Scripture Mark 6: 14-29
Our scripture
lesson today is not an easy one. It is a dark and gruesome story, first of the
arrest and imprisonment of John the Baptist. We then have the manipulating and
conniving Herodius, who is bitter at John the Baptist and plots to have him
killed. We then have the seductive daughter of Herod, who entertains the dinner
guests and tricks Herod into granting her a fateful wish, and all of this leads
to the beheading of John the Baptist and his head being offered on to the King
on a platter. What a sad, sick story to
be found right in the middle of Mark’s gospel. Many of you are probably
wondering why would he pick this passage to preach on? To be honest, at first I
asked myself the very same question, yet God kept telling me to dig deeper, to
look harder. Finally I stopped asking myself why preach on this passage, and
begin to ask why is the passage here in the Gospel of Mark?
This is a very important question to
ask. Why is this story about the beheading of John the Baptist here in the
gospel. You have to admit, it is a very peculiar story, in a very peculiar
location of the Gospel. In the Gospel of Mark we first meet John the Baptist in
chapter one, out in the wilderness, with his crazy hair and eating locusts, and
of course baptizing many followers. Yet after this encounter with John in the
first chapter of Mark, we do not hear anything about him until this story about
his death in chapter 6. Jesus has already healed the bleeding women, raised
Jarius daughter from the dead, been back home and rejected, and right before
this passage, he has sent out his 12 disciples to go into mission. Right after
this story is not very different. This story is directly followed by Jesus
feeding the 5000 with the few loaves of bread and fish. This story on the
surface seems out of place. Why would Mark find it necessary to put this story
here, right in the middle of the actions of Jesus’ ministry? I believe that
Mark is reminding us that throughout his ministry, John the Baptist has been
preparing for the coming of Christ, and leading people to follow Chirst. In the
first chapter of Mark, John is proclaiming Christ’s coming. Let’s read what it
says, “John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. And
people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were
going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing
their sins…He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after
me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” John’s entire ministry was about
preparing the way for Jesus. It was not about all the followers that he
gathered, and it was not about how many people he baptized. For as he says, “I
have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
John the Baptist’s ministry was, and always had been soley about preparing the
way for Christ.
So now we look back to our passage
for today, and I don’t know if you noticed it or not at first reading, but Mark
tells us why this story is here. The very begging of our passage today says
this, “King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were
saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason
these powers are at work in him.’But
others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the
prophets of old.’But
when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’ Word of Jesus had been spreading throughout
the land, and now even the King Herod had heard of all the miraculous things
that he had done. Now everyone is starting to ask who this Jesus fellow is. Who
is this guy bringing back people from the dead? Who is this guy that now has
many followers, including 12 who are serving as his right hand men? Isn’t this
the son of Joseph the carpenter in Nazareth? Who could possibly have this sort
of power? It must be John coming back to haunt me, but no, that can’t be I had
John killed. Maybe its Elijah, or maybe it’s one of the other prophets as of
old, but no he speaks of the same things as John the Baptist, he talks about
repentance and forgiveness, John the Baptist must have come back from the dead!
This story is kind of ironic,
because we know who this Jesus fellow is, and now Mark be delivering one of the
biggest “I told you so’s” in the Bible by putting this story here. Mark is saying, remember when John the
Baptist told you all that someone greater than he was coming? This guy
Jesus has just healed a woman who had
been bleeding for 12 years, and raised a little girl from the dead! That
someone greater is here, and its Jesus. Remember John told you that he baptizes
with water but the coming Christ will baptize with spirit. Well, this Jesus guy
has been going around teaching and baptizing people in a way that has
drastically transformed their lives like you have never seen before. That
spirit is here, and it is found in Jesus. Remember when you killed John yet
even to his dying breath he had faith in the one who was coming? Well Herod,
you may have been able to kill John, but that Messiah that he has been telling
you about is here, and it’s Jesus. John’s whole ministry has been about
preparing the way for the Messiah, and this story today affirms that Jesus is
that Messiah.
As Christians and as the church, we
should be following in the footsteps of John the Baptist. We too should be
anticipating the coming of Christ, and preparing the world for that coming. The
way we live our lives should always point towards Christ, and others should be
able to know Jesus through us. Our daily task should be telling others about
the love of Christ, and as John puts it, “preparing the way for the Lord.” In
essence, our lives as Christians and as the church should be like that of John
the Baptist, pointing forward to the coming of Christ.
But the question still remains, why
the story of John the Baptists death. Why put that gruesome story here. If Mark
wants us to realize that John’s prophesy is fulfilled in Jesus, why not use
stories of John’s teachings or of his healings, or even better yet, of the
baptisms that he has done? First, Mark is showing us the cost of discipleship.
John’s terrible death shows us that at times being a faithful witness comes
with a price. Even the most dedicated and righteous Christian men and women
will face scorn, ridicule, pain, and sometimes as was the case with John.
Listen to what the Bible says about John. “So Herodious
nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to,
because Herod feared John and protected
him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was
greatly puzzled, yet he liked to listen to him.” John was such a
fateful servant that even Herod liked him. Herod respected him and feared him,
but even with this, John was beheaded for his standing up for his beliefs.
One man who knew something about the
cost of discipleship is the great theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer; a man who
literally wrote the book on “The Cost of Discipleship.” Bonheoffer was a
Lutheran pastor, who grew up in the era of World War I. He studies for a while
in Germany, and then came over to the United States, to attend Union
Theological Seminary in New York. In 1931, around the time when the Nazi party
started to gain some power and popularity, Bonheoffer returned to Germany. Not
only did he return to Germany, but as a Lutheran pastor, he began to openly
oppose the Nazi regime. As the Nazis gained more and more power, Bonheoffer
could have easily have left and gone back to America where he would have been
safe, but he felt the call to stay and Germany, and faithfully oppose the
Nazis. As the Nazis started to become more powerful, and now started to send
many Jews to concentration camps to be killed, Bonheoffer became even more
vocal with his outcries. Bonhoeffer did leave to come to come to America when
the war broke out, but quickly realized that God wanted him in Germany, and he
quickly returned. Bonheoffer because a public enemy of the Nazi regime and was
forbidden from printing or writing any material, as well as forbidden to speak
in public. Bonheoffer still defied, and was imprisoned by the Gestapo. A year
and a half later he was convicted and hung in Flossenburg concentration camp.
Figures like Bonheoffer and John the Baptist show us that at times there does
come a great cost for faithfully following Christ.
The story of John the Baptist’s
death, is also important, because as I have said before, it points toward
victory in Christ. The irony in this story is chillingly beautiful. I invite
you to really picture the scene set in this passage. Picture a large, well
decorated, ornate room, one that displays the power of King Herod. In this room
are some of the most powerful and wealthy guests of the King, all gathering to
celebrate at this feast. I can imagine a huge spread of food, probably much of
it lavish and exotic food that only the King could prepare. I can hear the
music and the laughter as the party gets going, and then there is Herodius,
dancing for the enjoyment of all the guests. Now imagine that the party
continues and the guests continue to wine and dine until finally, a platter is
brought into the room. I can almost imagine the top of the platter being lifted
and on the platter is the head of John the Baptist. Imagine the joy on
Herodious’ face and on the face of her mother. I can even picture the devil,
dancing in delight for he had killed one of the great followers of the Lord.
This story paints the picture of a morbid and unholy banquet. It depicts a sick
and unheavenly feast.
Yet even this unheavenly feast points towards the
coming of Christ, because as we see in the passage, Herod realizes that though
he may have beheaded John the Baptist, the truth and spirit of John has now
come in almighty glory through this man, Jesus, the Messiah. The death of John
the Baptist also foreshadows the Jesus’ very own death, but in Jesus’ death the
devil can not dance for Jesus rose and conquered death, Jesus died for our
sins, and the devil’s power was destroyed for now salvation was made possible
for all. Now as followers of Christ we able to gather at our own feast, a feast
of bread and wine, of body and blood that is no longer a sign of Satan’s work
in the world, but rather of the redeeming grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Through Holy Communion, we are able to remember the life and sacrifice
of Jesus, we are able to experience his presence with us, and like John the
Baptist, we are able to point towards that coming of Christ. Hear what our
United Methodist Liturgy for Communion says, “By Your
Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all
the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly
banquet.” This is what the Bible
story today in pointing us towards, that time where Christ comes in final
victory. It directs us to be made one with Christ, it tells us to be made one
with each other and in ministry to all the world, even if the cost of that
discipleship is great. But as our own feast that is Communion reminds us, this
unholy banquet, this unheavenly feast that we read today, points us towards
that day in which Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly
banquet.
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