Understanding Worth

The record of the encounters between Herod the King and John the Baptist has always stood out to me. It contains several layers, undertones, and much prophetic significance. However, I intend to draw our attention to the conversation between the King and the daughter of Herodias.

[21] And when a convenient day came, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

[22] And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

[23] And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

[24] And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

[25] And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

Mark 6:21-25 (KJV)

Herodias’ daughter danced well, pleasing the King in the process. And the King, feeling honored and pleased, made a grand pronouncement (as kings are known to do). He gave her the opportunity to request for just about anything that she so desired, even to the tune of half the kingdom!

He was essentially offering her the possibility of co-rulership with him.

She, however, conferred with her mother and returned with a rather strange request. She desired the head of John the Baptist on a platter rather than the wealth and the influence of ownership and oversight of half a kingdom.

Why this choice?

There are personal and prophetic reasons for this choice. However, I am dealing now with worth. Why was the head of John the Baptist a better bargain than the kingdom? Or, to put it differently, why was she willing to forgo the kingdom to get John’s head?

The answer: she understood worth.

This is the thing that, in a sense, the devil works with. He knows that we have a poor perception of worth. Any other person would have gone for the offer of the kingdom, but not Herodias, she knew better. She knew that John’s head was worth more.

The devil knows that on average, we have a poor sense of the worth of eternal things, we have a poor sense of the weight of our calling in Christ, and we have a poor sense of the weight of the glory set before us, so he offers us the world.

He offers us gold, glamour, girls (or boys), and the shiny things of the world, in exchange for those important things. He knows he can get us to the table of transactions. The devil can forgo any and everything in order to get your head.

Beloved, your head is worth more than you imagine. It is infinitely worth more than all that the devil dangles before you. He is after your life, your calling, your place, and the glory that God desires to come from your life unto him.
And he is willing to forgo anything to get you.

Don’t be trapped by the love of the world. Learn to recognize the worth of things. Remember that nothing you receive in exchange for your head will truly be worth it.

Your head is the prize.