Mark 6:14-29
Who said it was easy?
If anyone in the gospels, other than Jesus, can be said to have been a model of obedience and Kingdom Building, it is John the Baptist. There may be others (Mary comes to mind), but definitely John the Baptist is in that group.
Yet what is his fate? Even in prison he continues his prophetic message. A preaching professor once shared with me the definition for prophetic preaching that I have since taken to heart: “Prophecy comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.”
“Prepare the way of the Lord!” That’s good news for the afflicted, but is a bad omen for those who are oppressing the soon to be rescued.
Unlike Joseph, though, who was unjustly imprisoned and continued to proclaim truth, there is no rescue for John. The problem with the comfortable is that they are almost always the most powerful as well. So, tired of the uncomfortable position he has put her in, Herod’s lover/sister-in-law is able to secure John’s head.
Following Christ and building the Kingdom is no guarantee that things will work out. If anything, the New Testament is a record how, from one perspective, building God’s kingdom ends badly for the most dedicated builders.
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