Matthew 14:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Here is a twofold accusation against the damsel, that she danced, and that she chose to ask an execution as her reward. Observe how Herod is at once cruel and yielding; he obliges himself by an oath, and leaves her free to choose her request. Yet when he knew what evil was resulting from her request, he was grieved, And the king was sorry, for virtue gains praise and admiration even among the bad.

The body of the Baptist was interred in Sebastia Caesarea, while his head was initially placed in Emesa. What message was conveyed to Jesus? It was not news of John’s death, as information about him had circulated widely, but rather that Herod regarded him as John.

We find no others keeping their birthday besides Herod and Pharaoh, that they who were alike in their wickedness might be alike in their festivities.

His followers approached and laid his body to rest. According to Mark, they referred to it as the corpse, using the term to indicate the body that had fallen after the beheading. They then returned to inform Jesus, demonstrating their loyalty to Him. This suffering deeply humbled them.

Mystically, John represents the Law; for the Law preached Christ, and John came of the Law, preaching Christ out of the Law. Herod is the Prince of the people, and the Prince of the people bears the name and the cause of the whole body put under him. John then warned Herod that he should not take to him his brother’s wife. For there are and there were two people, of the circumcision, and of the Gentiles; and these are brethren, children of the same parent of the human race, but the Law warned Israel that he should not take to him the works of the Gentiles and unbelief which was united to them as by the bond of conjugal love.

But not without most deep wonder do I consider, that he who in his mother’s womb was filled with the spirit of prophecy, than whom there arose not a greater among them that are born of women, is cast into prison by wicked men, and is beheaded because of the dancing of a girl, and that a man of such severe life dies for the sport of shameful men. Are we to think that there was any thing in his life which this so shameful death should wipe away? God thus oppresses His people in the least things, because He sees how He may reward them in the highest things. And hence may be gathered what they will suffer whom He casts away, if He thus tortures those He loves.

In evil promises then break faith. That promise is impious which must be kept by crime; that oath is not to be observed by which we have unwittingly pledged ourselves to evil. It follows, And she being before instructed of her mother said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.

Otherwise; Even at this day we see that in the head of the Prophet John the Jews have lost Christ, who is the head of the Prophets.

Otherwise; The beheading of John marks the increase of that fame which Christ has among the people, as the exaltation of the Lord upon the cross marks the progress of the faith; whence John had said, He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30.)

The followers of St. John the Baptist discreetly retrieved his body and interred it during the night in Sebastia, a city located in Samaria (Mark 6:29). Herodias buried the head of the revered Baptist in a hidden and dishonorable place within her palace. The only person who knew of its location was Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Huza, who is mentioned by the holy Evangelist Luke (Luke 8:3). Deeply grieved by the murder of the great prophet John and the dishonor brought upon his sacred head, she took the head at night, placed it in a simple container, and buried it on the Mount of Olives, which was part of one of Herod's estates. Meanwhile, word about Jesus Christ had reached Herod, and he along with Herodias began to speculate whether John had risen from the dead.

His severed body, akin to that of a condemned man, was cast beyond the fortress walls into the wilderness, yet it was not left without a proper burial. His disciples came, retrieved the body, and honored it with a burial in Samaria, placing it near that town alongside the prophets Elisha and Abijah. The disciples of John, filled with profound grief, sought solace from the Divine Friend of John. They approached JESUS to recount all that had transpired, while also cautioning Him about the peril posed by Herod, who believed Him to be the resurrected John.

To understand the events surrounding the death of John the Baptist, we must consider several key points. Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, who was the son of Herod the Great from his second marriage. At her grandfather’s behest, she wed his other son from his third marriage, referred to by Josephus Flavius as Herod (a familial title) and by the Gospel writers as Philip (his given name). This individual lived as a private citizen in Jerusalem following his father's passing.

John’s followers took his severed body and placed it in a tomb, as the Evangelists Matthew and Mark report (Mark 6:29). The Evangelists do not specify the exact location of John's burial; however, tradition has preserved some details. Concerned about Herodias seeking retribution even against John's lifeless body, the disciples transported it away from Perea to a region beyond the reach of Herod Antipas, specifically to Sebasta, which fell under Pilate's authority. Sebasta, or Sebastia, was established by Herod the Great, Antipas’ father, on the ruins of the earlier city of Samaria. According to tradition, John's body was interred in a cave alongside the resting places of the prophets Abijah and Elisha. The Orthodox Church commemorates the sorrowful occasion of John the Forerunner's beheading annually on August 29.

Antipas was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events and felt sorrowful, as he held the prophet in high esteem. However, a false sense of shame before his guests, who had heard his reckless vow, overwhelmed his sense of right and wrong. Consequently, he dispatched an executioner to the fortress of Maher, where John the Baptist languished, instructing him to bring back John's head. Thus, the greatest born of women succumbed to the murderous spite of a woman due to his preaching. The head of the prophet was delivered and became an object of derision for Herodias, while his disciples laid his body to rest.

The head of John the Baptist remained with Herodias, but his body was laid to rest with honor by his followers. They then went and informed Jesus, possibly for several reasons: firstly, the demise of the Forerunner was closely tied to the mission of Jesus, making it essential to relay this news to Him. Secondly, they may have sought solace in their sorrow from Christ and wished to draw nearer to His circle of disciples. It is significant to note that the followers of John have now turned to Jesus, as they have informed Him of recent events and, having forsaken all, are now becoming His disciples.

Only the devout Joanna, the spouse of Huza, who managed Herod's household, was privy to the secret. She discreetly unearthed the sacred head and concealed it in a clay container, burying it on one of Herod's estates situated on the Mount of Olives. Herodias commanded that the martyr's body be discarded into one of the ravines near Mahera. However, John's disciples buried his lifeless form and subsequently informed Jesus Christ of the tragic event. Fearing retaliation from Herodias even over the severed body of John, they transported it beyond Perea to a location where Herod Antipas's authority did not reach, specifically to Sebasta, which was under Pilate’s jurisdiction.