Saint John the Baptist’s life was lived fully in conformity with God’s will. He boldly preached the Kingdom of God and was a powerful testimony to the Truth. The following excerpt will reveal how Saint John the Baptist was not just a martyr, but also a martyr for marriage.
John’s life ended in a manner worthy of its beginning. John offered his life for the sake of the truth he was sent to preach. And just as his birth had been ordained by God, so also his death. From beginning to end, John’s life was a life fully guided by and in conformity with God’s plan.
Was John the Baptist Really a Martyr?
The title of this chapter may occasion some reflection: Was John really a martyr? After all, a martyr is one who is killed out of hatred for the faith, the truths revealed by God. But the truth John died for seemed to be a prescription of the Old Law, not really a part of the gospel of Jesus. Is someone who dies to attest that trees are green in the summer a martyr? Is someone who dies rather than eat pork according to the prescriptions of the Old Law a martyr? We shall have to investigate these and similar questions in the pages which follow.
A good place to begin this investigation is the gospel texts which record the death of John. The most detailed text is that taken from the Gospel according to Mark:
King Herod heard of it; for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Eli′jah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Hero′di-as, his brother Philip’s wife; because he had married her. For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Hero′di-as had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee. For when Hero′di-as’ daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it.” And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” And she went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the baptizer.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
Saint John the Baptist Preaches to Herod
When Herod first heard of Jesus, it was shortly after he had beheaded John. Somehow, Herod believed that Jesus was John raised up. This probably accounts for Herod’s intense desire to see Jesus. Even while John was in prison, Herod liked to listen to John. Naturally, it must have been a disappointment for Herod when he finally saw Jesus, and Jesus, unlike John, refused to speak to him. Where did Herod conceive of this possibility that John would be raised up? It is unlikely that he followed the religious debates between the Pharisees and Sadducees. Herod probably took relatively little interest in religion at all. But we do know that he used to listen to John while John was held in custody. So it is reasonable to suppose that John was the one who had told Herod about the resurrection of the dead. And John was so convincing and gave such a powerful witness by his life that, although he performed no miracle, even Herod found John’s teaching to be plausible. If someone were to ask you why John was imprisoned and eventually killed, you might be tempted to say that it was because Herod did not like the fact that John was preaching against his unlawful marriage. But if we read the text more closely, it seems that it was Herodias more than Herod who was offended. Herod imprisoned John “on account of Herodias” who “harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him.” But it seems that she was prevented in her intention because “Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.” In this way, John was very much like his predecessor Elijah, who was persecuted more by Jezebel, the foreign wife of Ahaz, than by Ahaz himself. Both Ahaz and Herod seemed to have some small spark of goodness left in them, which they allowed to be extinguished by the envy of their wives. This is a common theme throughout Scripture: the devil tempts a man through his wife, as he tempted Adam through Eve, Job through his wife, and so on. This shows the importance for a man to have a virtuous wife.
Defenders of Church Teaching
It often happens that those who stand to gain the most from the teachings of Christ and His Church are the most vocal opponents to that very teaching. This is nowhere more apparent than in the teachings about marriage and family. It is usually people from broken families who express the greatest outrage over the Church’s teaching against divorce and remarriage, the redefinitions of marriage, fornication, adultery, homosexual acts, contraception, and so on. People from intact, happy families experience the benefits of living in a home where chastity and fidelity are practiced, and so they rarely object to the Church’s teachings on these things. On the other hand, the very reason why most of those who object to the Church’s teachings are themselves victims of broken families is because their family members, especially their parents, refused to abide by the Church’s teaching in these areas. And so these unfortunate souls are raised without a loving father and mother in a lifelong communion of life and love. They are victims of the very errors and evils which they seek to defend. But like John the Baptist, the Church and her faithful preachers continue to speak the whole truth so that perhaps a few will be saved.
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This article is taken from a chapter in Saint John the Baptist by Fr. Sebastian Walshe, O.Praem which is available from TAN Books.
