Passion of John the Baptist: What If...

Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man...

When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,

yet he liked to listen to him. 

~Mark 6:20

Caravaggio: Passion of John the Baptist

I have read and heard this Gospel account of John the Baptist's death many times.  What struck me today was that while Herod was perplexed by John, he also liked to listen to him. Knowing what we do about King Herod, this seemingly positive spot is surprising. I was left with the question: "What if?" What if Herod had truly, sincerely listened to John? What if he had ignored Herodias? What if her daughter had disobeyed her? Would things have turned out differently? Perhaps, perhaps not. My questioning may have a bit of the Holy Spirit's prompting, but it is more the inquisitiveness of my nature. So in the end, these questions and their answers are not really important.

It is John's unwavering loyalty to his mission, and his love for and loyalty to Christ that matter. That love and loyalty are summed up in the Baptist's words:

 "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30)

We may not ever be called to physical martyrdom as John was, but as Christians we are often called to non-physical martyrdom, sometimes called white martyrdom. If we are loyal to Christ and the missions he gives to us, we, like John will decrease and Christ will increase.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Let those whom I meet on my daily path in life see You, not me. 

When I speak, may it be Your words they hear, not mine. 

Let there be more of  You and less of me. 

Amen.