Sermon

30th August  26

So today we remember another nasty death.  Although execution by beheading, the fate of St John the Baptist, is at least quicker than the long agonising death by being flayed alive, the supposed means of St Bartholomew’s martyrdom, about which we heard last Sunday.  And whereas we know nothing from the Bible about St Bartholomew apart from his name in the lists of the twelve apostles, we know a great deal about John.  Luke’s gospel tells of the remarkable events surrounding his birth, then all the gospels describe his role in preparing his hearers for the ministry of Jesus, culminating in baptising our Lord in the River Jordan.

Today’s gospel tells of his end.  We read that John has angered Herod’s wife, Herodias, by criticising their marriage, but Herod is reluctant to kill him.  Then comes her opportunity.  She has a daughter, who is not named in the bible, but who we know from other sources, including Josephus, to be called Salome.  We are told that Salome dances for Herod.  Although scripture is silent about the nature of her dance, it has been represented in art and culture as being of an erotic nature (and we know how artists don’t need much of an excuse to paint the female nude, particularly in more conservative times than our own!).  When Herod promises Salome whatever she wants, she asks for the head of John the Baptist on a plate (again a subject relished by generations of artists, especially as it allows for showing both sex and violence!).

John loses his life because he is not afraid to speak truth to power.  He must have known the risk of angering a king with a well-deserved reputation for brutality.  But he cannot remain silent: he must condemn immorality; he must attack abuse of power.  No one, not even the king, is beyond criticism. No one, not even the king, is excused obedience to the will of God.

The history of the English Reformation, that is the founding of our own Church of England, was not dissimilar.  We know about the attempts of King Henry VIII to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled in order that he could marry Anne Boleyn.  There were brave Christian folk, such as John Fisher, a former Bishop of Rochester who could not support the king’s demands.  We watched the film ‘A man for all seasons’ at one of our film evenings.  That showed the courage of the Chancellor of England, Sir Thomas More, who with Fisher and others was killed for failing to comply with the king’s wishes.

Please God, none of us will be challenged in the same way.  But if we were, would we have the courage of our convictions?  Would we like the saints John the Baptist, John Fisher, or Thomas More stand up for what we knew to be right?  Or would we, like many of the founders of our own denomination, weaken and agree to the wishes of a wicked monarch or an evil government? 

Amen