The Head On The Platter: Mark 6:26-29
Good ethics and good character take work. There is a reason people know that only those who get the little things right consistently also get the big things right consistently. Making hard decisions takes practice. Reaching into your person and finding the strength to tap the ethics required takes practice to know how it feels. Anyone can take the easy way out. It takes training to make the right decision in place of an easy one.
When Salome returns to Herod and tells him she desires John the Baptizer’s head on a platter, Herod is sad. He knows he’s stuck. He now must choose between what is right and what is easy. He can stand up for a righteous man or give in to Salome’s request. He is choosing between saving an innocent life or watching someone else pay the price for his inability to refrain from getting emotionally caught up in a situation.
To cut to the chase, John the Baptizer dies. He is beheaded and his head is brought to Salome. Salome gives it to her mother. As John’s disciples come to gather up the body of their righteous leader, Herodias is celebrating in the palace that John’s truthful condemnation of her lifestyle is over.
Herod didn’t have what it took to make the righteous choice. It’s not that there isn’t logic in his choice; it’s that his logical choice is not a righteous one. His logic wasn’t supported by good character and a strong moral compass. His choice was supported by the moment, by the emotion, and by the easy path.
To save John the Baptizer’s life, Herod needed to deny Salome’s request. Naturally, this would have shown the foolishness of his earlier promise to grant any wish simply because Salome performed beautifully. To save John the Baptizer’s life would have necessitated understanding that a person’s life is worth more than the beauty of a dance. On paper outside the moment, there is little doubt as to where the right choice resides. In the moment, Herod didn’t have what it took.
To save John the Baptizer’s life, Herod needed to accept losing face in front of his nobles. Herod didn’t want to seem like an oath breaker. After all, if Herod won’t keep his word to his own daughter, what reason would the nobles have to believe he would keep his word to them? To save John the Baptizer’s life, Herod needed to take the time explaining the difference between a reasonable promise and an emotional response, then hope that his nobles would appreciate the difference. In the moment, Herod didn’t have what it took.
Over the last couple of days, Herod provided a story about how making good choices is harder than it looks. He’s shown how choices set up other choices and can affect whether hard choices get easier or more difficult. He’s shown that in the end, good choices are still hard. Herod didn’t have it; good ethics and good character take work.
