Mark 6:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If John is allowed to die, everything will perish through us, and we shall be buried while leaving behind an evil and untimely legacy."

"O young woman, what has transpired, what has come upon you so suddenly? How can I protect John? Have you chosen to love one who despises our life more than your own mother? Do you not yet understand what he advised Herod regarding me? 'It is unlawful,' he stated, 'for you to have your brother Philip's wife; reject her.' Therefore, I wish to end this disagreeable discourse with him; I will determine the moment to silence his voice, or perhaps even take his head; thereafter, I will not mourn, for I shall secure a truly genuine and fitting life."

"We shall bring disgrace, O mother, not just upon another, but upon ourselves and our lives, much like Jezebel, who sought to eliminate the righteous Elijah, only to invite greater harm upon herself. Yet Elijah, driven by zeal, and John, faithful to the law, rebuked us. This ascetic boldly confronted Herod, proclaiming the pure truth, 'It is not lawful for you!' That same elder, formerly, with humility, once withheld rain from Ahab. Hence, O mother, abandon your intentions now, and the peril shall be averted; do not perpetuate this disgrace of the temporal."

"Learn from me, shameless one, not to grieve me with your counsel before understanding everything completely. It remains unknown to you; you do not grasp it because it is beyond your comprehension. For if the Baptist continues to insult me and lives, then everyone will treat me insolently and wave their opinions freely about me, regarding me as mere mortal and not as a queen; as a commoner’s wife rather than as a woman of great honor. But stay silent, dear maiden, as I foresee outcomes more beneficial than you and many among the populace. I know how to attain glory that is not fleeting."

"I inquire of you, O mother, when do you plan to enact this deed? Will it be done in daylight, or in the darkness? For your wicked scheme is suited only for the night. Why would it be curtailed? Who will raise a sword against the prophet of Christ?" You, as my daughter, support your mother in taking down my adversary, and wait for the opportune moment. I implore you, mother, that because of my plight, no one must spill innocent blood. Just as Zechariah was slain, so now must John be executed, and I shall remain indifferent to it, lest I be wounded eternally rather than temporarily."

"You are truly pitiable and despondent; does John receive less honor than the womb that bore you? In your folly, did you not find the Baptist more significant? Are you not ashamed of the breasts that nurtured you? How I regret my actions! Why did I strive against my own interests to rear one who torments me with her defiance? Why did I dare to marry the king to cling to that which offends me? Therefore, I grieve. Let my wish be fulfilled, and may what I desire come to pass; and you, albeit reluctantly, fulfill my temporal desire."

"Now I shall remain silent and not reveal to this utterly wicked woman my intentions, lest my mother should discover my desires and prompt me toward punishment for them, as they have been mulled over and often articulated before the king by her."

To Herod's astonishment, John was not how he had imagined. Despite his humble appearance and ascetic life, John exhibited a strong moral character and boldly proclaimed the same truths before the king and his family that he shared with the masses. As uninhibited in Herod's palace as he was in the wilderness, John courageously admonished Herod for unlawfully taking his brother Herod Philip's wife. He also condemned other immoral behaviors prevalent in Herod's court. While Herod did not appear overtly angered by these criticisms—indeed, he was inclined to listen to John's messages and held him in regard (Mark 6:20)—Herodias, motivated by ambition and resentment over John's criticisms, wielded her influence to push Herod towards sentencing John to death. Ultimately, she succeeded in persuading Herod to imprison John in the fortress of Maheru.

Herod had no intentions of carrying out further harm to John, partly because the people of Galilee revered him as a prophet and favored him so highly that Herod feared backlash if he treated him cruelly (Matthew 14:5). Additionally, Herod was apprehensive that by persecuting a man of God, he might invoke divine retribution (Mark 6:20). These factors led to prolonged uncertainty in Herod's approach towards John, a hesitation that might have resulted in John's release, had it not been for Herodias seizing an opportunity in Herod’s moment of weakness to secure John's death, as we will explore further. Nevertheless, during his imprisonment, Herod permitted John to maintain fellowship with his disciples.

These observations reveal two primary motivations for Herod's hesitation to fulfill Herodias's demand for John's execution: a fear of public opinion and a fear of John himself. It should be noted that Mark does not suggest that Herod's reluctance stemmed solely from respect for John's righteousness; rather, he feared the divine consequences of harming an innocent man. Herod found it difficult to disregard his reverence for John to please his beloved wife, and though he may have considered John's death on several occasions due to her urging, he was ultimately deterred by his anxiety of both the people and John.

He was frequently brought before Herod Antipas while he feasted, surrounded by sycophants, yet John maintained his role as a steadfast prophet, momentarily captivating even the tyrant with the dignity of his helplessness. Herod, sensing John's moral stature, "feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and cherished him; he did many things in obedience to him, and listened to him with pleasure" (Mark 6:20). Even Herod found himself pondering divine matters and the afterlife! The turmoil of a guilty conscience, superstition, a natural aversion to cruelty, and the brutal delays typical of Eastern legal systems allowed John to live longer than expected. He was sometimes permitted to communicate with his followers, who, motivated by love, braved personal risk to visit him. Thus, the prophet's piercing voice was muffled behind the oppressive prison walls, leaving the sinful couple to revel in their illicit joy. Yet, such joy is fleeting, and the unlawful union began to yield bitter consequences, tainting Herod's remaining years. The curse of lovelessness dictated by the law for such an offense (Leviticus 20:21) came to fruition in his life. Concurrently, Aretas, the father of Herod's spurned wife, grew increasingly agitated over the insult to his daughter and threatened war against him, forcing Antipas to prepare for conflict, a task he found daunting to accomplish. Ultimately, war broke out, resulting in a disgraceful defeat for the ill-fated king, who was left with no choice but to seek aid from the emperor, retaining his kingdom solely through Roman support. It is possible that Christ referenced this troubled period when He remarked, "What king, going to war against another king, does not first sit down and consult whether he is strong enough with ten thousand to resist him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Otherwise, while he is still far away, he will send an embassy to him to ask for peace" (Luke 14:31-32). Meanwhile, Herod’s conscience, awakened by the prophet's rebukes, continued to torment him, forcing him to confront the prophetic voice that resonated even louder from beyond prison walls. Faced with the dilemma of silencing John, an unbearable critic to his royal image, or risking political instability fueled by the prophet's influence, Herod Antipas remained conflicted. Herodias cunningly deepened the turmoil in her husband’s heart—balancing fear and conscience, power and desire—leading him to conclude that eliminating the audacious prophet was the best course of action, particularly since John posed a political threat. Antipas struggled and suffered internally: while he recognized the sinful nature of his actions and the truthfulness of the great prophet, he could not shamelessly commit the heinous act, secretly regarding and consulting John instead. This disdainful Herodias could not tolerate such respect, and she relentlessly poisoned the life of the unfortunate king. That Antipas could hesitate for so long between his unintentional admiration for John and the bloodthirst of Herodias, fighting for his survival in a wilderness where life held little value, speaks volumes of John's spiritual stature. It was through the strength of his character that he could leave an impact on a weak, self-serving, hedonistic ruler such as Herod, evoking a struggle against the abundant evil around him. Ultimately, though Antipas's anxiety and turmoil provided a temporary shield for John the Baptist, the vengeful woman, thwarted in her earlier attempts at savage retribution, finally succeeded through craftiness when the opportunity arose.

Although he harbored motivations to eliminate John, perhaps rooted in his own concerns, he hesitated due to his fear of the crowd (Matthew 14:5) and his reverence for John’s holiness. This inner conflict between his moral respect for uprightness and the malignant designs of Herodias fueled his indecision. He safeguarded John against Herodias’s ominous intentions, who would have taken John’s life in an instant if she had the opportunity. At the same time, he imprisoned John, unwilling to execute him.

Like the ancient prophet Elijah, who boldly confronted Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21:21, 23), John admonished Herod, saying, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife” (Mark 6:18). Herodias was actually married to Herod Philip, who lived in Rome as a private citizen. However, driven by ambition, she abandoned him and, in violation of the law that prohibited a man from taking his brother’s wife while his brother was still alive (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), became the wife of Herod Antipas. She longed to see John put to death for condemning her immoral union, yet her desperate pleas only led Herod Antipas to imprison him instead. Herod, however, did not act on Herodias’ murderous desires, as he was apprehensive of the people (Matthew 14:5) and held a deep respect for John, whom he recognized as a righteous and holy man (Mark 6:20). This awareness of John’s integrity made Herod wary of the consequences that could arise from his execution, prompting him to value his captive, showing him kindness, adhering to his requests, and listening to him with enjoyment (v. 20). This regard for John likely accounts for the freedoms he experienced even while incarcerated, enabling him to communicate freely with his disciples, who brought him news of Christ's miraculous deeds and sent messages to the Lord (Matthew 11:2).