Psalm 31; Revelation 6:9-11; Romans 6:1-6
St.
Mark 6:14-29
In the name of the Father, and of the T Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“There are two ways, one of life and
one of death, and there is a great difference between these two ways.”[1] These are the opening words of perhaps
the oldest Christian writing outside of the New Testament called The Didache
or “The Teaching.” The author of The Didache is likely referencing Psalm
1, “For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly
shall perish.”[2] These two ways, the way of life and
the way of death; the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly, are on
clear display this morning.
King Herod was not in fact a king. He
was a tetrarch, one of four men set in authority in the territory of Israel but
subservient to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. So long as he kept the peace
and served Rome, Herod was allowed to live as he pleased. He was rich beyond
necessity and bore no real responsibility aside from pleasing the Romans. Herod
associated with the rich and powerful, feasted sumptuously, wore fine clothing,
and enjoyed the company of young women.
John the Baptist was an exile from
birth. The father of this Herod – confusingly also named “Herod” – ordered all
boys under two be murdered so that the coming Son of David would not assume the
throne. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt. Zacharias, Elizabeth, and John,
only six months old, fled into the wilderness. Donning the garb of a prophet,
John ate locusts and wild honey, wrapped a leather belt around his camel hair
shirt, and preached the Word of God, preparing the way for the Christ.
The contrast between the stations of
Herod and John could not be wider. St. Mark is emphasizing that outward signs
of blessing in this world do not correlate to the salvation of God. Christ came
for the blind, the weak, the poor, and the lowly. The mighty he has cast down
and the proud are made weak.
But before we condemn Herod for being a
ruler, who showed all manner of outward blessing (in food, clothing, company,
and wealth), God does not offer salvation based on outward lowliness either.
The poor man is not saved by being poor nor is the rich man saved by being
rich. Nor is either forgiven on account of changing his station – the poor
pulling himself out of poverty through hard work or the rich man giving away
his wealth to the needy. Our station in this life is given to us by God so that
we would be stewards of what we’ve been given.
The contrast between Herod and John
which is far more important are the words they speak. Because John was called
to be the prophet who prepared the way of the Lord, his preaching was primarily
that of repentance. He was to prepare the hearts of Israel so that they might
receive the Christ. We are prepared for absolution through repentance. We are
prepared to receive the Gospel through the condemning action of the Law.
Herod enjoyed this preaching of John.
Herod, who murdered his brother so that he could marry his sister-in-law;
Herod, whose hormones rages so uncontrollably that he was titillated by the
dancing of his 14 year-old step daughter; Herod, who lived in excess and bowed
the knee to the Romans, enjoyed hearing John preach the Law.
When John condemned the marriage of
Herod and Herodias, the spiteful woman wanted to kill him, but Herod protected
John. He would not allow the prophet to be murdered but he would allow him to
be imprisoned – likely so he could please his now “wife” and hear John preach
all the more. The sick and depraved Herod was intrigued by the Word of God
spoken by the prophet. The Holy Ghost was working in the heart of Herod, seeking
to destroy his stony heart with the hammer of God’s Law so that a heart of
flesh might fill its place.
Then comes the fateful night of the birthday
feast. Herod loses his mind to lust over the dancing of his stepdaughter, a
young maiden, barely old enough to be betrothed, and offers her anything her
heart desires. The girl is at a loss, so asks her mother, who demands the head
of John the Baptist. Though he is exceedingly sorrowful, because of his oath
and the presence of his noble guests, Herod gives the execution order. In that
moment, all the preaching of John the Baptist has been rejected by Herod.
Whatever Word of God had begun to work on his heart, Herod’s own lust, his
pride, and his reputation were stronger.
Do not scoff at Herod. Perhaps he never
had faith and perhaps he was only entertained by John, but do not scoff. For
you too are like Herod. The time comes to tell your cousin it is a sin to sleep
with her boyfriend and you don’t have the nerve. Especially when getting
married would cause her to lose her deceased husband’s benefits. Your
reputation before others if very important to you but notice that the 8th
commandment requires you to protect the reputation of your neighbor – not your
own. Even then, if confessing the truth harms your reputation among your
friends, they are not your friends or at least they are sorely confused about
who you are.
Then there are the parts of Scripture
you may not like. You do your daily bible readings and you come to church and
listen to the sermons, but every time Christ says, “Rid yourself of crude
jokes,”[3] your ears bristle and you think, ‘That
can’t mean a dirty joke here and there…’
‘Submit to the government, not only the
good but also the harsh.’[4] “I like when Jesus says, “Obey God
rather than men, but submit to harsh rulers? No thank you.”
‘Wives, submit to your husbands.’[5] “That just means women can’t be
pastors, it doesn’t mean anything at home.”
‘Let women be silent in the churches, not exercising authority over men.’[6] “Well, I just don’t like any version of that.”
The point is Christ came to save the
humble – those who humble themselves before God and his Word. You may not like
the Word of God, you may not like the judgement of the Lord, but you are called
to humble yourself before it and pray that he would reveal the joy of His Word
to you. Humble yourself in repentance. We all need to repent. God already knows
what you’ve done. He knows all and sees all. Repent of your sins because if you
don’t, if you harbor them because of shame, they will be revealed on the Last Day,
but they will be revealed to your judgement, like the sins of Herod.
Then there is John. John lived a life
of humility, faithfully submitting himself to Christ. Even when Christ came to
him to be baptized, John did not count himself worthy to Baptize the Son of
God. Yet the Father had appointed John to be His prophet and to anoint the Savior
of the World. Together, John and Jesus would fulfill all righteousness by
fulfilling the Word of God and setting in motion of the ministry of Jesus – the
Salvation of Man.
John continued to be faithful, to point
to the Lamb of God, now anointed to be the sacrifice for the sin of the world.
He preached repentance to everyone who would hear – the lowly and the great. He
preached the Word of God to Herod who heard him. Then Herod betrayed him by following
the way of death. Ironically, Herod’s way of death was the portal to John’s
final steps on the way of life. What Herod meant for evil, God turned to the
good of John. His labor was complete and now his only duty is to enjoy eternal
bliss in glory.
Yes, you are as sinful as Herod. You
are tempted by reputation, by threats of losing your job, by threats of losing
family members to anger, by threats of losing your life or the life of your
loved ones. These temptations are real, and you fail to deny them all. But
right now, you are Herod listening to the preaching of God’s prophet. You are
also called to be the prophet John the Baptist. You are called to believe,
teach, and confess the truth of God’s Word. It is not given to every Christian
to stand behind a pulpit nor distribute the Holy Sacraments, but it is given to
every Christian to confess.
John never wavered in confessing the
Law of God to Herod, his ruler. He also submitted himself to the authority of a
very wicked man, accepting the consequences of living in a sinful world. You
are called to no less. You are called to confess Christ before Kings and
princes, employers and journalists, siblings, children, and friends.
The closest parallel to Herod in our
day are the politicians who speak constantly against abortion. They claim to be
champions of the unborn, standing for the rights of the defenseless children.
But time and time again, they reveal themselves to be Herod. “It wasn’t the
right time.” “We must move incrementally.” “We need to compromise.” They do
this so that you will continue to vote for them. Where would Batman be without
the Joker? Thus, he can never kill his archenemy. So too with the anti-abortion
politicians, or at least most of them.
Far more timely are the ethics
surrounding COVID-19 and vaccinations. No matter what you think or what you
think you know about vaccination; whether vaccines will save the world or cause
autism, assuming Christians who disagree with you desire the murder of others
is sinful. Assuming that disagreement means you as a person are superior to
others is sinful. Authorities at any level – federal, state, local, employers –
authorities demanding vaccination while forbidding conversation about
alternative treatments is sinful. They are no longer being harsh leaders but
monstrous ones.
Forcing a Christian, whose conscience
is plagued by the idea of participating in a drug created using tissues derived
from abortion, to take said drug is a sin. So is claiming the burdened
Christian is murdering those around them. Repent of these sins and treat one
another with the eyes of Christ.
At the same time, do not be surprised
when monstrous leaders take your job, your livelihood, your children, or throw
you in prison. Do not be surprised when you cannot enter a store without proof
of vaccination. Throwing a fit because you are not free to go where you please
is also a sin. Deriding Christians for being afraid is a sin. Bear one
another’s burdens. Encourage the faithful in the Word of God. Listen, respond,
and communicate because we are all members of one body. The tongue is a
poisonous member and no matter your stance is prone to vile sins against your
brothers and sisters in Christ.
Hear again the words of today’s hymn, the first and final stanzas:
“If
thou but trust in God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll
give thee strength, whate’re betide thee,
and bear thee through the evil days.
Who
trusts in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move.”
“Sing,
pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And
trust His Word; though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for
thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.”[7]
St. John the Baptist knew these words.
He proclaimed the truth of Christ because he knew God would be faithful to him.
What did he get in return? The Scorn of man, a stay in prison, and his head on
a platter.
God has promised to bear you through
these evil days, but his unchanging love may not look how you want it to look.
It may look like the inside of a prison, poverty, the funeral of your loved
ones, or even your own funeral. God’s unchanging love definitely looks like the
Son of Man nailed to a cross. God’s unchanging love definitely looks like an
empty tomb and folded burial clothes. God’s unchanging love definitely looks
like water poured upon your head and the Triune Name placed upon you. God’s
unchanging love definitely looks like wine and bread, and with the eyes of
faith, the same Body and Blood which hung upon the cross.
God’s unchanging love will be revealed
in the fulness of glory on the last day, when our eyes will be perfected and
open upon the glorious face of Christ, to whom John pointed. We are one in Christ,
you, me, all of us together, with angels and archangels, with John and Peter.
Do not allow Satan, and his minions, Herod and Herodias tempt you away from
Christ in the name of taking away bodily needs. God has and will provide for
your body. God has and will provide for your soul. Do not turn away and seek
good from the world.
[1]
The Apostolic Fathers, “Didache 1:1,” 3rd edition, translated
and edited by Michael W. Holmes (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007),
345.
[2]
Psalm 1:6.
[3]
Ephesians 5:3-4.
[4]
1 Peter 2:18
[5]
Ephesians 5:22
[6]
1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:8-15.
[7]
“If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee,” stanzas 1 and 7.
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