John & Herod
Readings: Mark 6. 14-29, Ephesians 1. 3-14
There couldn’t be a higher contrast between our readings this morning. The reading with all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ, of all that God has done for us in Jesus. And then the beheading of John the Baptist. And as much as I’d like to focus on the Ephesians reading, I thought it better to focus on John.
We’re at another one of Mark’s characteristic sandwiches. Immediately before this, as we heard last week, the disciples have been sent out by Jesus to go and continue the work Jesus is doing, to heal the sick, to preach the good news and call people to repentance, to turn back to God. And immediately after this Mark will record how they return, rejoicing at all that God has been doing. But here in the middle, in what might seem an odd detour, we hear of the death of John the Baptist.
Rumours are growing about this Jesus, and all that he’s doing. And people are beginning to theorise about his importance, who he might be. But Herod, the pretender King who sits upon the throne, he recognises in Jesus something of what he has encountered before, he recognises in Jesus something of the forerunner, something of John the Baptist. And we see in this short narrative both the cost of discipleship, and the response we might find to the Gospel, to Jesus.
John the Baptist has been preaching and teaching. And his message has come to the ears both of King Herod, and of his wife Herodias. They’ve heard what he’s saying and they have different reactions don’t they. Herodias, we read, holds a grudge against him, wanting to kill him. She’s immediately switched off to his message, heart immediately hardened.
Herod meanwhile fears him, he respects him. He recognises that he’s a good and holy man. So what does he do? He throws him in prison. Now, that seems like an odd move, but it seems that Herod is protecting John, he’s put him in prison to keep him out of Herodias’ reach.
And then we find that Herod likes listening to John, he doesn’t seem to get it, but he enjoys listening, hearing what he has to say. But he doesn’t do anything about it does he.
And time moves on and eventually he finds himself at a feast, impressed with the dancing of his step-daughter, he offers her anything she’d like, even half his kingdom. Perhaps he’s a little drunk at this point, who knows, it seems a rather extreme offer. And she goes away, comes back and asks for the head of John the Baptist. And what is Herod to do? Everyone else is looking on, his reputation is on the line, the guests are sat waiting expectantly. So he agrees, John is beheaded, his head brought to her, and his body taken by his disciples for burial.
John dies in obscurity, living to the end his words ‘Jesus must grow greater, I must become less’.
And aren’t those the words which should characterise our discipleship. It’s not about us, our reputation, our standing, our brilliance. It’s about Jesus.
As I say we’re coming immediately off the back of the disciples being sent out, which in turn follows on from Jesus’ rejection at Nazareth. And so from the context we’re looking at a portrait of discipleship, another picture of what we might expect from following Jesus. If Jesus is rejected, so his followers can expect to be rejected. But here, if Jesus is killed, his followers can expect the same. Will we lay it all on the line for Jesus’ sake? Is he worth that much to us?
We often assume that martyrdom, which is what has happened to John is about refusing to renounce our faith. It’s about not being like Peter in the courtyard the night Jesus was betrayed, not denying that we even know Jesus.
But that’s not what gets John killed. Here John is martyred because he won’t compromise the fullness of the message he has been given. He will not back down, even in the face of overwhelming opposition, in the face of immense power, he will not declare Herod’s sin good, he will not back down from calling Herod to repent. John is faithfully calling Herod back to God, calling him to turn back before it’s too late, and it costs him his life.
Our discipleship, our evangelism isn’t just about being faithful to the person of Jesus, although that’s vital, we’re also to be faithful to the fulness of the message of Jesus. Jesus who calls us to repent, to turn back to God and away from our sin. Who assures us that should we do so we shall find forgiveness and new life at the foot of his cross.
John the Baptist and his end is a stark portrait of what it truly means to take up our cross and follow Jesus. And for many of our brothers and sisters in the world this is the stark reality in which they live.
But lets move on to Herod. Because Herod gives us a portrait almost of an anti-disciple, the opposite of what discipleship should mean. Someone who at every turn doesn’t go the way he should.
It starts out looking positive doesn’t it. He puts Herod in prison to protect him, to keep him safe. Herod is doing good stuff for the Gospel, protecting those who preach it. But that’s where the positive ends. There are many who will support our churches, who will give financially, who will protect us, who will support in many ways. And we’re grateful for it, don’t get me wrong. But none of that will matter on the last day. Whilst they may be helping us, what they need is Jesus. They need to know him for themselves.
The worst thing we can do is accept their help and support and never tell them about Jesus. People assume their good works will get them into heaven. It doesn’t work like that, Jesus tells us again and again, we’re so in the red in the debt of our sin, we can never earn our way back into credit. It all comes down to what Jesus has done for us.
Next we read that Herod respects John, thinks he’s a good thing and that he likes listening to him. We don’t know the fulness of what John is saying, he may be preaching across the Old Testament, he might be telling him about Jesus and the coming Messiah. But one aspect we do know, he’s telling Herod that he needs to change, that he needs to repent, separate from this marriage which he shouldn’t be in. And Herod doesn’t does he. He likes to listen, but he never acts on it, never puts it into practice. And there are so many like this in our day aren’t there. Even people in our churches. They like Jesus, he’s a good thing, says lots of stuff they agree with. They like listening to Christians, to what they have to say, and their opinions on things. But they’re not going to do anything with it. They like listening, think this Christianity stuff is broadly a force for good, but they won’t respond.
James in his letter writes ‘be doers of the word, and not hearers only’. Only when the Gospel, when Jesus makes an impact on our lives, causes us to change our actions and our outlook, only then is it effective. Only when the Gospel results in repentance on our part, in turning from our sin and towards God, only then can Jesus by the Spirit do his work in us. We can listen as much as we like, until it changes us it is worthless to us.
And finally everything comes to a head doesn’t it. Herod must make a decision. Will he respond to the word or will he reject it. And here he stands in his banquet, with his family looking on, his peers and nobles looking on. They’re expecting him to do as he has said, and he crumbles and does so. So many reject the Gospel not for themselves, but because they’re more worried about what their family may think, their friends may think. Stepping out in faith is a bridge too far. They cave to peer pressure to conform. And eventually there are no more opportunities left.
Herod kills the one who is best placed to bring him back to God. Later he’ll have Jesus brought before him and he’s excited to question him. But Jesus won’t answer, his opportunity has passed. And it should make us weep when that happens, when it’s too late, when all opportunities have been squandered.
John loses everything, his freedom, his dignity, his life. And yet he gains the whole world. In Jesus he has the fulness of his reward, eternal life in a world made perfect at last, he gains God himself, sees him face to face, and will be with him eternally. He has the fullness of what we read in Ephesians.
Herod keeps everything, his reputation, his power, his marriage, he won’t let go. And yet in doing so he loses everything. In not responding, in not turning back to God he eventually will lose all of that, because he can’t take it with him, and lose even life itself.
Jesus said ‘whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?’ Herod and John the Baptist show us these words in stark reality. Who are we? Are we Herod, listening but not doing, conforming rather than trusting, or are we John, responding in repentance, turning our lives around to follow Jesus, laying them down, even to the point of death?
Amen.