Mark 6:14-29 – A Character study?

This morning for my devotions I read Mark 6:14-29.  This portion of Mark’s gospel tells us about the death of John the Baptist.  While it may be difficult to find a direct personal application from this text, it does reveal much about the character of King Herod, Herodias (Herod’s niece, former sister-in-law, and wife), and Salome (Herod’s niece, grand-niece, and step-daughter).  As the details of the death of John the Baptist unfold, we get a sense of the debased nature of these 3 characters.  Also, this passage testifies to the power of words, for this all began with John the Baptist speaking truth to Herod by telling him it is unlawful for him to have his brother’s wife.  Unltimately, this resulted in John’s death.  When one considers the trickery and conniving undertaken by Herodias in this story, we see the depths to which she was willing to sink in order to not look at her own sin.