The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

[evolution8]

TODAY, we commemorate the martyrdom of the Glorious Forerunner of the Lord, St. John the Baptist.

John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, was born in Judea to Zachariah and Elizabeth. His ministry began when he was 30 years old, preaching and baptizing Jews in the Jordan River. In preparation for the coming of the Messiah, his message was "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near." He also said "Bear fruit worthy of repentance."

Tradition says that after the baptism of Jesus, St. John the Baptist’s mission was brought to a close. Soon, afterwards, he was arrested for publicly denouncing the adultery of King Herod Antipas with Herodias. Herod Antipas’ lawful wife was the daughter of Arethas, the King of Arabia, whom he had left without any cause and against every commandment of the law, because he desired Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.

King Herod knew that St. John was a righteous and holy man, and he admired John preaching, so instead of executing him, Herod put John into prison. He was treated well and his disciples were allowed to visit him. Herodias, on the other hand, did not share Herod’s respect for John and wanted to have him killed.

The opportunity came during Herod’s birthday party. Herodias’ daughter Salome performed an enchanting dance in front of Herod and his guests which truly pleased him to the point that he vowed to grant whatever she might ask for. Salome consulted her mother who prompted her daughter to ask for the head of St. John the Baptist on a platter.

The request distressed the King but he had to fulfill his promise to save face with his guests. John’s head was brought on a platter and was given to the girl, who offered it to her mother.

According to a long-standing tradition, it was August 29 in A.D. 28, when John the Baptist was beheaded.

St. John, the Forerunner and Baptizer, persevered in his faith, serving and obeying God in humility. Let us reflect on the life of St. John the Baptist and ask his intercession to make us always ready to recognize the coming of Jesus into our lives.

Source

[evolution8]

The Death of John the Baptist

Mark 6:17-29

HEROD was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife." Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias’s own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you." He even swore [many things] to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the Baptist." The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, "I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

The WORD

In a particular scene of Mark’s gospel, we see Herod taking delight in the dance of the daughter of Herodias. We know from Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews XVIII, v. 4) that her name was Salome. We may safely assume that if Salome’s dance pleased her male audience so much, that was because it was quite sensuous. Herod’s first sin – granted it was a light one – was here to have enjoyed a lascivious spectacle. This in turn prompted him to make his imprudent oath and promise Salome anything she wanted. This led to the more serious sin of pride: He did not want to lose face in front of his guests by reneging on his foolish promise. Finally, this sin of pride led him to commit murder – and not an ordinary murder, but the murder of a great and holy man. Here we see how evil gains more and more momentum in Herod’s soul. It goes from a mere consent to sensuousness to a consent to murder – all by gradual stages.

Although John the Baptist is not present in this scene, his character and fearless denunciation of Herod’s immoral life are well summarized by Mark. Other gospel passages complete this picture. By putting together everything we know about John the Baptist, we discover that, in his case, too, the law of spiritual momentum applies, but, of course, in the opposite direction: From good to better.

SOURCE: "365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

[Theresa]

Can you explain to me why John infers that he does not know Jesus when he was his cousin?

[Ben Kenobi]

Hey Theresa!

Don't worry about the post. :)

Welcome to FNA.

[Ben Kenobi]

You'll have to refresh my memory Theresa. Which passage are you speaking of?

[Theresa]

Gosh Ben I don't remember my verse and chapters, but John tells the people another is coming who I do not know but he will baptize .... I will try to look it up the verse ad chapter. It always struck me as odd that John infers that he does not know Christ. then in another place he sends one of his followers to ask Christ who he is ?

I assume maybe they did not grow up near enough to one another to know one another. :?

[evolution8]

Can you explain to me why John infers that he does not know Jesus when he was his cousin?

Good question Theresa. I think it was mentioned in Luke 1:80 "The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel." So your assumption is right, they did not grow near enough to know one another.

Gosh Ben I don't remember my verse and chapters, but John tells the people another is coming who I do not know but he will baptize .... I will try to look it up the verse ad chapter. It always struck me as odd that John infers that he does not know Christ. then in another place he sends one of his followers to ask Christ who he is ?

Here it is: Luke 3:15-16 "Now the people were filled with expectation , and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah, John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."


BTW, It's good to see you here Theresa, welcome aboard! :wave: :)

[Theresa]

evolution 8 wrote:

Good question Theresa. I think it was mentioned in Luke 1:80 "The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel." So your assumption is right, they did not grow near enough to know one another.

Thank you for providing this verse. It makes me realize how little I know about John the Baptist. I should read about what is written or passed down about his life.

It always seemed odd to me that Mary visited Elizabeth, and John in the womb was the first to be baptized by the spirit when Mary arrived at Elizabeth's home. Then it skips to when they are adults and reads like they do not know one another. Although it seemed odd I never took the time to look into it.

Thank you for the Welcome.

[evolution8]

Thank you for providing this verse. It makes me realize how little I know about John the Baptist. I should read about what is written or passed down about his life.

You're most welcome Theresa. In case you don't know, St. John the Baptist is also the patron saint of French Canada and Newfoundland. The Canadian cities of St. John's Newfoundland and St. John, New Brunswick were both named in his honor. There are lots of places in the world where he is patron saint like here in a remote place in the Philippines. If you don't want to get wet on his feast day (June 24th), don't go out on the streets and stay at home . :D I thought it was funny but they say that if you experience this, it's like your sins were cleansed by being baptized again.