NOTES for Mar 6:17-29

The figure of Herod the Tetrarch, mentioned in the Gospel, would not have appeared sympathetic either to historians or to his contemporaries. He was a petty, cruel, and suspicious tyrant with fairly pronounced sadistic tendencies, a typical representative of a degenerating dynasty. In spite of all this, he retained the formal status of a Roman ally, which he had inherited from his father. For this reason Rome, despite numerous complaints from local residents and reports from the procurators of Judea, could not fully deprive him of power, leaving him Galilee, for which the Roman authorities apparently felt less concern than for Judea.

All this did not prevent Herod from having his own peculiar notions of what he considered and called honor. He was boastful, but once he had sworn an oath in the presence of witnesses, he considered it humiliating not to keep it. Herodias took advantage of this. Judging by the Gospel account, she hated John far more than Herod himself did. Herod was content for John to be silent, or at least for his accusations not to be voiced publicly. Herodias wanted nothing less than to get rid of the prophet, to have him executed. She knew her husband well: the trick with her daughter's dance worked exactly as intended. Lust and boasting can be an utterly deadly combination, and Herod reluctantly does what he had not intended to do.

He was, however, if not religious, then at least superstitious. When he heard about Jesus, he decided that Heaven was punishing him for the murder of a man of God. Herod lived in constant fear and among many fears, so it is no wonder that he became superstitious to the point of absurdity. When a personality falls apart, even the most absurd and impossible things can appear completely real. So it was with Herod: he hated and feared John while John was alive, while at the same time involuntarily respecting him; and after executing the prophet, he began to fear his shadow.

Into his narrative about the works of Christ, Mark inserts the story of the murder of John the Baptist by King Herod. This story might seem to be a simple historical note if it were not so instructive. This story with Herod is a good example of how much trouble a person's stubborn desire to live his own way, and not in accordance with God's ordinances, can bring.

Having violated the law of God, Herod takes as his wife the wife of his brother - Herodias. Do not think this happened through carelessness. Herod knew that this was forbidden, but he went ahead with the crime anyway.

Through His prophet, God denounces Herod. The reaction to the denunciation is the hatred of Herodias, the obvious accomplice in this sin, and the embarrassed attempt of an annoyed Herod to silence the prophet's voice by imprisonment.

As if apologizing for what he had done (but not at all wanting to give up the corrupt relationship), Herod gladly listens to John's speeches and even acts according to his advice in some matters. It would seem that "everyone is satisfied," but how unreliable such a state is!

The king's foolish promise gave free rein to Herodias's anger, and the last chance to correct the mistake shatters against Herod's desire to preserve his standing in the eyes of the leaders of the people. The result is yet another grave sin: the murder of God's prophet.

How will we act if someone points out our sin to us? If we are attached to sin, then when we are rebuked we will fight not the sin but the one who rebukes us.

Sooner or later we will have to choose: whether to walk the path of John or the path of Herod. If rebukes disturb us more than sin, we are in danger.

The preaching of Jesus Himself and His apostles led to His name becoming known throughout Galilee, eventually reaching its ruler Herod (v. 14). Herod, who ruled Galilee, was not, of course, an independent ruler; he was a vassal of the Roman emperor, since Galilee, like all Palestine, was part of the Roman Empire in gospel times. At the same time, all kinds of rumors about Jesus spread among the people. Some considered Him a prophet, like one of those ancient prophets whose preaching became part of the prophetic books of the Old Testament, well known to all believing Jews and read regularly in the synagogues during worship. For others He was Elijah returned from heaven (v. 15), of whom the Old Testament says that he did not die but was taken up to heaven alive (2 Kings 2:11-12). This book was well known, as were the other three Books of Kings, as well as Joshua and Judges, for in Judaism they are counted among the prophetic books and are called the "Former Prophets." Believing Jews of gospel times believed that shortly before the coming of the Messiah-Christ, Elijah would return from heaven to earth in order to remind people of His imminent appearance.

Meanwhile, Herod took Jesus for John the Baptist risen from the dead, whom he had had executed by his order shortly before (v. 14). The execution had been preceded by an arrest connected with John's accusations against Herod for marrying his own brother's wife contrary to the Law (vv. 17-18). It should be noted that Herod paid little attention in general to religious and moral norms, and was also marked by immoderate sensuality. Yet he did not dare execute John at once: despite his moral corruption, Herod still respected him (v. 20). It is not surprising that Herodias (formerly the wife of Herod's brother Philip) hated John more than Herod himself did (v. 19). At last, a convenient moment for reprisal came: during a ceremonial feast, Herodias's daughter performed a passionate Middle Eastern dance before Herod and his guests (perhaps something like the belly dance still well known in the East today) (vv. 21-22). Inflamed by wine and lust, Herod solemnly swore to fulfill any wish of the girl, who, at her mother's prompting, used the opportunity to get rid of John (vv. 22-25). Herod clearly did not want John's death at all, but, moved by vanity and unwilling to lose face before his circle by breaking his own solemn oath, he nevertheless gave the order for the execution, which, of course, at once became known to many, including the apostles (vv. 26-29).

When King Herod heard about Jesus, he immediately remembered John the Baptist. It seems to him that the great prophet has "risen from the dead" and is again walking through Judea, preaching repentance. What Herod learned about Jesus' identity somehow touched his hardened heart. Evidently there was something in the Lord's words that was addressed personally to him, something that forced him to look again at the crime he had once committed.

The evangelist Mark notes especially that while John the Baptist was alive, Herod "did many things, listening to him, and heard him gladly." Therefore the execution of John became for the king a departure from the ideals he had formerly held; it was a kind of apostasy.

When we open the Gospel, we often encounter words of the Lord that are addressed precisely to us. Behind two lines an entire life situation rises before us, sometimes a very painful one for us. And just as Herod did, we have a choice between correcting it, rethinking our life in God, or going farther down the path of apostasy.