Proper 10
Series B
For July 15, 2018
Related Scripture Readings
Amos 7:7-15
Psalm 85:8-13
Ephesians 1:3-14
Prayer of the Day
Proper 10 - Series B
Collect for Proper 10 - Lord, You granted Your prophets strength to
resist the temptations of the devil and courage to proclaim repentance. Give us
pure hearts and minds to follow Your Son faithfully even into suffering and
death; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives, and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.
Mark 6:14-29 -Mad king Herod
had John the Baptist killed to honor an oath, to save face in front of his
dinner guests, to quiet a man who firmly told him that his illicit affair with
his sister-in-law was sinful and shameful and to honor Herodias' request.
Verse 20 is the key verse.
Although Herod knew he was doing wrong, his conscious bothered him, and John's
words condemned him Herod was still drawn to listen to John. When we are
overcome by the fear of confronting someone, we can be comforted in the fact
that the Law does convict. God through the preaching of the Law prepares us to
hear, understand and savor the Gospel. John the forerunner of Christ will
preach, baptize and die all like Christ. First he must die. With the death of
John now, the cross becomes the focus of Christ's destiny.
O God, from
you come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works. Give to us,
your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be
set to obey your commandments; and also that we, being defended from the fear
of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness, through Jesus Christ, our
Savior and Lord.
Greek Text (NA27) ESV Translation
Mark 6:14-29
This section of the Gospel sees Jesus seeking to
withdraw from the crowds and direct his attention rather to his disciples.
Mark 6: 14-16 - See also Matthew 14:1-2 & Luke 9:7-9
Mark 6:14–29 -See also Matthew 14:1–12. Herod senses that in Jesus
the powers which he thought he had banished when he executed John are at work;
the disquieting voice of God calling him to account has not been silenced. The
death of John the Baptist, told here and not in its natural place in the
sequence of events (1:14), is prophetic of Jesus’ fate (Mark 9:12–13; Matthew
17:12–13). Both in the village (1–6) and in the royal court men are turning
against Him; the cleavage deepens because of His teaching.
Mark 6: 17-29 -See also Matthew 14:3-12 & Luke 3:19-f. The
previous verse provides an excuse for this 'digression,' relating the story of
John's death. However, the 'sandwiching' of this story within the account of
the disciples' mission, and following the discussion of Jesus' identity, is
intended to tie the fate of John in with the Jesus story as a foretaste of what
'another John' must expect (note how the four references in Mark to Ἡρῳδης and to Ἡρῳδαινοι, 3:6; 6:14-29; 8:15 and 12:12 all imply hostility and
threat to the work of God). Jesus' mission has been seen as in continuity with
that of John since 1:7-11, 14-15; and the link will be made clearer in 9:11-13
and especially in 11:27-33. So while the story has its own interest as
providing the conclusion to the earlier account of John (left unfinished in
1:14), it also serves to set the scene within which Jesus will approach his own
confrontation with authority.
The Death of
John the Baptist
14Καὶ ἤκουσεν
ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης, φανερὸν γὰρ ἐγένετο τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι Ἰωάννης ὁ
βαπτίζων ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐνεργοῦσιν αἱ δυνάμεις ἐν αὐτῷ.
King Herod heard of
it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been
raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.”
ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης (ho basileus herodes|the king Herod) - See also Matthew 14:1. Mark may
here have used the title “king” sarcastically (since Herod, the son of Herod
the Great, was actually a tetrarch), or perhaps he simply used Herod’s popular
title or may rather reflect the self-view or aspiration of Herod. He was
tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea from his father's death in 4 BC till AD 39.
τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ (to onoma autou|the name/title of
him) - Here bears the sense of fame. We are not told explicitly what it was
that Herod heard, but this clause implies that it was of Jesus' reputation.
ἔλεγον (elegon|they were saying) - The
third person plural is almost certainly right, though the singular, ἐλεγεν is very much better attested.
The plural makes this phrase the beginning of reports on public perception
regarding Jesus rather than that of Herod. It would have been natural for
copyists to alter the verb into the singular to agree with ἠκουσεν.
ἐγήγερται (egegertai|has been raised)
ἐκ νεκρῶν (ek nekron|from [among the] dead)
ἐνεργοῦσιν (energousin|are at/in work) -
Probably in a sense similar to the transfer of the spirit of Elijah to his companion
Elisha (2 Kings 2:15).
15ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον
ὅτι Ἠλίας ἐστίν· ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον ὅτι προφήτης ὡς εἷς τῶν προφητῶν.
But others said, “He
is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of
old.”
προφήτης ὡς εἷς τῶν προφητῶν (prophetes hos eis ton propheton|prophet like one of
the [old] prophets) - The consensus is clearly that Jesus is a prophet, but
just how he fits into that ancient category is a matter of rather wild
speculation.
16ἀκούσας δὲ
ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἔλεγεν· ὃν ἐγὼ ἀπεκεφάλισα Ἰωάννην, οὗτος ἠγέρθη.
But when Herod heard
of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
ἠγέρθη (egerthe|was raised) - Herod,
disturbed by an uneasy conscience and disposed to superstition, feared that
John had come back to haunt him.
17Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ
Ἡρῴδης ἀποστείλας ἐκράτησεν τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν φυλακῇ διὰ Ἡρῳδιάδα
τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι αὐτὴν ἐγάμησεν·
For it was Herod who
had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his
brother Philip's wife, because he had married her.
φυλακῇ (phulake|prison) - According to
Josephus, Ant 18:119, John was imprisoned and executed in the fortress of
Machaerus, to the east of the Dead Sea in the southeasternmost part of Peraea.
Ἡρῳδιάδα (herodiada|Herodias) - See also
Matthew 14:3.
Φιλίππου (philippou|Philip) - See also
Matthew 14:3. If by 'Philip' Philip the Tetrarch is meant, this contradicts
Josephus who says (Ant 18:136) that Herodias was married to Herod the son of
Herod the Great and Marianne II. Philip the Tetrarch actually married Salome.
It would seem that either Mark is mistaken, or that Herod to whom Herodias was
married had also the name Philip. There is considerable obscurity surrounding
both the relationships and the names of the Herod family (particularly since
the name 'Herod' seems to have been used both as a personal name for certain
members of the family and as a family name for all), and it is possible that
the Herod who was Herodias's first husband also bore the personal name Philip,
as did her son-in-law."
18ἔλεγεν γὰρ
ὁ Ἰωάννης τῷ Ἡρῴδῃ ὅτι οὐκ ἔξεστίν σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου.
For John had been
saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.”
Οὐκ ἔξεστίν (ouk exestin|not is permissible/lawful/proper) - We
see in John the example of moral courage, not hesitating incur the wrath of the
great and powerful, as often as it may be found necessary: for he, with whom
there is acceptance of persons, does not honestly serve God.
Verses 19-20 set up
the contrast, strongly reminiscent of the story of Ahab and Jezebel (whose
'target' was, of course, John's model Elijah), which the rest of the story will
work out between a resolutely hostile Herodias and a wavering Antipas, who will
eventually be tricked into pronouncing sentence against his better judgment.
The parallel with Pilate's ineffectual resistance to the determined hostility
of the priests in 15:1-15 is remarkable, yet another indication of Mark's
desire to link together the fates of John and of Jesus. (Note how Pilate will in 15:14 by implication echo with regard to
Jesus Antipas's view of John as δικαιος
και ἁγιος).
19ἡ δὲ Ἡρῳδιὰς
ἐνεῖχεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἤθελεν αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο·
And Herodias had a
grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not,
20ὁ γὰρ Ἡρῴδης
ἐφοβεῖτο τὸν Ἰωάννην, εἰδὼς αὐτὸν ἄνδρα δίκαιον καὶ ἅγιον, καὶ συνετήρει αὐτόν,
καὶ ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ πολλὰ ἠπόρει, καὶ ἡδέως αὐτοῦ ἤκουεν.
for Herod feared
John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When
he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
ἠπόρει (eporei|he was disturbed/at a loss) - The
support for ἠπορει, though
numerically weak, is strong in quality, and intrinsically this reading is more
likely than ἐποιει which is read by
the majority of Greek MSS. ἠπορει vividly describes Herod's moral weakness.
Elsewhere in the NT ἀπορεω is used
in the middle (hence W ἡπορειτο),
and the unfamiliarity of the form may have led to the correction to ἐποιει in the majority of MSS.
ἡδέως (|gladly) - The implication is that,
like Felix with another prisoner later (Acts 24:24-26), he was at least open to
persuasion; but he remained confused and undecided.
21Καὶ γενομένης
ἡμέρας εὐκαίρου ὅτε Ἡρῴδης τοῖς γενεσίοις αὐτοῦ δεῖπνον ἐποίησεν τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν
αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῖς χιλιάρχοις καὶ τοῖς πρώτοις τῆς Γαλιλαίας,
But an opportunity
came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military
commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
χιλιάρχοις (chiliarchois|military commanders) - High ranking
military officers generally in charge of 600-1000 men.
πρῶτοις (protois|most leading/prominent persons) - There was
a palace as well as a prison in the fortress of Machaerus, and presumably,
though it was certainly a long way from Galilee, if Herod was resident there,
he would be surrounded by his courtiers. It certainly seems to be implied
(27-f) that John was imprisoned close at hand.
22καὶ εἰσελθούσης
τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ἡρῳδιάδος καὶ ὀρχησαμένης ἤρεσεν τῷ Ἡρῴδῃ καὶ τοῖς
συνανακειμένοις. εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ κορασίῳ· αἴτησόν με ὃ ἐὰν θέλῃς, καὶ δώσω
σοι·
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.”
τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ἡρῳδιάδος (tes thugatros autou heridiados|the daughter of him
Herodias) - See also note on Matthew 14:6. There are textual difficulties here.
The chief variants are: i) θυγατρος αὐτης
της Ἡρῳδιαδος A C W Θ and the majority of Greek MSS and vg syrh; ii) θυγατρος αὐτου Ἡρῳδιαδος א B D L Δ 565; iii) θυγατρος της Ἡρῳδιαδος f1 22 131 it (some mss) syrs,p etc.
According to (ii)
the girl is herself named Herodias and is described as Herod's daughter. But in
verse 24 she is Herodias' daughter. Herodias had a daughter called Salome, but
she was not Herod's daughter; and the narrative does not seem to allow for the
union between Herod and Herodias to have been long-standing enough for there to
be a daughter sufficiently old by it. So most commentators accept reading (i).
However, a majority of the UBS Committee decided somewhat reluctantly that the
reading with αὐτου must be adopted
on the strength of its external attestation; αὐτου "represents an early error. This might derive from a
careless scribe who was puzzled by the intrusive αὐτης and mechanically altered it to αὐτου, thus producing a smoother text without realising what
violence it did to the narrative in context. In that case, the majority
reading, αὐτης (της) Ἡρῳδαιδος,
would be preferred.
23καὶ ὤμοσεν
αὐτῇ [πολλὰ] ὅ τι ἐάν με αἰτήσῃς δώσω σοι ἕως ἡμίσους τῆς βασιλείας μου.
And he vowed to her,
“Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”
ὤμοσεν (omosen|he made a promise/swore an
oath) - The adverbial addition of πολλα
here is not very elegant, but typical of Mark (20; 3:12; 5:10, 23, 38, 43...);
its absence from the majority of MSS is an obvious stylistic improvement.
ἕως ἡμίσους τῆς βασιλείας μου (eos hemisous tes basileias mou|up to half of the
kingdom of me) - A proverbial reference to generosity, not to be taken
literally (Esther 5:3, 6). Generosity suited the occasion and would win the
approval of the guests. See also 1 Kings 13:8.
24καὶ ἐξελθοῦσα
εἶπεν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς· τί αἰτήσωμαι; ἡ δὲ εἶπεν· τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτίζοντος.
And she went out and
said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John
the Baptist.”
αἰτήσωμαι
(aitesomai|should I ask [for]/claim) - It is possible, though not certain, that
a distinction is intended between the middle used here and the active in verses
22-23. If so, the meaning here would be 'claim', there being now a sort of
business relationship since the king's promise.
25καὶ εἰσελθοῦσα
εὐθὺς μετὰ σπουδῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ᾐτήσατο λέγουσα· θέλω ἵνα ἐξαυτῆς δῷς μοι ἐπὶ
πίνακι τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ.
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.”
26καὶ
περίλυπος γενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τοὺς ἀνακειμένους οὐκ ἠθέλησεν
ἀθετῆσαι αὐτήν·
And the king was
exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to
break his word to her.
27καὶ εὐθὺς ἀποστείλας
ὁ βασιλεὺς σπεκουλάτορα ἐπέταξεν ἐνέγκαι τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπεκεφάλισεν
αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ
And immediately the
king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded
him in the prison
28καὶ ἤνεγκεν
τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πίνακι καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν τῷ κορασίῳ, καὶ τὸ κοράσιον ἔδωκεν
αὐτὴν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς.
and brought his head
on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
29καὶ ἀκούσαντες
οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἦλθον καὶ ἦραν τὸ πτῶμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔθηκαν αὐτὸ ἐν μνημείῳ.
When his disciples
heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb
See also Luke 9:8 for Herod's later fears; also Matthew 14:12
for John's disciples informing Jesus of what had happened.
Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS for personal and
congregational use.
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