Safe

"Knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, he kept him safe," Mark 6:20.

He, who? Who, him? Who, knowing? Herod, King Herod, is the knower who kept the other one safe. And John, Baptizing John, is the one kept safe. So how did this manly king keep that godly prophet safe? The king dispatched for John, seized him, bound him. He held him in prison. And, then, to make sure no harm befell him, chopped his head off. That is, to make sure no harm befell the king's reputation (!), the king had the prophet dispatched. So Jesus observed heaven's kingdom is violated by violent men. Indeed. Can man's violent safety, if such it be called, end except in death? Graveyards fill with protected people. But God's safety begins with death. Sinking into Christ's death. And ends in rising into Christ's life. Resurrection forever. Sky kingdom.

With a brother or sister today, we remember the persecuted righteous, faithful to the end. And, together from the depths, we give thanks for God's safety, despite death, enduring into eternity.