Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. 18 John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. 20 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. 21 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. 22 Herodias’s 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.” 23 He even swore [many things] to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 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.” 26 The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. 27 So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28 He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Mark tells the story of John the Baptist’s death as a flashback. Herod Antipas was a son of Herod the Great and the ruler, or tetrarch, of Galilee and Perea under Roman authority. Although Mark calls him “king,” his official title was tetrarch. Herod had imprisoned John because John publicly condemned his union with Herodias: “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (v. 18). John’s words were grounded in God’s law, which prohibited such a union (Leviticus 18:16; 20:21). John had preached repentance from the beginning of his ministry. He did not change that message when speaking to a powerful ruler.
Herodias responded very differently. Rather than accepting John’s correction, she “harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him” (v. 19). Herod, however, was more conflicted. Mark tells us that he feared John because he knew him to be “a righteous and holy man.” He was perplexed when John spoke, but “he liked to listen to him” (v. 20). Herod was capable of recognizing holiness and listening to the truth, but he was unwilling to change his life because of it. He admired John while continuing the very conduct John told him was wrong.
Herodias found her opportunity at Herod’s birthday banquet, attended by important civil and military officials and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, and her performance delighted Herod and his guests. Herod then made an extravagant public promise: “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom” (v. 23). Similar language appears in the Book of Esther, where a king promises Queen Esther up to half his kingdom (Esther 5:3; 7:1–4). There, the promise becomes the occasion for saving lives. Here, it becomes the occasion for taking the life of a righteous man.
When her daughter asked what she should request, Herodias immediately answered, “The head of John the Baptist” (v. 24). The speed of her response suggests that John’s death was not a sudden thought. She had already wanted him killed; Herod’s rash oath now provided the opportunity. When the request reached Herod, Mark says that he was “deeply distressed” (v. 26). He knew John was righteous and did not want him killed. Yet because he had made his promise publicly and because his distinguished guests had heard it, Herod did not want to withdraw his word.
Herod was not morally required to carry out a promise that demanded an evil act. It would have been far better to admit that his oath had been foolish than to commit murder in order to preserve his reputation. Instead, concern about how he would appear before his guests became more important to him than the life of an innocent man.
This is where Herod’s apparent power is exposed as weakness. He ruled Galilee, commanded soldiers, and hosted the most influential people of the region, yet he could not master his own pride. He recognized what was right but lacked the courage to do it. His oath did not force him to kill John; his fear of humiliation and his unwillingness to admit that he had spoken foolishly led him to order the execution.
The passage also shows how one sin can lead to another when repentance is refused. Herod would not abandon his unlawful relationship. He then made a reckless promise, placed his reputation above justice, and finally ordered the death of a man whom he himself knew to be holy. What begins as resistance to the truth can gradually make greater wrongdoing easier.
John’s death also points forward to the Passion of Jesus. Herod recognizes John’s righteousness but allows him to be killed; later Pilate will recognize that Jesus is being condemned unjustly and still hand Him over for crucifixion (Mark 15:10–15). After John’s death, his disciples take his body and place it in a tomb (v. 29); after Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathea will receive His body and lay it in a tomb (Mark 15:45–46).
John remained faithful to the truth even when speaking it cost him his life. Herod heard the truth, recognized the man who proclaimed it as holy, and still chose reputation over righteousness. The Gospel therefore asks more of us than simply recognizing what is true. God calls us to live according to the truth even when doing so is difficult or costly.
Lord Jesus, give us the courage to recognize Your truth, accept correction when we need it, and choose what is right even when it is difficult or costly. Keep us from allowing pride, fear, or concern for human approval to lead us away from You. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Mark 6:17–29 and notes.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 75–76.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 184.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 609–610, ¶41.
- Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008. 119–121.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 992.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully rev. ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1256–1257.
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