The Truth That Unsettles Us - Mark 6:14–29

Today's Gospel gives us one of Scripture's most haunting portraits of a divided heart. King Herod stands before us as a man caught between the comfort of his sin and the beauty of the truth. He imprisoned John the Baptist for speaking honestly about his unlawful marriage to Herodias, yet he could not stop listening to the very man he chained. Mark tells us Herod "was much perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly."

There is something deeply familiar about that sentence. How many of us have heard the Gospel, felt our hearts stir, and then walked away unchanged? How many times have we recognized the truth, even been moved by it, yet refused to let it reshape the way we live?

The Comfort of Chains

Herod kept John in prison, but in a way, Herod was the one in chains. He was bound by fear—fear of Herodias, fear of losing power, fear of what obedience to the truth would cost him. He enjoyed listening to John the way someone might enjoy reading about a life they admire but never intend to live. Admiration without action is just entertainment.

This is the quiet danger the Gospel warns us about today. It is possible to love the sound of truth and still refuse its demands. It is possible to sit in the pew, read the Scriptures, pray the prayers, and leave our lives exactly as they were. Herod's tragedy was not that he didn't recognize holiness—he did. His tragedy was that recognition was as far as he was willing to go.

John's Courage, Our Call

On the other side of this story stands John the Baptist—a man with nothing to lose because he had already given everything to God. He did not soften his message to protect himself. He spoke the truth to power even when it cost him his freedom, and ultimately, his life. John understood something that Herod never could: the truth is not something you listen to for pleasure. It is something you surrender to.

We are all somewhere on the spectrum between Herod and John. Each day, we are given the choice: will we merely admire the Gospel, or will we allow it to change us? Will we listen gladly and walk away, or will we take the harder road of actually living what we believe?

A Prayer for Today

Lord, do not let me be like Herod—moved by Your word but unchanged in my life. Give me the courage of John, who loved truth more than comfort. Help me to not only hear Your voice gladly but to follow where it leads, even when the road is difficult. Let my faith be more than admiration. Let it be surrender.

Amen.

Today's Readings: Sirach 47:2–11 | Psalm 18:31, 47, 50, 51 | Mark 6:14–29