| Mark 6:14-29 "The Powers That Be" |
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| Written by Rev. Don Lee | |
| Saturday, 15 July 2006 | |
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Do you remember who your SS teachers were? I didn’t enter church until my older elementary years but I do remember one SS teacher. It was my best friend’s grandmother. She taught us scripture memorization, told us bible stories of Jesus, provided a safe, kind, and comforting environment (and she had the best cookies!). She made me feel special and taught me to believe that God considered me special too. In some ways, my work as a pastor is a “kind of pay-it-forward” for her taking the time to mentor me. Our Children’s Ministry is in the process of beginning to fill openings for the fall. It is an honor and a privilege to be a SS teacher and you need to pray and ask God if this is something God wants you to do. Not just for the children, but for you. You will never know the impact you make on a child as a Sunday School teacher, but I am convinced if you agree to teach, that it will be one of the more important things you accomplish in life. There’s a wonderful story in the OT (Gen. 32:24-32). Jacob awakes to find himself locked in mortal combat with a faceless foe. Evenly matched they wrestle through the night. By daybreak Jacob figures out he is wrestling not with flesh and blood but with a divine messenger. When the angel attempts to leave, Jacob refuses to let go until this heavenly being first blesses him. Though he receives the blessing Jacob’s leg is left hurt by the struggle. It is an injury Jacob will carry the rest of his life. Writes Rachel Remen, “[As a child] I was very puzzled by [the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel]. How could it be that one might confuse an angel with an enemy? Grandfather said this was the sort of thing that happened all the time. “Even so,” he told me, “it is not the most important part of the story. The most important part of the story is that everything has its blessing. When she was forty-five, Remen suffered a massive internal hemorrhage. She was in a coma and hospitalized for months, and continued to struggle with health issues for many years. She writes, “Looking back on it, I have wondered if my grandfather, old and close to the time of his death, had not left me with this story as a compass. It is a puzzling story, a story about the nature of blessings and the nature of enemies. How tempting to let the enemy go and flee. To put the struggle behind you as quickly as possible and get on with your life. Life might be easier then but far less genuine. Perhaps the wisdom lies in engaging the life you have been given as fully and courageously as possible, and not letting go until you find the unknown blessing that is in everything. Pp.25-27 My Grandfather’s Blessings I was troubled by Remen’s words as I read about the martyrdom of John the Baptist recorded in Mark’s Gospel. What possible blessing could be found in something as tragic as a Child of God cut down in the prime of his life; the victim of a rashly made promise and the pride that refuses to lose face before friends? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that John’s death was “not the most important part of the story.” Our reading comes from the Gospel of Mark 6:14-29. I invite you to stand as you are able and listen for the Good News. 14 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.’ 15But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ 16But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’ 17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. 18For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ 19And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. 21But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. 22When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ 23And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’ 24She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’ 25Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ 26The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. Pray with me: Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among mystery. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing. Let there be moments when your presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed. And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder, “How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it.” Amen. Have you ever found yourself living someone else’s life; living one-way and believing quite another? Perhaps trying to fulfill the expectations of family, friends, work, or culture? It usually takes a crisis before we realize that living someone’s life is costing us too much! One of the greatest challenges in life is to be true to yourself; to live your beliefs so that after all is said and done, to know you’ve lived with integrity. It is said that John the Baptist died with a smile on his face. That as the executioner’s sword was drawn peace flooded over him and he smiled. Isn’t that appalling! What a waste! How could one value life so little? But John sees his life as having fulfilled its purpose, thus he views his death not a tragedy or failure, but a success. John’s life purpose? “To prepare the way of the Lord.” (Isaiah 40:3) After all, what better way to live [and die] then doing what you love and fulfilling your destiny? Here’s what I think. If John had in fact escaped the executioner’s sword, he would still have spent his life “dying for the Gospel.” From the moment we are born, the clock begins ticking down, we begin to die. And we will all die living for something. We owe it to ourselves to figure out just what that “something” is and then to live it fully and as courageously as possible. My life meaning and purpose (and yours) is as much tied up in the kingdom of God, as was John’s. The Kingdom of God is both our present and our future. In the book, “Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today,” authors Stephen Bevans and Roger Schroeder make the claim: One of the most important things Christians need to know about the church is that the church is not of ultimate importance….The point of the church is rather to point beyond itself, to be a community that preaches, serves and witnesses to the reign of God. In doing this, the church shares in and continues, through the power of God’s Spirit, the work of its Lord, Jesus Christ. So completely does the church live for God’s reign that, when it finally is fully established, the church will be subsumed into its all-encompassing reality. “Only the kingdom…is absolute and it makes everything else relative.” P.7 Constants in Context, Orbis Press The premise of our gospel story is just that; only the Kingdom is absolute. We don’t know much about the relationship between John and Herod beyond what the narrative reveals in verse 20. “…for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.” While not a relationship of equals (John is a prisoner and Herod holds power over his life), that there is a relationship at all makes a significant statement about God’s Kingdom and what our part in living as Kingdom people. That Herod throws it all away to save face before his court, guest, and family to fulfill a rashly made promise only reveals the broken side of his humanity. The loser in this gospel narrative is not John but Herod. By allowing others to talk him into doing something he does not want to do or believe is right, he is not living genuinely or authentically. Rather, he’s living someone else’s life. I call it “Man law!” It may sell beer but it’s a lousy way to live your life! I can imagine Herod and John seated in deep conversation about the meaning of life, the value of the human soul, about how our decisions define us…and those words touching a deep place within Herod; a place of deep knowing. Perhaps Herod shared about the many voices telling to him how to do his job; about his spouse and her strong differing opinions; about trying to save face with his friends. Have you noticed how hard it is for people to enter into genuine honest dialogue with others, particularly when there’s a difference of opinion. The only way I know to honestly, openly, and in a Christ-like manner engage people in dialogue is to consider the possibility that they might in fact be right; that there might be some truth to what they have to say. Further, that in fact “I” might be wrong! Few if any of us are willing to go there (on either side of the issues). ARE YOU? As a result, genuine dialogue rarely takes place. Jerry Savuto and her husband, Bill are Missionary Interpreters for the Southcentral Jurrisdiction and will be returning this fall to Kenya, to continue their work at the Methodist Maua Hospital, a ministry to orphans and those with AIDS. Anyone who spends their life caring for orphans and their mothers dying with AIDS earns instant credibility with me, and deserves to be heard. Recently Jerri wrote about something she referred to as the 98%-2% Rule. “The 98%-2% Rule is about spending 98% of our time talking and complaining about 2% of what a person (family, friend, or stranger), an organization, a church, or a country does or does not do. This rule has been practiced for a long time, but recently, the practice seems to be growing by leaps and bounds and taking up more and more of our time and energy.” The Savutos were visiting a church and they gave the pastor a weekly devotional card set written by UM missionaries. He declined the gift saying he had tossed the set he had because one of the stories had a sentence in it he adamantly disagreed with. Jerri writes: “He quickly took the set I had for him, looked through the 70 cards until he found the card and then the sentence…I was completely speechless. How could he throw away 70 stories of love and outreach in a hurting world because he didn’t agree with one sentence? What about the other 69 stories?” “That’s the 98%-2% rule,” She explains. “It allows us to throw away important work, valuable resources, and people because we disagree with some idea or statement they have made or something they have done. It allows us to focus all our energy on our disagreement with the 2% of the person or organization and completely forget or deny that the other 98% exists….” This isn’t just a church issue, it’s spreading rampantly through our society as people become more and more polarized. No common ground is “plowed” to discuss the important issues, issues that deserve our attention, and issues which the church (in my opinion) should have a voice in. I find it troubling that people think so little of the church that they would use one or two issues to undo the other 98 good things that justify the relationship. I couldn’t run my marriage or any other significant relationship this way. We forget whose church this really is. Honest dialogue requires listening with head and heart. It requires focusing on the 98% you do agree upon or if need be the 25%, so that common ground can be plowed. (To put it another way), it is looking for the blessing in everything! Not enough of this is happening in marriages, in relationships, in national or world politics. Last week, after Israel had two of its soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah fighters, it attacked Lebanon claiming the intrusion was an act of war by Lebanon. Positioning, threats and tit-for-tat diplomacy is being reported by news agencies daily. As each side hurls bombs at each other and civilians die in the cross fire, the situation is ballooning into an all out war. Do you think it would be a stretch to say, God is not pleased? What we are seeing is “man law” on a global scale! This is not the “Kingdom Come on Earth” John and Jesus died to establish. It was a rashly made promise and a cowardly act to save face that took the life of John the Baptist. And I believe God calls all of us as God’s children to do better. We have got to find a way to put down our swords and find a way to enter into genuine dialogue with one another. We owe it to God, to our children and to ourselves. It will require us to give credibility to those we disagree with. To see them as people of sacred worth. To struggle to understand where they are coming from. To listen and tell our own stories to find common ground. The Washington Post ran an article last week about a congressional hearing on immigration that took place on Monday, July 10th in Miami. The congressional hearing came to an abrupt halt when Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff broke down in tears as he spoke about his Italian immigrant parents and the opportunities they gave he and his three siblings by coming to the U.S. General Pace’s father was born in Italy in 1914, immigrated to the U.S. and became an electrician in New York City where he and his wife raised four children. After he composed himself, Gen. Pace described his siblings-his older sister who went to Law school and his older brother, who also attended the Naval academy and is a member of the armed forces. He concluded, “There is no other country on the planet that affords those kind of opportunities to those who come here.” In Gen. Pace’s words and emotions, there’s a sense of gratitude for what his grandparents had made possible for he and his siblings. But perhaps, at a deeper level there’s an acknowledgement of the sacrifice, the hardship, and struggle that accompanied his grandparents decision to immigrate to the U.S. So there is both appreciation and grief reflected in his tears, especially in light of legislation that would severely limit immigration to this country. The General’s remarks humanize the immigrant struggle and give it a face. If his grandparents had crossed into this country illegally, it would not have made their sacrifice any less meaningful to him. At some level he is able to identify and empathize with the illegal immigrants crossing into our borders. The common ground of dialogue is plowed only by giving credibility; acknowledging the other’s sacred worth; struggling to understand; and with the listening and sharing of story. The most important part of our Gospel story is not how John died. It’s how he lived! John engaged the life he had been given as fully and courageously as possible, holding on until he found the unknown blessing in everything. “CAN WE TALK?” That is both a question and an invitation. With gratitude and grief we are called into Holy Conversation, so what are you going to do about it? Only the Kingdom is absolute, everything else is relative. Let us pray: Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among mystery. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing. Let there be moments when your presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed. And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder, “How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it.” And let God’s people say, “AMEN.” |
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