Mark 6:1-29 - February 4, 2024
When we look at our extensive Gospel lesson for today, there is a safe, easy way and a not-so-safe, harder way to go with the sermon.
The safe way is to focus on the first half of this lesson - you know, the part with Jesus teaching and healing, even if not everyone is enthralled by who he is and what he is doing. A lot of preachers can readily pull a sermon out of their back pocket about Christian mission and Christian life - how the disciples were called, not to be loners, but to be part of a community; they were to depend on God and not on the things in their lives; and they were to show welcome and hospitality to others. Wrap that puppy up by talking about how Jesus calls, gathers, sends, and equips us, and boom, there’s a sermon.
In fact, as I was typing this up, you almost got that sermon; it just started to flow! But then I remembered there is a hard way to go, too. And that hard way is the beheading of John the Baptist.
On the one hand, it is hard because so many of the characters are named similarly - Herod who is married to Herodias who has a daughter named… Herodias. But more than that, the topic, the plot, the outcome are all hard to stomach. And to make it even harder to preach a sermon, Jesus isn’t even present in the narrative! He’s absent!
At this point, maybe some of you out there are curious to hear how anything good comes out of this story. Others may wonder what a sermon on an execution would be like since there is no Good News there. And still others of you might just want to watch me struggle. Try your hand at that one, preacher boy!
When I read what the lesson was for today, I knew what would have to happen. You can’t read the story of John’s beheading and then preach a sermon completely ignoring it. So, as to not disappoint you, we’re heading down the hard path.
How do we talk about this story? How do we relate to it? I’ve never been beheaded. I doubt you have either… so, no connection there.
Maybe a good entry point is to look at Herod - or, more specifically, look at Herod’s power. Now, Herod is a man who can do whatever he wants and can get whatever he wants. He is the utmost authority in the land. Yet after making a ludicrous promise to his stepdaughter, Herod is conflicted between protecting John and keeping his word - what he sees as his honor. Ultimately, Herod uses his power not to stand up for what is right, but instead, he uses his power to save himself from shame.
This type of power is absent of mercy. It is power that manipulates others. It is power that only looks out for the self. That type of power is power in its most destructive form.
While this sounds totally like a fictional story that only happens on TV, the truth of the matter is this abuse of power happens all the time. In our world. Right now.
Like Herod, the powerful in our world are accustomed to getting what they want. They are willing to do almost anything to keep or advance what they have. And those who stand up to them - those who advocate for the oppressed, or dare to inspire people to imagine that life can be different - those people often get crushed. There are lots of precedents - authoritarian or corrupt regimes throughout history, assassinations of those who stood up for equal rights, Israel and Palestine, profits over people, the sheer amount of money raised and spent on trying to get elected… that just scratches the surface. I’ll let you conjure up your own examples.
This type of power has its own purpose, its own rules, its own way of doing things all to keep the power. Money, self-interest, manipulation, elimination - anything to keep the power, keep the control. This is the kind of power that leads to heads on platters.
And even though Jesus isn’t mentioned here, there is no way not to foreshadow Jesus’ story from John’s story. The cross looms big.
There are numerous connections between John and Jesus here, indicating what is to come at the end of the Gospel. Both of these preachers are executed by the powers that be in order to maintain the status quo, maintain their power.
The powers of this world don’t have time for such prophetic nonsense - especially not mercy. Not love. Not grace. How does doing the “right thing” help them? That type of sentimental stuff only helps the other guy, and power isn’t about helping the other guy.
Yes, this scene is a gross misuse of power by Herod, one that we still see flashes of today. Mark is encouraging us to take seriously that this is, indeed, the way of the world.
Now, let’s contrast this power with that of the absent preacher, Jesus. Even if you don’t know what happens with Jesus at the very end of the Gospel story, there are a few hints about what God will do. The people assume in verse 14 that Jesus is John, “raised from the dead,” for example. Hint hint to what God will do after Jesus’ own clash with this very same Herod.
Cross and execution occur all the time with the powers of this world, but…that’s only a part; it’s not the whole story. God’s power hasn’t yet been fully seen.
Jesus, even though not seen or even mentioned in Herod’s escapade, is waiting to carry the story on. Jesus comes precisely to show us that there is something more than what this world deems as power. There is resurrection. There is life. There is the power of God, shown in quite the opposite way than that of the world.
Mark sets up a dichotomy of power and encourages us to take seriously that life is, indeed, the way of God.
More than that, through resurrection and life, Mark shows us that Jesus is Lord, not Herod.
Jesus has true power, not any earthly leader.
Jesus is alive, Jesus has conquered death, and Jesus is Lord. And because Jesus is Lord, therefore, everyone else is not.
The ways of this world, those in power in this world, will use any tool and weapon they can to make sure things stay as they are - fear, oppression, lies, division. But the ultimate weapon they use is death. Yet, the point of resurrection is that death has been defeated.
Resurrection is not a sweet frosting merely covering up the taste of death; it is an out-and-out revoking - and with that, a revoking of those whose power depends on it. The ways of this world do not stop God’s powerful love, life, and salvation from coming.
Jesus is Lord, over Herod, over our leaders, over our world, even over the power of death itself.
Jesus’ power doesn’t end life; it creates it. It causes life to flourish. It turns life into something abundant. No matter our power, our lack of, or what powers over us, God’s power is greater. God’s power wins. God’s power brings life.
To wrap up, I’d like to acknowledge the power of God in this place. Ten years ago, we started our journey together here at St. Philip. And in that decade, I’ve seen God’s power in community, in love, and in a commitment to living out grace. God’s power is present here.
We’ve seen a lot, been through a lot, and we’ll see and go through a lot more in the coming years, but God keeps reminding us that even in the face of challenges, the story doesn’t end. Resurrection happens - in our lives, in our community, in our shared commitment to God’s vision.
As our decades continue, may we be ever mindful of the power that has sustained us so far, and will sustain us forever - the power of God in Christ Jesus to bring life and resurrection.