Passion of John the Baptist - 29 August

Readings: 1 Thessalonians 2.1-8; Psalm 139; Mark 6:17-29

Herod feared John the Baptist and was perplexed when he heard him speak. He was afraid because he knew John to be holy and righteous and yet he liked to listen to him. Herod is the classic two-minded person, attracted by goodness, perhaps even seeing what is just, but lacking the strength of character or the moral maturity to follow through on what he knows to be right and to order his desires accordingly. In some ways Herod is 'Everyman'.

How common is this ambiguity in the face of holiness and righteousness? The Bible speaks often about it and at very different times and contexts in the people's history. 'This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me' (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8). 'Purify your hearts, you people of double mind' (James 4:8). 'How long will you limp between two opinions?' (1 Kings 18:21) 'I do not do the good I want but the evil I do not want is what I do' (Romans 7:19).

Herod is not an attractive person and we can quickly simply dismiss him as pathetic and ineffective. The frequency with which the Bible calls the people to single-mindedness, reminding them of their double-mindedness, is enough to assure us that the problem is not Herod's alone, and that where we say 'his' or 'theirs' we should really say 'my' and 'ours'.

We see the problem in Herod in a dramatic way, in fact in a way that has been dramatised often by composers of music, by writers of plays, by painters of pictures. More useful for us, though, is to reflect on our own double-mindedness, how this problem is present in myself. What are the ways in which I limp between opinions? What are the ways in which I see what is good and yet do what is evil? What are the ways in which I continue to pay lip service to following Christ while my heart, at least in part, is elsewhere?

We might find John the Baptist admirable but a bit off-putting, a man of integrity, yes, but a bit ferocious in his style and teaching. As long as we do so find him we are, more or less, standing with Herod, fearful of what John calls us to and yet still wanting to listen to him. For what he announces is simply the kingdom of God, the good news. His message is the message of Jesus, just as demanding and just as uncompromising. 'Wretched person that I am', Paul concludes, in his reflection on his own double-mindedness. 'Who will deliver me from this body of death?' (Romans 7:24)

When we face this problem directly in ourselves we arrive at the same question. Is it a problem of character or formation? Is it a problem of nature or of nurture? Is it a question of good fortune or bad luck? Is it simply desire proving too strong for reason?

Herod does not know where to turn for help and the tragedy of John's martyrdom ensues. Paul does know where to turn for help: 'thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord'. Let us continue to look in that direction too, to the One pointed out by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Our hope is that He can cope even with the sins of my double-mindedness. He teaches us not to be afraid, to seek, to ask and to knock. He asks us to open the door to him and to allow him to strengthen us in holiness. He can do that, in spite of how like Herod we can be at times.