Scripture

So John was beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

Observation

Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, hears about the miracles Jesus is doing. He thinks that He is John the Baptist come back to life.

Sometime earlier, Herod had arrested and imprisoned John because John had been telling him that it was against God’s law for Herod to marry Herodias. At a party for Herod’s birthday, Herodias’s daughter had performed a dance for which Herod promised to give her anything she wanted. She demanded John the Baptist’s head brought to her on a tray. So John was beheaded. His head was taken on a tray to Herodias’s daughter, who gave it to her mother.

Application

The rich and powerful have always wielded control over people’s lives and punished those who criticise them.

These days, their power is more subtle than in the past. People are cancelled from social media or their jobs for expressing the wrong opinion.

Christians must not be afraid to speak the truth, regardless of the threat of reprisals. We must always speak the truth in love, but we must speak it anyway.

In his book, “Letter to the American Church,” Eric Metaxas writes that the Nazis were able to wield power ruthlessly because pastors and other Christians were afraid to speak up.

In our day, Western civilisation is rapidly falling apart, and Christians have a duty to confront evil and promote God’s righteousness.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the testimony of Christians through the ages who have stood up for truth at the expense of their own lives. Please give me that kind of courage. Amen.