Mark 6:17-29 May we look to John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ, for strength.

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.


Today's passage celebrates John the Baptist, the Forerunner of Christ. All we know about John the Baptist comes from the four gospels. Mark, being the first to document the life of John the Baptist, presents a man who appears to challenge the political authority of the king. He is beheaded in prison and his head is presented on a platter. This story is rich in detail which points to the direction it is likely illustrating a historical event. This story also tells us that John had disciples and they were wealthy enough to secure a tomb for his body. The fact that the story calls John, the Baptist, means he has already had such a following that he bears the title "Baptist". In contemporary iconography his head on a platter is a very sacred image. May we look to John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ, for strength.