MORE POWER! MORE GLORY!! MORE SPIRIT!!!
SURVEYING THE SITE—Mark 6:14-29
At an early age, maybe during catechism, I was told, “If you
read the whole Bible, you will read about the whole human condition.” Whoever told
me this also went into the various kinds of literature presented, history,
poetry, wisdom literature, romance, war, biography, prophecy, and fantasy. The
one genre left out of the list was pornography. This week’s text brings us one
of the most obscene stories in all of scripture. It explores the depravity of
Roman power, abuse of power, and indifference to life. It is the description of
one of two meals in this chapter, Herod’s Birthday Banquet; the other is the Feeding
of the 5,000. It continues Mark’s exploration of the difference Jesus’ presence
makes in a world of death and the abundance of life.
READING THE BLUEPRINT
And King Herod heard, for [Jesus’] name became
apparent/visible/well known/a household word. And they were saying, “John the
Baptist has risen out of death, and because of this, these powers are at work
in him.” Others were saying that this is Elijah, and [still] others were saying
that this is a prophet like one of the prophets. Having heard, Herod was
saying, “John whom I beheaded, he is risen.” For Herod himself had sent [for]
and forcibly seized/arrested John and bound him in prison on account of
Herodias, the wife of Philip, his brother, because [Herod] married [Herodias]. For
John was saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to take your brother’s
wife,” because Herodias was begrudging [John] and was desiring to kill him and
was not able. Because Herod was afeared of John, knowing that he was a righteous
man and holy, and kept him safe. And having heard [John], [Herod] felt greatly
conflicted yet gladly heard from him. And there came into being a timely day
when Herod for his natal anniversary prepared a feast for his betters, his
military commanders, the high politicos of Galilee; and entering in, the
daughter of Herself, Herodias, having danced, pleased/accommodated Herod and
those reclining with him; and the king was saying to the too young girl, “Ask
me for whatever you wish, and I will give it you.” And he promised her [repeatedly],
“Whatever you wish I will give to you, even half of my kingdom.” And having
gone out, she said to her mother, “What should I ask?” Then she said, “The head
of John the Baptizer.” And having entered immediately with haste to the king, she
asked, saying, “I desire that at once you give to me, on a platter, the head of
John the baptizer. And the king, having been made overwhelmingly sad, because
of his promises and those reclining with him, not desiring to disregard her. And
immediately, the king, having sent an executioner [who was] commanded to bring
his head. And going out, he beheaded him in the prison, and he brought his head
on a platter and gave it to the too young girl and the too young girl gave it
to her mother.
Hearing of it, [John’s] disciples came. They took his corpse and laid it in a tomb.
ROUGHING IN THE HOUSE
My first experience of this story as something other than a
conflicted Bible story came when I had to read “Three Tales” by Gustave
Flaubert. The third tale, “Herodias”,
introduced me to an extra-biblical understanding. Much earlier, on Spring
vacation in Florida, after suffering an extreme sunburn and being told to limit
my exposure to the sun for a while, Mom took my sister and me to the John Ringling
North estate near Sarasota.
The day was memorable for me for several reasons. I was given my mom’s “Brownie” camera and allowed to take my first picture. It was my first close up experience of gargoyles. During the tour of the mansion, I developed this intense itching and had to scratch my back almost continuously. As I scratched my back, huge flakes of skin rubbed off and fell out of my shirt tail onto the burgundy thick-piled carpeting. It was embarrassing, and I remember very little of the house because of the trail of dead skin I left behind.
Yet, when we got to North’s art gallery, I saw a picture of John the Baptist’s head on a large silver serving platter. The head sort of looked like John Ringling North to me. I remember asking Mom if that was how he died. People around me laughed, and Mom said, “No. That’s John the Baptist.” Later I found out that this was a very famous painting, but I was only impressed by how gruesome it was. Sixty-one years later, I can still tell you about the details of that picture, and the images of the gargoyles still visit me in my dreams from time-to-time.
Since then, I have learned several other things beyond the gruesomeness of the beheading itself:
—If an older brother died and he had no son, then the
younger brother, if unmarried, was to marry the older brother’s wife in order
that a boy should be born.
—In some parts of the Middle East, serving a sheep or goat head,
fully roasted on a platter, is a great delicacy reserved for dignitaries.
—Dancing entertainment for private parties was provided by
young women as a way of titillating the honoree and guests at state banquets.
—Offering half of the king’s kingdom is a common trope in
folk tales concerned with marrying of the king’s daughter. (This reward usually
comes with a number of tests for the suiter.)
These themes and more come together in this story in a way that twists them into something horribly wrong. Herod’s birthday party is supposed to be a day of celebrating life and his authority as the Tetrarch of Judea. Instead, it becomes a macabre disaster. Herod’s marriage is declared unlawful—he is the older brother, not the younger, and his brother hasn’t died. The dancer is not a young woman, but a little girl. The delicacy served on the platter is the bloody head of the prophet, and Herod’s reputation as a Roman sycophant becomes that of a ruthless killer. In the midst of obscene opulence and greed, we find this story of gluttony and of prurient and salacious over-reaching.
PUTTING UP THE WALLS
There is no indication that there is anything historic about
this story, so what is Mark’s purpose in telling it? In this gruesome tale, I
believe Mark sets out to warn of the traps of corrupt power and self-aggrandizement,
those worldly temptations. As Jesus began his ministry with forty days in the
wilderness where he was tempted, so now, when the disciples are sent out, the
temptation of worldly power is set before them.
The question of who Jesus is and Herod’s conclusion speak of John’s popularity in his day, but Herod does not understand the true Messiah and the resurrected Christ. His misplaced belief leads to the goblins of superstition and imprudent behaviors exposing the rot and decadence of Roman imperial ways vs the compassionate care of God’s kingdom that has drawn near.
This meal will be juxtaposed with the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand in the weeks to come. This bankrupt banquet will be followed by the abundance of God’s kingdom and reflects the meal of bread and wine that Jesus shares with his disciples.
HANGING THE TRIM
Herod is so enamored of Salome’s dance that he offers her
half of his kingdom. Even in a world of wealth, the offer is for only a portion
of what the king controls, but God offers us everything. Not only are we given
the whole of creation, but we are also given everlasting life. God’s presence
is here with us now, in this place, through the waters of baptism, and God
promises to be present to us throughout eternity.
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