Читать книгу With My Eyes On Jesus - Dale Goldsmith - Страница 10

Matthew 14:6–11: When Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod (7) so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask. (8) Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” (9) The king was grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; (10) he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. (11) The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother.

Context: John had been imprisoned since just before Jesus began his public ministry. The king had it in for John for criticizing his immoral relationship with his former sister-in-law Herodias. She liked John even less and saw an opportunity to avenge herself. Her daughter went along with the “thrill killing.”

Meditation: Things quickly spin out of control at Herod’s birthday party when Herodia, formerly Herod’s sister-in-law and now his wife, prompts her daughter to ask the king (besotted with her dancing) for a human head. Needing to keep face before his guests, he approves the request. The disgusting scene concludes on an even sicker note—with the girl bringing the freshly decapitated head, on a platter, to her mother.

In the previous chapter, Matthew had introduced seven of Jesus’ parables describing the kingdom of heaven. It is like: an extravagant yet wasteful sower; the sower of good seed; a mustard seed; leaven; treasure in a field; a merchant in search of fine pearls; a net gathering fish of every kind. In contrast, Herod’s kingdom in this world is like . . . an out-of-control drunken mob decapitating someone just for fun.

The good news is that even the killing of the man who had effectively set the stage for Jesus’ explosion onto the scene would not stop Jesus’ mission of inaugurating a radically different kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, do not let me cower in the face of disgusting and repulsive human sin. Amen.

Today: What “kingdom” thing have I done today and which kingdom benefits?