A tragic tale

The story of the beheading of John the Baptist is one of loss that goes far beyond the tragic death of John. The other 3 main characters are all a cautionary tale of loss that we need to heed. 

Let's start with Herod. Here was a man who initially "feared John and protected him [John], knowing him to be a righteous and holy man" (Mark 6:20). What went wrong, how did he go from protecting him to ordering his murder? He was saving face. He was too proud to admit he had been ensnared and didn't want to seem the fool in front of his dinner guests. This decision cost him dearly. I believe he became a shadow of himself after this fatal decision, living a life consumed by fear. The bible tells us when he hears of Jesus his thoughts immediately wonder if he is John resurrected. And he tried to see him. Why would someone in Herod's position want to see a carpenter from Nazareth? If he believed he was John maybe he wanted to beg forgiveness? Or maybe he was trying to alleviate his guilt? I think he was looking for a cure from his sleepless nights where he is haunted by the image of John's head on a platter. 

Then there is the daughter of Herodias. What strikes me about her is that she has everything. She is living in luxury and wants for nothing. She is obviously a very talented dancer, but she does not use this talent to honour God. She is led down the dark path because in her world of plenty, she cannot think of one thing she desires, so she seeks advice from her mother who demands the head of John. This shows there is definitely something wrong with having everything. This young lady also has not been brought up in the ways of God, despite them being Jewish and she does not question her mother's orders, despite the commandment that says thou shall not murder.  

We then come to the 3rd player, the instigator of John's death, Herodias. She is so far gone in her sin that rather than heed the counsel of John and confront her own sin, she has John murdered in an attempt to silence him. The irony is that he is not silenced and her deeds are known centuries after she committed them. She is so far gone that she does not think of the impact on her child who she tells to ask for John's head on a platter. No one would be unaffected by receiving that. let alone a child. She is pulling her daughter down with her into depravity but she can only focus on silencing John and hiding her sin. 

What can we learn from these 3 tragic people? Herod shows us where pride can lead us, what it can look like when we fear the opinion of others more than God. Herodias' daughter shows us that having everything is not a great thing. She reminds us that God gives us talents and we choose whether we use them for his glory or for destruction. Herodias herself teaches us that we cannot hide our sins and trying to do so leads us further into sin in our attempt to silence those who would admonish us. In her selfishness, she not only caused someone to be murdered but she implicated her child into this deed as well as those ordered to commit the murder. The pit of darkness is often deeper than we think.  

A foolish promise given, a talent used for harm, wanting for nothing materially, going to great lengths to cover our sin. 

These are traps we can all fall into. Take the time to examine your motives so that you may not lose your moral compass. We must honour God in everything lest we start slipping. 

Picture sourced from pixabay.