'Now Herod had arrested John, bound [him], and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod 7 so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, 10 and he had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus (Mt. 14:3-12).'
Herodias was the niece of Herod the Great and was married to her uncle Philip. Her daughter was Salome. JBap told Herod that according to Jewish law, he had sinned by marrying his brother’s wife while his brother was still alive (Lev. 20:10, 21). As a result, Herod wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people who regarded John as a prophet. The oath Herod swore was most likely lawfully binding and it certainly would have been politically embarrassing if he reneged on the oath. From his perspective, it was more politically convenient to have John beheaded without a trial than to embarrass himself in front of his guest. Herod never considered the moral aspects of what he did. Mathew then tied the story to Jesus by including JBap’s disciples who went and told Jesus.
Almighty and merciful God, our lives always become challenging when the moral and spiritual shortcomings of others are forced upon us. Grant us the grace to stand firmly on the teachings of your son so that we may adhere to our beliefs with the confidence that our reward will be heavenly wisdom and eternity with you. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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