roman than Jewish, if in fact they ever really were practicing the faith of Judaism. Out text today is filled with the fears of a political figure attempting to keep and control his domain. We see this yet today, from third world countries to the behavior of individuals in our own governments. The posturing following the Supreme Courts recent rulings by people on both sides of the decision are examples of this same behavior.
Prayer:
I. Our passage begins today with the political fallout of the mission of Jesus’ disciples. This group of men out preaching repentance, healing the sick and performing exorcisms, had been noticed by those in power.
a. Mark relates the account like this, 14King 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.”
i. King Herod heard about this, now it is important to remember that this is not Herod the Great who had been King when Jesus was born, this is his son who is not King as his Father had been, but he is a Tetrarch, he actually rules over parts of his Father’s Kingdom, but he does so at Rome’s pleasure.
1. He rules over Galilee and the area where John the Baptist had been active in ministry.
2. This is Herod Antipas, the Son of Herod.
ii. Herod has heard about Jesus, he heard about his disciples being out and doing the things that Jesus did, preaching, teaching, healing, performing exorcism.
1. Now if you remember what Jesus talked about, the Kingdom of God, if you are a political ruler, who is responsible to Rome, and you hear someone talking about another Kingdom, other than yours. You would get nervous too.
2. I have no doubt that Jesus and his disciples are making things a bit uncomfortable for Herod.
iii. What underlies this is the basic question that the Gospel of Mark is attempting to get us to answer, “Who is Jesus of Nazareth?”
1. In this case, the rumor mill that Herod is monitoring is saying many things:
a. Some say Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead.
b. Other say he is Elijah returned.
c. Still others were saying that he is like one of the prophets of old.
2. What does it say if John has been raised from the dead?
a. God was not happy that he had been killed; this does not bode well for those who killed him.
3. In a similar fashion if Elijah has returned, this is not good for the status quo either. It means that God is bringing judgment on the earth.
4. A Prophet of Old, probably does not bode well for Herod either, they tended to hold political leaders accountable to what God wanted.
5. None of this sounds practically helpful for Herod Antipas.
b. So what did Herod thing was going on? Mark tells us, 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”
i. Herod thinks that John has been raised from the dead. I suspect this did not make him happy. John had been beheaded by Herod, and not for the reasons of justice, but because of a marriage that according to Jewish law should not have happened.
II. Mark gives us the back story here. Herod is no doubt troubled by this, a but uncomfortable to say the least. 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.
a. Some of this sounds like insider information, but we do find some confirmation in the writings of Josephus, the Jewish Historian who writes for Rome. So the information here is reported in some other places, not in the same form, but with some of the same basic information.
i. The history is clear; Herod Antipas did marry his brother Phillip’s ex-wife. Such a thing must have made for difficult family meals.
ii. John the Baptist in good prophetic fashion calls the political elite of Israel to account for moral failures.
1. In this case, it was not lawful for Herod to marry the ex-wife of his brother.
2. The wife, Herodias, did not like this and it is said she wanted John dead.
a. Herodias may have been a dynastic name, and it would suggest that she was a cousin closely related enough to merit the female version of Herod the Greats name.
iii. Now the account continues that Herod liked to listen to John preach, he was puzzled by what John said, but like to listen to him, and counted his as a holy man, a righteous man, a man of God.
1. Even though Herod’s wife Herodias wanted John dead, Herod protected him, but kept him in prison too.
2. Now, when Josephus speaks of John the Baptist he talks of him as a leader of sedition. That gives you a sense of how the political and military elite saw preachers like John, and by extension Jesus.
iv. Herod is caught in this tension, a political/religious leader that many view as a prophet, and yet he sees as a threat to his own political stability, add into this his wife’s animosity toward John, but in the midst of all this Herod finds himself enjoying to listen to John, even if it leaves him with more questions that he had to begin with.
b. Often we create our own problems, and Herod was no different than the rest of us in this case. It was his birthday, so Herod threw himself a party. 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.”
i. Herod has a banquet on to celebrate his birthday, and invites the political, military and social elite to come.
1. During the party, the daughter of Herodias dances for the men at the party.
a. What kind of dance she does is not mentioned neither is her name. Traditionally, this has been understood to be Salome, but in some cases it is understood to be Herodias’ daughter Herodias, regardless of who this is we know it is Phillip’s daughter not Herod’s.
b. This may have had erotic overtones, it may have been very chaste, the text never says, all that it indicates is that it pleased Herod and his guests.
2. Had this been a traditional Jewish family such a thing would have been unthinkable, but Herod the great had tied his and his families futures to Rome, and this would suggest that his family is culturally more Roman than Jewish.
ii. Regardless of whether we are speaking of Jewish or Roman rulers of the time, one of the ways to show that you had money was to give very expensive gifts to your friends, and people of lesser status.
1. Herod likely gave his guest that night gifts for coming to his party, and since this step daughter pleased he and his quests, he offers to give her anything she wants, with an oath in front of his guests. So he is bound by his own actions.
a. There is no way out of this without loosing face.
2. the Girl does not make her request immediately, she waits to confer with her mother.
a. This does raise some questions about her age, the word used to describe here applies equally well to a child up to a woman of marital age.
b. So is she a pre-teen or an early teen, or a young adult?
c. Mark continues the account, 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.”
i. This girl is not acting on her own, at least not in securing her prize, she is asking for her mother’s advice, direction on what to do here.
ii. Which raises the question did her mother put her up to dancing, in other words is her mother just using her to get what she wants, or did she do this on her own and then offer her mother the prize?
1. I am inclined to see girl acting on her mother’s direction.
2. I also will say that to use a child like this is reprehensible.
a. Yet, such things are common even today, think if you will the way that two parents, especially after divorce will play the child against the other parent to get what they want.
iii. She could have asked for just about anything, but what she asks for is, the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
1. I would be a bit disturbed if a child ask for such a thing, let alone an adult asking for this.
2. It tells us of Herodias that she would use her child like this to get what she wanted. She was no less a skilled politician than her husband.
III. The account goes on to show us the people involved, 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.
a. Herod is bound by his oath, but more so by the presence of his guests. Does he violate his conscience and not give her the request, or does he honor his commitment and keep face in front of his quests.
i. Herod decides that his public image is worth more than his conscience. He gives her the request.
ii. He sends an executioner to the prison to behead John
b. The girl gets her request, and immediately gives it to her mother.
i. No one seems to be a person that you would want to spend time with, or to have as your ruler.
1. A man who values his pride and public image over doing what is right
2. A woman who will manipulate her daughter to have a man killed
3. And people who witness this even and ask no questions or raise no concerns.
c. Finally we are left with John’s disciples, 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
i. There are some interesting parallels with Jesus death. Herod suspected that Jesus was John resurrected. Jesus would be killed by a Roman Jewish decision, just as John was.
1. Jesus’ disciples came and got his body after his death
2. Here a woman orchestrates John’s death in Jesus’ death a woman (Pilate’s wife) warns her husband to have nothing to do with him.
IV. Clearly this account tells us at least in a sense of what will happen to Jesus and it also projects his resurrection as well. Mark tells us where this story is going if we are willing to listen.
Scripture, Church and Life 