An Oath that Cost a Life Mark 6:21-29.
But an opportunity came when Herod gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee on his birthday. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”And the king was exceedingly sorry, but he did not want to break his word to her because of his oaths and his guests. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Dear Family,
There is a good reason why Jesus warned against swearing. He said instead that our yes or no should be enough (Matthew 5:34-37). We cannot predict what will become of the oaths we make since we not in control of circumstances or the decisions of others. King Herod found out the hard way how costly open promises can be.
Performance (vv. 21-22). Herod threw a big party for his birthday. The daughter of Herodias came in to dance and pleased both Herod and his guests. Herod was so pleased that he wanted to reward her with anything she asked for.”Up to half of my kingdom could have been a figurative way of saying that the girl could ask for just about anything, but it is possible that he meant it literally.
Pledge(v. 23).No doubt Herod was drunk. That added to the pleasure of what must have been an exceptional performance by the girl prompted Herod to be reckless. It is not clear why Herod needed to make an oath at all. The guests may have goaded him to it, or the girl may have been told to insist on an unbreakable promise by her mother, who may have been planning this for a long time. Herod foolishly assumed that he could keep any promises he made.
Platter (vv. 24-29). Herod could not have anticipated what hit him. Like a good child, the girl consulted her mother, who told her to ask for John’s head on a platter. King Herod must have got sober instantly, but to the reality that he had made an oath that he now had to make good. Unfortunately, he took the worst of the options before him. The lesser of the two evils before him would have been to accept the foolishness of his oath, refuse to kill an innocent man, and hang his own head in shame. He chose warped honor and sacrificed John. We would be well advised to avoid making careless promises. As someone said, when angry or happy, hold your tongue.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.