😵‍💫 Mark 6:20 The Echoes of a Perplexed King

 I was reading through Mark's Gospel the other day, and a particular verse stopped me in my tracks. It's about King Herod and his strange relationship with John the Baptist. You know the part. Herod had John arrested because he was speaking out against his marriage to Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

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. -- Mark 6:20

Isn’t that a fascinating verse?

Let’s break it down. 

First, why was marrying Herodias so wrong for Herod? Well, it was a pretty clear violation of Mosaic law. which explicitly forbid a man from marrying his brother’s wife, especially while the brother is still alive. 

If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness, they shall be childless. -- Leviticus 20:21

This wasn’t just a social faux pas; it was a grave sin against God's law. John, being a prophet, couldn't stay silent about it.

So, Herod, a king with immense power, is now faced with this holy man who is calling him out. And he is “much perplexed.” I love that word. It captures a feeling we've all had, right? It’s a mix of confusion, anxiety, and being deeply troubled by something.

And yet… he “heard him gladly.” He liked listening to John. The teachings, the fiery passion, the call to righteousness, all these resonated with him. They soothed a part of his soul, even as they shook the very foundation of his life.

Doesn't that sound familiar?

I know I’ve been there. I’ll be sitting in Mass or reading a passage from the Bible, and I’ll feel that warmth, that sense of peace. The words of Jesus are like a balm for my anxious heart. They speak of love, forgiveness, and eternal life. It’s the part of faith that is easy to embrace. It’s the part we gladly hear and embrace.

But then, the teaching shifts. It challenges my comfort. It asks me to forgive someone I'd rather hold a grudge against. It tells me to give more than I think I can afford. It calls me out on a habit I've convinced myself isn't that bad.

In those moments, I become like Herod. I’m "much perplexed". My heart is telling me one thing, but my sinful nature, my desires and underdtanding, are screaming another.

And this is where we so often make the mistake. We listen to the parts that soothe us, but we ignore the parts that shake us. We take the beautiful promises of Jesus and leave the difficult commands on the table. We’re like the seed in the parable, thrown on the rocky ground. 

"Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away." -- Matthew 13:5-6

There’s some initial growth, a flash of excitement, but there’s no deep root. The scorching sun of temptation or challenge comes, and the spiritual plant withers because we never allowed ourselves to be truly transformed.

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. -- Matthew 13:20-21

What happens when the Gospel challenges us to face something we’ve been trying to avoid?
When a teaching makes us uncomfortable?
These are the main factor in our spiritual growth. 

Do we, like Herod, just let the perplexity sit there and inprision it? Or do we take action?

Instead of ignoring it, we should turn to the one who can guide us through the confusion: the Holy Spirit. We should pray, “Holy Spirit, reveal to me what I cannot see. Strengthen me where I am weak. Give me the grace to correct what is wrong in my life and to truly transform myself.”

We all know how Herod's story ends. His lukewarmness, his failure to act on the truth he heard, led him to do the very thing he was initially unwilling to do: behead the righteous John. When our faith is weak and we don't fully commit to the difficult parts of the Gospel, we easily fall. We become vulnerable to the pressures of the world, just as Herod gave in to the whims of Herodias and her daughter.

Let’s not be like Herod. Let’s not just be hearers of the Word who are perplexed but do nothing. Let’s be doers. Let’s allow the Word of God, in its entirety both the soothing and the shaking parts to take root in our hearts and transform us into the people God created us to be.