On the Beheading of the Honorable Forerunner (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

On the Beheading of the Honorable Forerunner 

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

(Delivered in 1981 at Gregoriou Monastery of the Holy Mountain)

We have noticed two contrasting images in tonight’s feast, described to us by the hymnography of our Church and the sacred Gospel we read (Mark 6:16-29).

On the one hand we have Herod, Herodias, the daughter of Herodias, that wicked banquet, the triumph of human wickedness and sinfulness. Promiscuity, illicit marriage, drunkenness, fearlessness of God, passions, anger, hatred, revenge, lack of repentance. In contrast to this image, so gloomy, stands the pure, holy figure of the Baptist, the Prophet, the man of God, the righteous man, Saint John the Forerunner.

Great indeed is the difference! In the person of the Honorable Forerunner we see the man of God, man as God willed him to be, the man of obedience, love, faith, hope in God, perfect devotion to the Lord, sacrifice. In the other persons, of the enemies of the Honorable Forerunner, we see the man who was enslaved to the devil, as he became because of his disobedience to God. On the one hand, we have the highest peak of holiness, and on the other hand, we have the lowest depth of sinfulness and the passionate state. These two images summarize the drama of man's salvation, the fall and holiness.

Holy Scripture presents both to us as they are, without altering them, because from both we must receive spiritual benefit. Let us fear that impassioned state to which these miserable people have reached, who have lost their human, Divine-human destiny, and let us also be careful. For man is weak, he is impassioned, and is easy to overcome by sin, and human nature is easily deceived, and without realizing it, many times, leaving himself unguarded, he can slide into the abyss of perdition and, instead of becoming in the image of God, he becomes in the image of the devil.

That is why today the Church has a fast. To help us, to draw our attention with this fast and to remind us where promiscuity, immorality, corruption, lack of love and humility and repentance can lead man. But here on Mount Athos, because the vigil precedes, there is economy and we eat oil. But outside in the world they fast, because there is no vigil. Here the labor of vigil replaces the strictest fast.

On the one hand, then, we should fear sin, fear anger, fear impassioned and evil thoughts, which inflict the greatest evils on man. And it goes without saying that we Monks – who are here by the Grace of God – live a cautious life, we do not have such dangers as people have in the world. We, by the Grace of God, do not have these dangers, but we do have the war of thoughts, and great care is needed, so that not even the slightest impassioned thought defiles our soul. Because for us, a small consent is equivalent to a great fall.

And on the other hand, the figure of the Honorable Forerunner is again projected. And one wonders: how in that world where God had not become incarnate could a man reach such great heights! To be the “greatest among those born of women” (Luke 7:28)! So pure, so capable of fasting, so virgin, so aflame with the love of God, so humble, so inflamed with the love of people, that he wanted the salvation of all and became the preacher of repentance to all. It seems that the Honorable Forerunner was receptive to this Grace, he also had the blessings of his holy parents, he was a vessel of election of the Holy Spirit and God destined him for this great work that he had to accomplish.

However, it seems that at the depth of his virtue and his many gifts and the great gift of God that he had, was his deep humility. Which deep humility he showed, when he recognized the Lord as first, as leader, as Savior, and himself last. This is truly great humility. For John also had disciples, he was a teacher, he had people who followed him, but he did not hesitate to humble himself and send even his disciples to Christ. To renounce even the right he had to have disciples, and to send them to the Lord. Because he saw that the Lord is the Savior and the Redeemer.

So these things made Saint John this great figure, who concluded the two Testaments, the Old and the New Testament. And the Church of God has him as an Angel in the midst of Her, as the foremost of the Prophets, as the last and foremost of the Prophets of the Old Testament, as the first bride to the Bridegroom of the New Testament. The Old Testament ends with him, and he takes humanity by the hand and leads it to the Bridegroom and Lord Christ. That is why his glory is great, eternal. That is why he is on the left of Christ. On the right is the Panagia, on the left is the Honorable Forerunner. That is why we commemorate him in every Divine Liturgy, after the Most Holy Theotokos. The feeling of the Church is visible. After “Especially for our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary” we say: “For Saint John the prophet, forerunner, and baptist.” After the Most Holy Theotokos is the Honorable Forerunner.

And the great and significant thing is that not only does the Old Testament end with him and the New Testament begins with him, but he also presides over the virgins of the New Testament. For he is the first Virgin and Monk of the Church of Christ. And here again the value of Virginity is seen, the honor of Virginity is seen, the blessing of Virginity is seen. For not only was the Lord a Virgin and lived a virginal life, but so also was the one who showed us the Bridegroom Christ: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29) and he was a Virgin.

Well, fathers, today we also have the blessing to celebrate the leader of our monastic order, the Honorable Forerunner. And therefore today we should ask him for his blessing and for him to pray for us to the Lord. Let us stand there mentally for a while on the banks of the Jordan and contemplate his modesty, his gentleness, his severity, which was the result of his love, his godlike form. That blessed hand of his that showed and baptized the Lord, and let us ask for his blessing.

And because the Honorable Forerunner – even though he may seem stern – is sweet, he is fatherly, he will listen to us, he will accept us, he will accept this love that we offer him and he will embrace us, he will bless us and teach us the “good things of salvation” (Heb. 6:9), so that throughout our lives we may become his followers and imitators.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.