The Head of John the Baptist & the Herodias

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season:  Fourth Week :  Friday*

*Gospel :  Mark 6:14-29*

*First Reading : Sirach 47: 2-11*

*Responsorial Psalm : 18:31,47, 50, 51*

*The Head of John the Baptist & the Herodias*

*1) What did Herodias do with the head of John the Baptist?*

The Gospels say : “Immediately the king sent a soldier… He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother.” (Mark 6:27–28)

That final line matters : The head does not remain with Herod. It is delivered to Herodias—the one who truly wanted it.

Scripture then falls silent: No gesture is described. No words. No triumph scene. That silence is deliberate. The evangelists refuse to dramatize cruelty. They let the act stand naked: truth reduced to an object, served like food at a banquet.

Later tradition fills in possibilities—mockery, desecration, secret disposal—but these are not biblical facts. 

What is certain is this: Herodias sought not just John’s death, but his humiliation. The platter turns execution into spectacle.

*2) The  Head and the Spoken Word*

What happens after the banquet is not told—but what happens theologically is clear.

John’s disciples retrieve his body and bury it (Mark 6:29).

His mission is complete.

His voice, though silenced physically, passes to Christ.

The head is gone from the story—but the Word John spoke is not.

This is one of Scripture’s recurring paradoxes: God allows the messenger to be destroyed, but not the message.

*3) Does the head of John the Baptist still speak today?*

Yes—John’s head still speaks 

When power is confronted by truth

When sin is named without hatred

When conscience refuses to be entertained into silence

His beheading proclaims something words alone could not: Truth can be killed, but it cannot be defeated.

In Christian memory, John becomes the archetype of every silenced prophet, every whistleblower, every inconvenient voice. His head “speaks” whenever someone dares to say, “This is not right,” knowing the cost.

Ironically, the platter meant to end his influence becomes the amplifier of his witness.

*4) Does Herodias still speak today?*

Yes—but not with words.

Herodias speaks through patterns that repeat endlessly:

resentment that refuses repentance

power that cannot tolerate moral challenge

outrage at being told “no”

vengeance disguised as justice

*She speaks* Wherever truth is framed as a threat, Whenever the messenger is punished instead of the message examined, Whenever silence is purchased at the price of blood

Herodias doesn’t argue with John. She eliminates him. That instinct is very much alive.

*5) The Dual Heads and Voices*

In this story, two voices contend for history:

*John’s voice*, crying in the wilderness, calling for repentance

*Herodias’ voice*, whispering behind the scenes, demanding control

John loses his head. Herodias gets her way.

And yet—who is remembered as righteous?

Herodias achieves her goal, but leaves no legacy except disgrace to the entire family.

John loses everything, yet becomes the forerunner of Christ, honored by Jesus himself.

*6) The Power of the Head*

Herodias demands John’s head to silence him. But in doing so, she ensures that HIs head will Speak for Eternity through his Martyrdom 

It becomes a mirror, asking every generation:

Whose voice do you silence?

Whose truth do you find “dangerous”?

And which banquet are you attending while injustice is served?

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*