The Beheading of John the Baptist

St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Dubois, Wyoming
Proper 10 / Mark 6: 14-29
The Rev. Canon Marianne Wells Borg

Jesus’ Name Was Known – Is He John the Baptist’s Spirit Come to Life?

“King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known” begins our Gospel reading this morning. What is the “it” Herod heard of?

The verse before reports that Jesus of Nazareth and his followers were casting out demons and anointing many who were sick and curing them and proclaiming that all should repent.  Jesus had power.  And authority. News about this man was moving across the land like a lit fuse.  And igniting everyone in his path.  And King Herod trembled.

King Herod, son of Herod the Great.  He was deeply disturbed that an upstart peasant follower of John the Baptist could be a rival to the kingdom of the House of Herod. Who was this Jesus? Where did he get such power and authority?  How was it that he was capturing imaginations. And transforming lives.

Maybe it was the Spirit of John the Baptist come back from the dead, he thought. Maybe the spirit of John the Baptist is alive in Jesus.  Maybe John the Baptiser has been raised from the dead. It caused him to tremble.

The Gospel then tells the back-story.

John the Baptist’s Story

Herodias’ Hand in John’s Sentence

John the Baptiser challenged Herod publicly about his marriage to his brother’s wife, Herodias. “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife,” he argued. It is not lawful. John wouldn’t let it go. Herod resented this. Was indignant at this attempt to shame him. To stain his kingship. To question the legitimacy of the house of Herod. It was tantamount to opposing the state. So Herod put John the Baptiser in prison. To shut him up.

Mark goes on to tell the story. Take note. Mark writes that Herod actually “liked to listen to” John.  He knew John was “a righteous and holy man.” He even “feared him.” Mark makes it clear that it was Herodias, Herod’s wife, who wanted John killed. It was Herodias who held a deep grudge against John for delegitimizing her place in the royal court. It was Herodias who made the call to kill John the Baptist. Not Herod. It’s like the snake made him do it. Perhaps Mark is trying to distance the early followers of Jesus from the ruling authorities of his day. Telling the story now at a slant.

To continue the back-story in today’s gospel.

Herod’s Birthday Party

It is Herod’s birthday. Imagine people reclining at low tables with meats and breads and figs and foul. Hearty laughter and ribald talk fills the hall. Wine goblets are raised, toasts to thudded clinks are made, musicians play. And then the daughter of Herod and Herodias comes in. Maybe she is 12. She’s still a girl. She dances for the guests. Charming. Delightful. The men tilt back their heads with approving laughter and praise this young girl for her pluck. And talent.

King Herod rewards his daughter’s lovely dancing by saying, “ask me for whatever you wish and I will give it!” Name it! Even “half my kingdom!” He must have been drunk.

So his daughter goes to her mother. Herodias. Mommy, what shall I ask for? And Herodias in steely composure, without hesitation, seizes the moment and says, “the head of John the Baptist.” On a platter.

A Sentence Carried Out

And so it was done. The head of John is brought up from his prison cell, plopped down on a platter, and presented to the girl. An image that must have seared into her like a branding iron. And the girl, no doubt with another’s helping hand, presents the platter to her mother.

And suddenly an uneasy din descends upon the hall. The air becomes stagnant. Smells of meat and ripe fruit and candle wax and body odors now mix uncomfortably. Someone throws up. Too much drink perhaps. But not enough to erase the memory of this night.

And the news of the death of John the Baptiser reaches Jesus.

John was Jesus’ mentor

Now let us remember, John was Jesus’ mentor. Jesus had watched him from a distance. And then moved closer to the man. Drawn by his teaching. John proclaimed and described a kingdom, a kingdom of God. What a kingdom would look like envisioned by God. And this kingdom, John dared to say, is a kingdom in sharp contrast to the kingdom of Herod, to the kingdom of Caesar. The kingdom that is Empire bore no resemblance to the kingdom of God. And Caesar was no God. Despite the titles that proclaimed he was. Titles like “Lord,” “Savior,” “Bringer of Peace,” “Son of God.” Those were titles given to Caesar. Caesar was no God. Nor Son of God.

Repent, urged John the Baptist. Repent. From the Greek: Meta-noia…Beyond Knowing…. Go beyond conventional assumptions. Envision other possibilities. Imagine what could be. Don’t assume that the way things are are the way they have to be…. Repent. Remember to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly, to be compassionate. As God is compassionate. Those are qualities of God. Embody the character of God. In a kingdom of God.

Repent from Caesar’s Imperative of Strict Boundaries

Caesar’s imperatives are very different.  The watchwords for empire are stability and security. And that requires strict boundaries. Everything has its place. And everyone has their place. We must preserve the “normalcy of civilization,” a normalcy defined by Caesar. But it is for your own good, the people are told.

John the Baptist cried out against such “normalcy” and warned that Caesar was not interested in the people’s security but his own. Caesar was not interested in stability for the people but his own. At any cost.

Repent urged John the Baptist. There is another way to live in this wilderness we find ourselves. Repent. Go beyond assumptions about what is decent and orderly. Think them through. There is another way. There is another way. And it is known deep within you. Deep in your heart and soul. You know what is right and just. You know what is required of you. Let it arise. Let it arise. Like springs of living water. And you will make this desert bloom. The time is at hand. The kingdom of God is here. Because of you. Do not let this moment pas you by because of a failure of nerve.

New Life Was Possible Here and Now

Jesus was immersed in John’s teaching and was baptized by him.  And Jesus arose with an emboldened determination that new life, a different life, was possible here, now. In this world.

And now the news that John the Baptiser is dead.

Jesus grieved. I have no doubt that he grieved. Shook. And shuddered. He may have wailed. He may have thrown up like some of the men at that banquet on that fateful night. John’s death now spelled danger for his followers. Jesus knew that. He cried out to God. To a God who wept with him.

But the vision of an alternative “kingdom” did not die with John the Baptist. It became emboldened and embodied in Jesus of Nazareth. This is just what Herod feared. And it would become embodied in Jesus’ followers as well.

Jesus Continues John’s Message

The death of John the Baptist blazed the trail for Jesus’s own journey. Jesus continued John’s message. Repent. Go beyond Caesar’s “normalcy of civilization.” The kingdom of God is at hand. Its time is come. And nothing, nothing in the world can stop it.  Just like the time for a baby to be born, nothing, nothing can stop it.

Herod trembled.

Love is Stronger than Death

And Jesus went about the villages. Proclaiming the good news as John did. And Jesus cast out many demons. He quieted voices of confusion. He dispelled fears. He recalibrated people’s minds and hearts like a tuning fork. He anointed many with oil as if they were kings. He reached out to the sick and outcast and set them free from oppressive lies. Lies that they were less than, not enough. Lies that they were outsiders. Lies that they were powerless. Jesus touched wearied souls. And revived them. He rekindled a fire within them that does not consume. But burns forever brightly. He reminded us all that we are beloved. Beloved of the earth. And that we can do great things. Love is with us. And love is stronger than death.

Choose you this day, my friends, what vision of possibility you will serve. You must choose. Rival kingdoms have been in tension throughout the ages. Rival kingdoms and rival ways of living our days.

Choose Which Path To Follow

We know that humanity is exquisite and vulnerable. We are a work of beauty. And we know we can be as dangerous as a cornered animal. We are capable of building kingdoms of God. And as capable of building kingdoms for Caesar. We are integral to the dance of life. And we can turn it into a spiral of violence.

Choose you this day which kingdom you will serve. The stakes have always been high.  But today they are higher than ever. The future of humanity is at stake.  And the world as we have known it.

The power that was in John was in Jesus. The power that was in Jesus is in us. In us Jesus is raised from the dead. In us Jesus is risen from the dead. Let us keep him alive. Let us keep him alive in us. Love the world as he did. Do not suffer a failure of nerve. Do not give up. And make Herod tremble.