6.5.23 - Matthew 14:3
Identities change over time. We learn; we adapt; we grow. All of it comes with intention. How might you seek intentional growth today?
For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife
The story of John's beheading begins with his imprisonment.
His imprisonment begins with the discomfort of someone in power being called out by someone from the margins.
There's a lot we can unpack in this story about violence, politics, and power. And, there's one thing that encompasses all of these, which is identity.
In this case, it's a fixed identity that brings out violence from those who are called out. Herod and Herodias have a fixed sense of who they are. Instead of being open to learning more, they respond to challenges to their identities with violence.
To tell the truth we all have the capacity to do this, and we see it all the time with anti-trans laws, book banning, and other power grabs.
A fixed identity will always respond in fear. The identity of faith is flexible. It embodies the possible and seeks to be curious.
As you go through the day today, what's one way you can embody curiosity with others?
-- Jason Whitehead