Scripture passage that caught my attention today: Mark 6:25-29 Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
Observation: This is a gruesome story and a great injustice. But, there are other gruesome stories in the Bible (and Apocrypha) that are portrayed favorably.
Application: Yesterday I read and article that included a painting of a scene from the book of Judith (Judith is a book in a part of some Bibles called the Apocrypha. Catholics recognize the books in the Apocrypha as scripture. Protestant Christians do not elevate the Apocrypha books to that level, yet still acknowledge them as useful for teaching.) Anyhow, in the scene a woman named Judith seduces the king of enemy people to the point where he gets himself dead drunk, at which point she then cuts off his head.
Lovely.
At any rate, since he was an enemy king, she is heralded—and probably appropriately so—as a great hero.
In today’s lessons John is beheaded. In his case it’s a great injustice. Yet today’s readings also included Numbers 23 where enemy armies and people are wiped out by the people of Israel. There it’s considered an act of God.
Frankly, I don’t like gruesome stories, whether they are just or not. One would think they all could be avoided with a verse or two of Kum-by-ya.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way.
Prayer: Lord, we live in what is sometimes a cruel world and it’s especially hard to reconcile such cruelty in light of our view of you as a loving God. But then I consider the fact that even your son endured such cruelty. So I guess it’s not a case of the wicked shall suffer and the righteous shall not. Rather, it’s an assurance that even in a complicated world, there’s no situation too painful for our Lord’s enduring presence. Thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings today included: Numbers 21-23 and Mark 6-7)
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