Daily Devotional • July 28
A Reading from Mark 6:14-29
14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’s name had become known. Some weresaying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. 22 When his daughter Herodias 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.” 23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” 25 Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 The king was deeply grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Meditation
Herod has a complicated relationship with John the Baptist. He fears him, he’s drawn to his teachings, and he even protects him…for a while.
Herod and Herodias were both previously married (Herodias to Herod’s own brother), but they both leave their spouses to join each other. It was a tangled scandal, and John had repeatedly called out Herod’s sin. As a result, Herodias wanted John dead. Herod couldn’t bring himself to kill a man he recognized as righteous, so he compromises by imprisoning John. He tries to hold together a desire for holiness and an unwillingness to give up his sin.
Then comes the birthday banquet. Herodias sends in Salome (Herod’s teenage stepdaughter) to dance provocatively for Herod and his guests. The text is painfully clear: Herod is pleased. Undone by lust, he rashly promises her anything, to which Salome (and Herodias) quickly reply: John’s head.
From a distance, it is easy to mock Herod. “If he really didn’t want to kill John, he could have just said no.” But how often do we do the same? How often do we tell ourselves we are still in control while walking a path whose destination is obvious in hindsight? We protect sin, not because we are evil but because we believe we can manage it. We make small bargains. We lie to ourselves. Then we arrive at the moment when we feel trapped by our own choices, left only with what looks like the least damaging option. Like Herod, we choose what we never imagined we would.
Herod’s story is not just about lust or pride; it is about the danger of compromise. It is a warning against believing we can keep part of our heart holy while letting another part wander. Sin does not stay contained. Where might you already be making compromises? What small step could you take today to turn back before the point of no return?
Pieter Valk is a licensed professional counselor, the director of EQUIP, and cofounder of the Nashville Family of Brothers, an ecumenically Christian brotherhood for men called to vocational singleness.
♱
Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Dallas
The Diocese of Niassa – Igreja Anglicana de Mocambique e Angola
Pieter Valk is a Guest Writer. He is a speaker, author, consultant, and licensed counselor. His work is detailed on pieterlvalk.com.
