Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
Solario, Andrea, ca. 1465-ca. 1520. Salome with the Head of John the Baptist, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54128 [retrieved July 9, 2021]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/17884832@N00/1163690185/.
Spiritual Practices: Keyword Listing
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
- Herod (and related pronouns and titles) - Explore Herod's attitudes and actions toward Jesus and John
- Herodias (and related pronouns) - Explore Herodias' attitudes and actions toward John
Living Out the Text: Who do you think Jesus is?
As this passage opens, rumors about Jesus are starting to fly. Some people, like Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood in chapter 5, have embraced him. Some people, like the people of Nazareth in the first part of this chapter, have doubted or even rejected him. Now people are talking. They are trying to figure out exactly who this Jesus is. Some people think he is John the Baptist back from the dead. Some people think he is Elijah, who many people considered to be the greatest prophet from ancient Israel, come back again. Some people think he is another prophet, like one of the many Old Testament prophets. Even Herod has an opinion; he thinks he is John the Baptist back from the dead.
Like the people of Israel at the time, most people today have an opinion about Jesus. Some think he didn't really exist. Some think he was a prophet, a teacher, or simply a good man. Some people think most of the stories about him are made up or exaggerations. Some think he is the Son of God. The question of who we think Jesus is and what we do with him is the most important question we will ever decide. Everyone else has their opinion, what about you? Who do you think Jesus is? What are you going to do with him?
As this passage opens, rumors about Jesus are starting to fly. Some people, like Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood in chapter 5, have embraced him. Some people, like the people of Nazareth in the first part of this chapter, have doubted or even rejected him. Now people are talking. They are trying to figure out exactly who this Jesus is. Some people think he is John the Baptist back from the dead. Some people think he is Elijah, who many people considered to be the greatest prophet from ancient Israel, come back again. Some people think he is another prophet, like one of the many Old Testament prophets. Even Herod has an opinion; he thinks he is John the Baptist back from the dead.
Like the people of Israel at the time, most people today have an opinion about Jesus. Some think he didn't really exist. Some think he was a prophet, a teacher, or simply a good man. Some people think most of the stories about him are made up or exaggerations. Some think he is the Son of God. The question of who we think Jesus is and what we do with him is the most important question we will ever decide. Everyone else has their opinion, what about you? Who do you think Jesus is? What are you going to do with him?