3 February 2023 – Mark 6:14-29
Jesus was well known in a wide area and there was debate about who he really was (one of the main themes of Mark’s Gospel). Some suggested that John the Baptist (who had already been executed) had come back to life, or that he was the prophet Elijah, who was to return before the coming of the Messiah, or that he was another prophet. We know, of course, that all those assumptions were wrong.
The story of John the Baptist is a reminder that faithfulness to the Gospel has a cost. One cannot be faithful to the gospel unless one is willing to pay the price. Thank God, this price is not always martyrdom, sometimes it costs a lot of effort, sometimes it consists in accepting misunderstandings, sometimes it means investing
energies and resources in a project without seeing its fruits. John the Baptist paid with his life. He did not make an idol of his life, faithfulness to God was for him a greater good than life itself. He could keep silent, but he knew that if the prophet of God did not decisively denounce evil, all the people would fall into error.
The prophet cannot simply remain silent, he has a duty to proclaim the truth, especially when there is a risk that lies will become the norm of life, whether personal or social. John is arrested because he proclaims the truth and is killed for it. A luminous and very timely testimony.
Let us note some similarities between the life of John the Baptist and that of Jesus. Both Herod and Pilate recognise in John and Jesus, respectively, persons of evident goodness, wisdom and integrity. Herodias’ hatred for John parallels the hatred of the high priests for Jesus, both demanding their deaths from Herod for the one and Pilate for the other. After the death of John and Jesus, their disciples asked and received permission to give them a proper burial.
John is the forerunner not only of Jesus’ entry into public life, but of his entire life. Indeed, the Baptist bears witness to the Lord not only by showing Him, but also by giving His life as He did, by martyrdom. John, the great, becomes smaller and smaller in relation to Jesus, to the point of annihilation. Even today in the Church, the new martyrs do the same. And what about us? How do we behave? … May the Lord enlighten us and make us well understand John’s mission and may his example teach us how ours is to be carried out.
For good workers…
John is the forerunner of Jesus, not only in announcing his coming, but also in giving his life for the consistency of his convictions and in bringing God’s message to the people. We are called to do the same. Paving the way for Jesus and his message must become an integral part of every Christian’s life. Without our cooperation, without our witness, without our putting ourselves in prayer before Jesus, his message will not be heard.
P JOBY KAVUNGAL RCJ