Reflection - Exemplar

By Steve Hall

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/082920.cfm
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Mark 6:17-29

Even back in Jesus’ day there were PC police wandering around. Not that they were as common or as insulting as they can be today. But still, leaders did not look kindly on critics; nor were they adverse to taking action when someone was particularly vocal in their condemnation. That would have been especially true if the criticism was personal in its content and/or likely to stir up issues with the population at large.

It is pretty much self evident that John was not being PC when he challenged Herod’s righteousness considering that Herod had married his brother’s wife — or should we assume she was his ex-wife since brother Phillip was still alive. It is also doubtful that Mark was being politically correct when he wrote that: “Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.” Neither can we accuse Mark for saying that Herod “kept him in custody,” as if that were an implicitly bad thing. (I suppose we could take that to mean that he wanted to keep John from speaking to the crowds; but following directly after the statement about Herod knowing John to be a “righteous and holy man,” one is led to wonder if Herod was not keeping him safe from a certain vindictive woman. Could it not have been for this latter reason that he kept John in custody? After all, Mark additionally told us that: “Hero'di-as had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not.”

Moreover, Herod apparently respected him — or at least feared him. We are told by Mark that this man, sitting on a throne in a royal palace, recognized John as a righteous and holy man. Furthermore, the king liked to listen to this man from the boondocks whose primary message was “repent” for the Kingdom of God is at hand. And, in the King’s case, the message was both personal and specific. Still, when the King heard him he was very much perplexed.

You read this account, which leads up to the execution of John, and you wonder just what was going on there. We know what brought about John’s death and we know why he was in the dungeon; but why did the King like to listen to him and by what was the King perplexed?

In reflecting on this apparently unusual relationship, Jesus’ parable of the sower came to mind. You know the one; it starts off with the words: “A sower went out to sow his seed.” As Jesus tells the story, some seed fell on the path; it was trodden underfoot and the birds ate it up. Some seed fell on rocks, but it developed no roots for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns. When it sprouted it was choked out by the weeds. And then, of course, there was the seed which fell on good soil and grew to be productive. As Jesus explains to the disciples, the seed is the Word of God.

At bare minimum we would have to suppose that Herod feared that John spoke the Word of God. So, where would we place Herod in the parable. Well, we can be certain that Herod was not the “good soil” which would have ultimately allowed the Word to be productive. It would also seem that we can be equally certain that Herod was not like the pathway which didn’t effectively receive the Word at all. The fact that the King liked to listen to John tells us this. The negative receptivity of the rock does not seem appropriate either, though it might if we knew more. So I suppose you might say that the Herod/John connection could best be categorized with the seed that fell among thorns. Just consider the folk with whom Herod surrounded himself.

Still I think there is just a bit more to this than can be accounted for by blaming Herod’s friends and associates. Again I return to the Spirit-chosen words with which Mark describes this extended Gospel event: Herod liked to listen. He put John under ‘protective custody.’ He was perplexed by what John said. What do these things mean except that in Herod there was an incipient receptivity to God’s Word. All of these things suggest that King Herod was a prototype for many living today. The imagery is striking especially if we think of the prophet John as the mouthpiece of God, speaking His word.

• This ‘word’ is confined, able to speak only in this limited space.
  
• This ‘word’ is placed in protective custody, making it easier to select what will be kept of his preaching.
  
• This ‘word’ is like the skeleton in the closet that others are supposed to ignore.
  
• This ‘word’ is tolerated as an anachronism, being out of place in the current age.
  
• This ‘word’ was perplexing as it sometimes contained elements of truth.
  

Put this in proper perspective by seeing it in modern times.

• There are those who would prefer that the Gospel be confined to church buildings.
  
• There are those who would actively seek to protect others from its teaching.
  
• There are those who find its presence in contemporary society an embarrassment.
  
• There are those who would take the elements they like from the Gospels — like peace and love — leaving the spiritual and divine part out of it.
  
• There are obviously those who view the Gospel and all of religion as anachronisms.
  
• There are those who are perplexed that truth could be contained in such nonsense.
  

But let’s look a bit closer to home.

• There are Christians who won’t take the Gospel beyond their Sunday service.
  
• There are Christians who choose which part of both Gospel and Church teaching that they like.
  
• There are Christians who prefer to keep their faith hidden in a closet
  
• There are Christians who find the liturgy an anachronism.
  
• There are Christians who are perplexed because Church teaching is not up to date.
  

When we see the Word of God as the seed, Herod falls smack dab in the middle of those who profess their Catholicism but find themselves confused, confounded, discomforted, embarrassed, even disturbed or distressed by the teaching of Catholicism or its practices and yet refuse to actively pursue the history or philosophy or theology behind the teaching.