Herod made a promise.
A very big promise.
And when the moment came to admit he had spoken foolishly, there were people watching.
That may be one of the most painfully human moments in this Sunday’s Gospel, Mark 6:17–28.
ROOK moves the stakes somewhere considerably safer: the college dining hall.
Ryan is absolutely certain he’s getting an A.
So certain, in fact, that he promises pizza to everyone if he doesn’t.
Then the grades are posted.
B-plus.
Jake offers him an escape.
Ryan looks around the room.
“They heard me.”
There’s the trap.
Sometimes pride isn’t what makes us boast. Sometimes it’s what keeps us from admitting afterward that the boast was foolish.
Fortunately for Ryan, the only thing at stake is pizza.
Sunday ROOK is our weekly playful encounter with the Sunday Gospel—finding the humor, humanity, surprise, and wisdom in stories that still have an uncanny way of finding us.
♜ ROOK — new every day at noon.
Different adventures. Same journey.