Friday of Week 4 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Mark 6:14-29

Jesus was now becoming well known over a wide area. There was much speculation as to who he was (a major theme of Mark’s Gospel). Some were suggesting that he was John the Baptist (who had by this time been executed) come to life again, or that he was the prophet Elijah, who was expected to return just before the coming of the Messiah, or that he was a prophet in his own right, “like one of the prophets of old”. We know, of course, that all those speculations were wrong. The true answer will emerge very soon.

King Herod, steeped in superstition and full of fear and guilt, was convinced that Jesus was a re-incarnation of John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded. Today’s Gospel now gives us the story as to how this happened.

Herod Antipas, also known as Herod the Tetrarch, was the son of Herod the Great, who was king when Jesus was born. When the older Herod died, his kingdom was divided among his three surviving sons. Archelaus received half of the territory, Herod Antipas became ruler of Galilee and Perea, while Philip (Herod Boethus) became the ruler of the northern territory on the east side of the Jordan. The title ‘Tetrarch’ indicates that he was ruler of one quarter of the whole territory.

It is clear that Herod had great respect for John, as he would also have for Jesus later on. The problem arose because John had denounced Herod’s taking the wife (Herodias) of his half-brother Herod Boethus. This was in clear violation of Jewish law. The historian Josephus also says that Herod feared that John, so popular with the people, might instigate a riot against him.

It was this woman, Herodias, who now wanted to be rid of John, but could not do so because of Herod Antipas’ respect for him. Herod had gone as far as arresting John, but even when John was in prison, Herod loved to listen to him, despite being puzzled by John’s preaching.

Herodias saw her opportunity when Herod threw a party for his court to celebrate his birthday. She knew her husband’s weaknesses. Herodias’s daughter was brought in to dance and utterly captivated Herod. Deep in his cups, he made a rash promise. He would give her anything, even half of the territory he governed. Under the prompting of the mother, the girl makes the gruesome request for John’s head on a dish.

Herod was aghast, but because of his oath in the presence of his guests, he dared not renege on his promise. John was beheaded, and the head given to the mother. Afterwards, John’s disciples came and took his body and gave him a decent burial.

We might notice some similarities between this story and the passion of Jesus. Both Herod and Pilate recognised in John and Jesus, respectively, people of obvious goodness of life, wisdom and integrity. The hatred of Herodias for John parallels the hatred of the Jewish leaders for Jesus—in both situations the ‘haters’ called for execution by the ruler (Herod in one case, Pilate in the other). After the deaths of John and Jesus, disciples asked and received permission for a decent burial.

John is the precursor of Jesus, not only in announcing the coming of Jesus, but also in giving his life for the integrity of his beliefs and in bringing God’s message to the people. We are called to do the same. Preparing the way for Jesus and his message must become an integral part of every Christian’s life. Without our cooperation, without our going ahead of Jesus, his message will not be heard.

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Friday of Week 4 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on Sirach 47:2-11

Today we have our final reading about David. It comes from the poetic and apocryphal Book of Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus), which contains a lengthy section (chaps 44-50) praising the great figures of Israel’s history. Here we have Sirach’s eulogy of David which in poetic language recalls the highlights of his life.

David was a person set apart, in the way that in a sacrifice the fat is set apart from the rest of the flesh offering. From his youth, he stood out:

He played with lions as though they were young goats
and with bears as though they were lambs of the flock.

He was still a boy when he took on the Philistine giant, Goliath, and brought him down with one shot from his sling, thus relieving his people of their shame. Because of this he won the enthusiastic support of the people:

So they glorified him for the tens of thousands.

This is in contrast to Saul who, they said, only killed his thousands.

He was regularly victorious against their enemy, the Philistines and “crushed their power” (or “horn” in some translations).

At the same time, he constantly gave glory and praise to his Lord. David is famous in the Old Testament as a maker and performer of music. The Psalms have been attributed to him although, of course, he could not have written them all as their composition extends over a long period of time.

He created liturgies so that feasts could be celebrated with fitting splendour:

…while [the people] praised God’s holy name
and the sanctuary resounded from early morning.

The deeply sinful parts of his life are summed up in one short sentence:

The Lord took away his sins
and exalted his power forever;
he [the Lord] gave him a covenant of kingship
and a glorious throne in Israel.

It is right to concentrate on a person’s virtues and achievements and especially their relationship with God and their fellow-men. That is what Sirach does here.

Unfortunately, the words of Mark Antony about Caesar in Shakespeare’s play are often too true:

“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”

But a Latin saying is more to be followed:

De mortuis nil nisi bonum.

This translates as:

“Say nothing but good about those who have died.”

Yet, what makes many of the saints, saints, is precisely how sin was turned to good in their lives. We can think of Paul, Augustine and Ignatius Loyola, among the many others.

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