Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 3, 2024
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
for John had said to him,
“It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,
for they regarded him as a prophet.
But at a birthday celebration for Herod,
the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests
and delighted Herod so much
that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said,
“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,
who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the corpse
and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.
The gruesome and jarring image of John the Baptist’s head on a platter initially makes me want to look away. His terrible death leads me to ask what I often wonder when confronted with images of violence and suffering: “How could Jesus allow this to happen? Where is God in this tragedy?”
As a high school English teacher, I love to watch my students identify instances of foreshadowing in a literary text. We discuss how foreshadowing prepares readers for what will come and creates narrative cohesion. It reminds us that the author has a purpose and a plan. My students quickly become literary sleuths who think back to an early image or event and ask, “Wait… was that foreshadowing all along?”
I can’t help but think of our class discussions about foreshadowing as I reflect upon today’s gospel reading and John the Baptist’s role as the forerunner of Christ. From his birth to his ministry and finally to his martyrdom—his head on the platter directly anticipates Jesus nailed to the cross.
Cruelty, violence, and evil will always attempt to break down the kingdom of God. But John the Baptist reminds us that we are saved through the cross, “our only hope.” May we always remember that God has a plan for our lives, and may our trust in God grow even as we witness the sufferings of this world.
Prayer
When you walked the earth, Lord, there was the same kind of violence we see in our day. Violent men threw John into prison and raged against the kingdom you were establishing. Help us counteract the violence of our time by being men and women who try to advance your kingdom of peace. Amen.