Saturday of Week 21 in Ordinary Time
The Beheading of John the Baptist
Mark 6:14-29
With a narrative as rich in detail as the story of
the beheading of John the Baptist, it is hard to discern out the layers of dramatic
interpretation. I just watched a clip from
the Opera, Salome, performed by the San Francisco Opera. It is Richard Strauss’ adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s
play…so not particularly faithful to the scriptural text. And then there is all the detailed (and outright gruesome) art inspired by these few lines of scripture.
It's all the characters! Those few chilling lines present a daring prophet who speaks truth to power, a scorned woman trying to secure a place for herself, a seductive young dancer finding her own prowess, the powerful elite, a wishy-washy king, and very swift executioners. It doesn't take much of an imagination to, wander with and wonder about, these characters.
The story is "sandwiched" between the sending and the returning of the twelve. It reinforces the expectation of suffering, both Jesus' and Mark's community struggling to live out their discipleship under pressurized circumstances. That pressure continues though the circumstances are different.
What seduces me and leads me to forget about what is most important to who I am?
How do I enter into drama and scandal? Do I feed the flame or bring peace and calm?
How quickly do I run with easy judgments? And who are the casualties of that failure to discern truth with patience and prayer?
Maybe that is why this is such a popular narrative…so easy to see how from time to time I am Herrod, Herodias, the dancer, the executioner, the navel gazing bystanders, or hopefully (though surely reluctantly), from time to time, John.
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