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Commentary of the Gospell for the day, 29th of august of 2024
Life is a complex game of personal interests and power, of insecurities and fears. And sometimes this game has dire consequences. As in this case, where the game ends with the death of an innocent man. No one, at least no one important, wanted his death, but in the end, John the Baptist’s head ends up on a platter. It was the price Herod had to pay, who didn’t want his death according to the Gospel text, to maintain his power, his prestige, and his word before his lover and his guests. If he hadn’t ordered John’s beheading, what would his guests have thought of him – all friends but also enemies, all powerful people, competitors in the deadly game that politics sometimes is? Herod had to maintain his image as an all-powerful king. He had to do it so that they would respect him and continue to obey him. If he didn’t, his authority, his kingdom, was in danger, and he himself could end up beheaded. There was no alternative. No matter how much it hurt him, it was better to behead John than to risk being the victim himself. It was about surviving in a world where competition was to the death.
Of course, there’s a problem: John was innocent. John had done nothing more than be a prophet and say what was obvious. In fact, the Gospel says that “Herod respected John, knowing that he was an honorable and holy man, and he protected him.” But the reality is that John was also the weakest part of the equation. He had no power. He had no authority. He had no weapons or soldiers. He had nothing. In fact, he was in Herod’s prison. And he was chained. Actually, he did have something: the hatred of Herodias, Herod’s lover. That was another negative point. His vulnerability was total. Therefore, the solution to the equation was simple: making John disappear brought “peace,” security for Herod and his kingdom. It brought Herod peace with his lover, which was important to him.
Having said all this, we can only ask ourselves if we have ever, in the pursuit of our own security and tranquility, preferred the death, or something similar, of the innocent. If we have ever, for the same reasons, disregarded what was just, fraternal, in defense of the weakest.