Read Mark 6:14-29)
But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” [Mark 6: 16 NIV]
I have never met anyone with the name Herod. Many Bible names are still popular today even with non-Christians but the name Herod is not one of them. It is associated with cruelty and ruthless rule over the Jewish people. This Herod is not the same one who is so well known for his cruel decision to slay the young children soon after the birth of Jesus. He was known as Herod the Great although he certainly did not deserve such a title. In Mark 6 we meet a son of the former Herod and he was known as Herod Antipas.
Here we have a Herod whose conscience is troubling him. It was all to do with the execution of John Baptist. I find this incident very interesting because it provides an insight into the mind of an ungodly man. It also reveals how weak Herod was. He lacks moral fibre. He is gutless and spineless. It all starts with an erotic dance by a young girl. His sexual appetite stirred, Herod makes a senseless gesture to Salome. He makes an oath to her that he will give her whatever she asks - up to half of his kingdom. This might have been a figure of speech known as hyperbole or exaggeration. I doubt if he had any intention of handing over half of his kingdom to this young lassie, no matter how impressed he was by her dancing. But he is being extremely generous and she is not sure what to ask for. So she goes to her mother who is called Herodias and asks her advice. Just to explain, Salome's mother was married to Herod so she is a powerful lady. I am not sure what Salome expected her mother to suggest - an expensive piece of jewellery perhaps, or a huge mansion to be built with great extravagance. After all, Herod the Great was famous for building massive buildings to impress people. Salome might be getting quite excited as she was waiting for her mother to answer and to tell her what request to make. I am perfectly certain that young Salome's mouth was wide open in shock horror when her mother delivered her answer - 'the head of John the Baptist on a platter.' "You must be joking, mother!" she maybe blurted out but it would be absolutely clear that Herodias was certainly not joking. She loathed John Baptist and had persuaded Herod to have him put in prison but she wanted him dead. Here is her golden opportunity. Herod has left himself wide open by his foolish oath - Jesus warned us not to make oaths as they can come back to haunt us (Matthew 5:33-37).
https://www.unfoldingword.org/sweet-publishing/ Under licence. Illustration of Salome handing her mother the head of John Baptist on a platter
Why did Herodias hate John Baptist so much? He was an eccentric and a social misfit but he was the herald who announced the coming of the Messiah and he was a righteous man. It was not because John preferred to stay in the desert and to wear rough clothes and eat locusts and wild honey. He was a very different type of person from Herod and Herodias who loved the opulence and extravagance of palace living. It was his honesty which caused offence. John Baptist had challenged Herod that his marriage to Herodias was unlawful. It broke the Old Testament law because Herodias had been married to Herod's half-brother Philip and it was against the law of Moses for Herod and Herodias to be a couple (Leviticus 18:16). Herod and Herodias did not care for God or God's law and they believed that no one had the right to tell them how to live their lives. And so John ends up in prison. However, they are not united about the fate of John Baptist. Herodias has no scruples or conscience - she wants this interfering prophet dead. She is determined on revenge. She is furious that he should have the audacity to tell them that it was wrong to be married to Herod. By the way, her first husband is still alive. Herod seems to have been either superstitious or afraid to offend John Baptist. It may have been because John was popular with the people and many Jews had been baptised by him in the River Jordan. Herod Antipas was ruler of Galilee and Perea so John was active in his territory.
But this cunning lady sees her chance to get even with her husband even though he was the ruler (admittedly with the approval of the Romans - he was only a puppet ruler and strictly he was not a king and he did not have a kingdom). Herodias realises that her stupid husband has made a big mistake - and all because he was carried away at the sight of her daughter dancing. He has made a public oath and he cannot go back on his promise without losing face. She's got him. And Herod gives in and has John Baptist beheaded and his head served on a plate at this banquet. This reminds me of Vashti in the book of Esther who defied her husband but the outcome was very different. Vashti lost her position of power and her throne but Herodias remains in control.
https://www.unfoldingword.org/sweet-publishing/ Under licence. Disciples of John the Baptist bury his body (Mark 6:29).
What are we to learn from this sad episode?
We need to follow God's moral law even when it is not fashionable or popular.
We live in a day when there are so many who break God's law in their everyday lives.
John Baptist was courageous in his denunciation of this relationship. He was prepared to risk the anger of a tetrarch (that was the real title which Herod held).
How sad it is to see a woman who schemes and undermines her husband in order to get her own way.
How sad it is to observe a man whose lust takes over from his conscience and his moral compass.
It is not wise to make oaths or vows lightly [See Day Share entitled "Peter was standing with them 06/07/2021."]
By the way, Herod Antipas not only lost half his kingdom. In the year AD 39, he lost the whole of his 'kingdom' because he tried to become too powerful and he offended the Romans. We are not sure what happened to Herodias or Salome. But our God is a God of justice. A person will reap what they have sowed (Galatians 6:7-8). What I can say is that John Baptist is in heaven with the Saviour he proclaimed.
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