“He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother” (Mark 6:28).
The momentum that led to the death of John the Baptist could have slow and the direction could have taken a different course. It did not even slow but only escalated. Once Herod Antipas offered to the girl “even half of his kingdom”, she went in haste to her mother. Without hesitation her mother asked for John the Baptist. There was a slight hesitation on Herod’s part when he received the request, but no one spoke about the atrocity or horror of this request. Herod, as would Pontius Pilate, gave in to the pressure of not saving a life, for even there no one spoke out against what was coming, but in taking the life of an innocent man, which the executioner executed efficiently.
John’s crime, what he was arrested for, was calling Herod and Herodias to repent, to turn away from the sin of adultery they were committing and to turn back to God. John sought to help this couple to see that their actions not only were leading to their own demise, but that they were leading many of their subjects with them. Each person chose to play their part in John’s death, they chose their own ego-drama over and above the principal actor before them playing out God’s theo-drama.
This horrific account, if it was not bad enough on its own, was a foreshadowing of another – John’s cousin. Jesus would also be tried, condemned, and crucified for choosing to speak God’s word of repentance, to invite others within ear shot to turn away from that which was keeping them from God. Many were not only closed to the idea of repentance, they not only ignored his message, but also called out for his death, “Crucify him” (Mark 15:13)!
John and Jesus were faithful to hearing and following the will of God. They exhibited true courage in their willingness to give their lives, and because they have done so, they have opened up for us the path to eternal life. Where do we find ourselves in the account of the beheading of John the Baptist and the crucifixion of Jesus? Are we on the side of the indifferent that will watch them die without a word, are we on the side of rejecting the light of God and choosing the darkness of our own sin? If our conscience is pricked, do we resist following the temptation of the Holy Spirit and listen to the lies of the enemy and follow him instead?
Is there another option than those witnessed in the Gospel accounts? Yes, those of Mary and the Apostles. They, despite the cultural, political, familial, internal, and even religious pressures of the time, chose to trust in Jesus and follow him, even when they didn’t understand. This is revealed powerfully when Jesus asked the Apostles at the end of the Bread of Life discourse, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life” (John 6:67-68).
With each thought, word, and decision we make, we need to take the time to pause and discern what voices we are listening to. If they don’t align with the will of God, we need to follow the lead of John and Jesus and renounce them. Otherwise, we can get caught up in a momentum of thoughts that can lead to actions that can lead to some dark places we don’t want to go. The Holy Spirit can help us to change course, even when we have walked away… If we are willing to stop, take a breath, and listen. It is never too late to repent. It is never too late to turn away from sin, return to God, and get back on the path that leads to eternal life.
Photo: There is much distraction, diversion, and temptation that the enemy will place in our way. If we remain in and follow the light of Jesus he will “rescue our feet from the snare” (cf. Psalm 25:15).
Spiritual Stepping Stones 