Boldly Proclaim The Truth

John the Baptist was arrested and executed for bodily proclaiming the truth to those in power. He knew that saying what he said could, and would likely, get him into trouble. Yet he still went forward and proclaimed the truth. He did this not because he had anything to gain by doing so, but rather, he knew those who needed to hear the truth had much to lose if it was withheld from them. John told them what they needed to hear out of love for them.

Gospel - Matthew 14:1-12

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus

and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist.

He has been raised from the dead;

that is why mighty powers are at work in him."

Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison

on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,

for John had said to him,

"It is not lawful for you to have her."

Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,

for they regarded him as a prophet.

But at a birthday celebration for Herod,

the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests

and delighted Herod so much

that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.

Prompted by her mother, she said,

"Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

The king was distressed,

but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,

he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.

His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,

who took it to her mother.

His disciples came and took away the corpse

and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

Daily Application

This section of Matthew’s Gospel takes a different literary approach. It opens with Herod Antipas assuming that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. To show that Herod is wrong, Matthew provides a flashback to the events surrounding the death of John the Baptist.

Herod Antipas was one of the sons of Herod the Great, who was responsible for a significant renovation of the temple. He ruled from 4 B.C. until 39 A.D. Herod Antipas was recognized as tetrarch by Caesar Augustus and officially ruled Galilee and Perea (a narrow strip of territory along the banks of Jordan) as a client state of the Roman Empire. In colloquial discourse, he is often referred to as a king.

Matthew now presents the events surrounding the death of John. We learn that the occasion was a birthday party for Herod, possibly held in the palace of Machaerus, where John was imprisoned. The Herodian dynasty was a tangled mess of intermarriages. Herod Antipas had arranged for an unlawful union with Herodias, who was both his sister-in-law and niece. Both had previously been married. Herod was married to the daughter of Aretas and Herodias to Herod’s half-brother, Herod Philip, who was the tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis. Both gave in to their desires and divorced their spouses to marry each other.

Most Jews would have disapproved of the marriage between Herod and Herodias. However, they would have remained silent. Only John the Baptist was bold enough to tell the king directly that her marriage was unlawful. Herod considered himself a Jew, and the law forbade this kind of marriage: “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife.” (Leviticus 18:16) Only in the case of death may a man marry his deceased brother’s widow. In this case, Herod’s brother was alive when Herod married his wife.

Kings usually do not take kindly to being publicly called out, and thus John was arrested and thrown into prison. However, he did not immediately execute John because he feared the public. People believed that John was a prophet, and so Herod was concerned that news of John’s death would cause an uprising.

However, John met his death on the occasion of Herod’s birthday. Salome, the daughter of Herodias, danced for Herod and his guests for unknown reasons. The nature of the dance is also unknown, but given the character of Herod, it is likely that this dance was sensual and unseemly. Herod was so taken by the dance that he swore he would grant her whatever she asked for. Seeing an opportunity, Herodias persuaded her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a serving platter.

This was undoubtedly a gruesome request, but Matthew points out specifically that Herod “was distressed.” Herod wanted John dead, but again, the consequences of his death worried him. If the people did revolt and Herod failed to keep the revolt under control, Roman authorities could intervene and punish Herod for failing to keep the peace. Regardless, Herod felt obliged to keep his promise to Salome and have John the Baptist executed. Just as in life, John was a forerunner of Jesus in death.

Daily Application

There is a lot of talk today about accompaniment. Indeed, this is an important concept. The idea of meeting people where they are and walking with them is critical. We see this concept played out by Jesus himself with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. He met them in their misunderstanding and confusion. The Church has a long tradition of meeting people where they are and walking with them.

However, the part that many people fail to understand is that in authentic accompaniment, sooner or later, the truth is going to have to be spoken. On the road to Emmaus, Christ listened to the disciples’ woes, but eventually he told them, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25) Jesus told them what they needed to hear. This is part of authentic accompaniment. The goal is to accompany them to Christ, to salvation. If we never tell people that the activity they are engaged in is sinful and the need to repent and amend their ways, then we are not truly accompanying them.

Jesus ate with sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes. He went to the people that the Pharisees avoided and told them that God loves them. But as an act of love, he did not allow them to remain in their sins. He always challenged them to repent and sin no more.

Our modern world has many of us afraid to speak out. We don’t want to be labeled as a hater or as unloving. However, the most unloving act that you can commit is to withhold the truth from someone who needs to hear it. Of course, you can share the truth in various ways, some of which may be more successful in a particular context. However, not sharing the truth is never an option. Boldly proclaim the truth to those who need to hear it. This is the ultimate act of love.