WHY THE EXECUTION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST?

Matthew 14:1-12

Today’s gospel is about the execution and death of John the Baptist. He died in a horrible way being beheaded due to the command of King Herod. And his head was presented to a young girl on a platter as a reward for her dancing skills. Why did King Herod end up doing such an unjust act? It is because he did not have the courage to take back a rash oath which he had made. It is because he asked himself: what will people think about me? What will my guests think? And this question made him weak because in spite of knowing John the Baptist as a holy man, he gave in to an immoral act of murdering him just to save his face.

The same question may arise for us. Sometimes all of us here ask ourselves this question. What will my neighbors, my siblings, my parents, my friends, my coworkers think about me? And we end up doing things we really do not want to do all because of a false sense of shame; all because we want to protect our reputation on the expense of truth. Have you ever feared to do the right thing, or bear witness to your faith, because you were concerned about what others might do or say? I would imagine that most of us have; it’s something of a universal struggle. Teens struggle with peer pressure about sex and drugs. Workers weigh the pros and cons about resisting a corrupt or unethical corporate culture. Public figures bow to opinion polls. Christians keep their faith under wraps, lest they be labeled a “holy roller.” It’s all a matter of our conscience, versus our reputation. King Herod was a case in point. He knew that the right thing to do was to set John the Baptist free. But he was afraid of what his guests might think. So against his better judgment, he delivered John to death
There are so many times our Christian and moral principles are compromised out of human respect. We know that as Catholic Christians we must stand up for Christ and His gospel message. Somebody had said that we are scared, we are afraid that it is going to cost us too much to speak up. We might lose a friend, we might lose some business if we take a firm stand in the community for something that involves Christian and human values. It is difficult for us to bow down to the truth of one’s immoral way of life. Many times we always compromise higher values to lower values, moral principles to selfish principles. Instead of promoting and defending moral uprightness we easily dump them for social convenience and popularity. The important question for us today is how do we deal with bad conscience when it comes to us? Do we run from it? Or face it and come to terms with it?

Are there truths about ourselves that we are not facing because we want to protect our names? If so, do we have any guarantee that these truths won’t drag us deeper into the pit of despair and betrayal? “The king was distress, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present…. He had John beheaded in the prison.” Herod could have changed his mind. But he preferred his honor and name over John’s life, over the truth. Let us check our values and ask ourselves what great things have we compromised for trivial matters? We may not like what others tell us, but let us pray for that courage to listen to the John the Baptist whom the Lord sends to us.