Mark 6:21-28 “And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
Text “And she said, The head of John the Baptist.” Mark 6:24
Before us is the Folly of Spite and Revenge! When I read this story, I want to say, “What is wrong with you people?” The only thing worse than Herod’s offer to give up half the kingdom, is Herodias’ request! I do not know the land mass, population, or material wealth of Galilee, but Herodias could have asked for half. She could have had houses and lands, gold and silver. But, what did she tell her daughter to ask for, “The head of John the Baptist.” What could so pervert one’s thinking that they would ask for a bloody head on a plate? Herodias failed to make a good decision because she was consumed with the bitterness of revenge. Herodias had been confronted with the truth of God’s Word and rather than yielding in repentance; she retaliated with spite and revenge! While you may not be asking for someone’s head on a plate, you may be making choices just as bad! God has used someone to confront you about your music, your apparel, your rebellious spirit, your choice of friends, or your faithfulness to the things of God. You could have agreed with the God and His Word, but you have decided to get revenge. In an effort to spite those in authority, you make even worse choices. You begin to experiment with all the wrong things. This is hurtful to all those that love you, but the one that suffers most is you; drug dependency, unwanted pregnancy, a bad marriage, or a terminal disease! You soon discover that it’s your head on the plate!