Mark 6:26-29

Passage

Herod was very sad to hear the request from Herodias’ daughter.  However, he didn’t want to break his oath in front of all these leading Galileans.  Thus, Herod sent an executioner to deliver John’s head to him.  The executioner went and did as he was ordered, bringing John’s head on a platter to Herodias’ daughter.  Herodias’ daughter in turn presented it to her mother.  When the disciples of John the Baptizer heard about this, they came and took John’s body and laid it in a tomb.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Herod was sad to hear the request.  However, he was not sad enough to actually go back against his word.  Herod allows his public persona to rule over his inner conscience.  Herod knows the request is a bad one; it is why it brings him grief.  But he allows the perceptions of the world to influence him into making the wrong decision.  In this story we can see Herod as a weak-willed man who does not have the ability to make the right decision in the face of peer-pressure.

Have you ever been pressured into making the wrong decision?  How does it feel to be in the middle of having to choose between doing the right thing and doing the thing that makes a person save face?  How does it feel after we’ve made the wrong decision and have to live with it?

Second Thought:

Once Herod makes his decision, the process falls into place.  The executioner does his job.  Herodias’ daughter does her job.  Herodias gets her way.  Once Herod has succumbed to peer-pressure, there is nothing that is going to stop the inevitable from happening.  Those who are in power are quite often the last line of defense.  When they crumble, everything else crumbles behind them.

Why is it important for leaders to understand their place?  What does this story have to say to leaders about taking the time to make the right decision and not the popular decision?

Third Thought:

John’s disciples come and claim the body.  I can only imagine how difficult that day would have been. Imagine losing the person who was fundamental to teaching the faith to you.  Then imagine knowing how he died – his head separated from his shoulders.  Yet, they came and showed respect to the dead anyway.  They were obedient in spite of how difficult the moment most certainly was.

Why is it important for John’s disciples to come and bury him?  What purpose would this event serve in their life?  How can final moments like this actually propel us forward into God’s calling for us for the rest of our life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 6:30-32