GOSPEL REFLECTION, FRIDAY, 4TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, 6 FEBRUARY 2026, ST PAUL MIKI AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS

Mark’s dramatic account of the death of John the Baptist is the longest portion of Mark’s gospel dedicated to someone other than Jesus himself.  This event has had considerable impact in Christian thought, so we must try to give a brief account of it here. 

“King” Herod Antipas was not a king at all.  He had gone to Rome to ask for that title, but his request was dismissed.  Josephus, Jewish historian gives an account of what happened to John the Baptist outside the gospels.  Herod Antipas was deeply ambivalent about John, fearing him on the one hand, and fascinated by him on the other.  He feared that John, with his large following, could cause major disruption, just as he later feared Jesus and his disciples.  Besides, John had openly criticized Herod for his way of life.  Herod had several wives, the last of which was Herodias, his brother’s widow, contrary to Jewish Law.  He had murdered several of his sons by different mothers to prevent them taking his place.  Herodias hated John because he had condemned her marriage to Herod.  John had been taken to Herod’s formidable fortress east of the Sea of Galilee in a difficult area of desert and mountains.

There, Herod had called together a feast of his cronies.  At the feast, the daughter of Herodias performed a lascivious dance for their entertainment.  Herod was so impressed that he promised her anything she wished.  After conferring with Herodias (her mother) she asked for John’s head on a platter.

Herod was nor the only one ambivalent about John.  There was confusion about who John was -- some said he was Elijah the Prophet come back to life, some thought he was a prophet like those of old, so there was  tension between various factions. 

In brief, what this incident tells us is that those who speak truth to power can be at risk, even of their lives.  Striving for power can lead to the kind of violence which begets violence in return.  Defence of one’s power can lead to extreme acts.  Finally, John the Baptist, prophet and martyr, is the forerunner of those martyrs who clung to the truth even at risk of their lives.  This is a sobering reminder that standing for Truth can have serious consequences.