Monday, 19 January 2026
St Matthew 14: 1 – 12
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet. On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
Reflection
This is a gruesome story, in which violence is not only done to John the Baptist, but also to the daughter of Herodias, sometimes known as Salome. But while the Church remembers the prophetic ministry of John, Salome has too often been used as an example of the way women lead men astray.
The Herodians were corrupt, incestuous, and violent, and Matthew is clear that Herod the tetrarch was looking for a way to get rid of John before Salome even comes into the story. I have a suspicion that Salome was not providing some polite entertainment in the style of the von Trapp family, but running the gauntlet of coarse drunken men leering at a young woman who didn’t get much choice in the matter. And then she has to carry a platter with a dead man’s head on it – a horrific thing to make anyone do. Matthew’s account doesn’t bear much resemblance to the hypersexual temptress of Oscar Wilde’s play, or Richard Strauss’ opera based on that play.
Herod the tetrarch needed no leading astray by Salome or Herodias; he had already chosen his path. This story tells us rather a lot about his character though, and whether he even had the courage to defend his (bad) choices.
Prayer
Lord,
we confess that it can be tempting
to blame our bad choices on others.
To assert that we had no choice,
when in fact we had.
We remember those used
as shields by the powerful.
Help us to hear their voices,
and not just those seeking to exploit them.
Help us to make better choices,
and to repent honestly of our failings.
Amen.