Friday of the
Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(Sirach 47:2-11;
Mark 6:14-29)
The Gospel of Luke pictures John the Baptist and Jesus
related by blood. At least, their
mothers are said to be kinswomen. Today’s
gospel passage from Mark has the two related in another way. It describes John’ capricious execution as
anticipating Jesus’ death on a cross.
John like Jesus after him is not afraid of speaking truth
to power. He tells Herod that it was
wrong for him to marry his brother’s wife.
The judgment does not rile Herod as much as his wife Herodias. She manipulates a situation to have John
beheaded. Being questioned by the high
priest at his trial, Jesus will tell him that he is the Son of God. His statement incurs the judgment that he
must die.
It can be costly to speak truth. But it is not as costly as telling lies. Although lies may save us some trouble, they
come back to haunt us. More importantly,
they also betray our Lord and Savior. Jesus’
telling and living the truth about God, his father, ended in the cross. It brought about his glory and our salvation.
