I am not sure why, but I have always subconsciously categorised bees as good, wasps as irritating and hornets as outright dangerous. I am irrational; bees are lethal to those who react badly to stings, wasps are important pollinators as are hornets, which also have a part to play in balancing other insect populations. They eat them. Superficial research informs me that hornets are rarely aggressive, unlike wasps, unless provoked.
There is an idiom that abuses the poor old hornet; to ‘stir up a hornets’ nest’ is to cause a commotion, make trouble, or create a tricky situation.’ (It occurs to me that there is another illustration here that I will use in a future ‘thought.’)
This is the day on which we recall the brutal beheading of John the Baptist. John had lived out prophesy by heralding the coming of Jesus. He had preached and prepared the way for Jesus but when Jesus emerged, John dropped back so the ‘one mightier than I’ could do his work and the work of God.
Meanwhile, John worked in the background. He had ‘stirred up a hornets’ nest’ with his condemnation of King Herod’s marriage. In an intriguing set of circumstances with manipulation playing out, (Matthew 14:1-12), John is beheaded. He stirred up emotions and it all went horribly wrong.
Reflecting on John’s circumstances, my first thought is that modern law protects us from the comment that causes offence, in normal circumstances that is. The recent rioting in parts of England has warned that comments, which do not even need to be based on truth, can ‘stir up a hornets’ nest. When that happens, rational argument is irrelevant.
A Prayer.
God of all compassion, today we pray for people who have been abused for saying the right thing. We pray for people who have been injured in rioting and for your wisdom in restoring calm where there is fury and thank you for our own safety. May we not take peace and safety for granted, for Jesus’s sake, Amen.