This coming weekend we will hear the gruesome telling of the story of the beheading of John the Baptist in Mark 6:14-29. It is a tough text to wrestle with. I think it is best understood in its juxtaposition with the Feeding of the 5,000 in the verses that follow it (Which we will hear about for the next six weeks in Mark 6 and John 6). The implicit question seems to be: Do you want to go to this (Herod's) meal that ends in death, beheading and love of self... or do you want to feast with Jesus, at his banquet, that ends in life, where there is food for all?
I offer this Haiku as a meditation on the text.
Herod's Birthday Feast
Quickly descends: gruesome death
Contrast Jesus' Meal
[Image (c) 2009, used with permission, Augsburg Fortress Liturgies, annual license #20800]
Thanks for this insight. I'm not preaching on this text, but I think this insight is worth expressing before the reading of this text.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. This post helped "prime my pump" for preaching this text.
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