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.”

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. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 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. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When 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.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately 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.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

Mark 6:14-29

Pastor Marc's sermon on the 7th Sunday after Pentecost (July 12, 2015) on Mark 6:14-29. Listen to the recording here or read my manuscript below. 

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For those keeping track at home, one thing you’ve notice about my preaching is that I focus on the first four books of the New Testament. Week-in; week-out, the words coming out of my mouth have something to do with the Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And that’s on purpose. I decided, for at least one year, I’d focus all my preaching on these four stories of Jesus. That’s a promise I made to myself. And it’s also a promise that I wish I could kinda break. Because - on this day when we’re celebrating K’s baptism and where we’ll commission Colin and Case as they head to Detroit for the ELCA’s youth gathering - today I’d really like to preach on something other than the beheading of John the Baptist. 

Today’s story starts immediately after the lesson we heard last week. Jesus and his twelve disciples are preaching, healing, and casting out demons. They’re making a name for themselves and word has spread so that even the new King Herod - the son of the Herod who was on the throne when Jesus was born - learns what’s going on. And what he hears - scares him. Herod doesn’t know who this Jesus is - but he’s worried that he’s already met him in the form of John the Baptist. So Mark launches into this flashback story that’s pretty incredible. It’s pretty gruesome too. King Herod arrested John the Baptist and threw him in prison because John isn’t afraid to call Herod out. Now, John specifically brings up Herod marriage - but there’s more to this story than just being a tale about morality or just some 1st century celebrity gossip. The family Herod belonged too had a long history of playing brutal political games to maintain their power. Sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, would scheme and plot against each other, trying to gain an upperhand and install themselves onto the throne. And these schemes were deadly, making the politics in the tv show Game of the Thrones look civilized. So during one of these struggles, Herod married his brother’s wife to strengthen his control over the throne. When John the Baptist calls Herod out, he’s attacking that promise of power that drove Herod and his family to do whatever it took to gain that power. John is making a very political statement, calling into question King Herod’s authority to rule as a minor puppet king in the Roman Empire. Faith; love; even God - none of that is included in this promise of power at all. 

So it’s no surprise that a promise shows up in today’s text. The text says that Herod liked what John said - that Herod actually knew that John was a man from God. Herod could hear the truth that John spoke - but Herod’s power consumed him; it trapped him, causing him to make and keep a promise that led to John’s head being served on a platter. 

Now, I know that some of our promises are like the promise I made to myself about preaching on the gospel readings. This is a promise that I could actually break - and it really would be no big deal. No one would get hurt, no hearts would be broken, and unless you knew about the promise I made to myself - if I had preached on Ephesians today, no one would have been the wiser. And I bet some of us are carrying similar promises right now. But we also carry more than just these little promises. We carry our little broken promises too. If we’re the type to make New Year’s resolutions - well - now that it’s July - how are all those going for us? That promise to wake up a half hour earlier every morning to work out. That promise to be a little more patient this year when we’re talking to our kids, our family, or our friends. And that promise to just be a better listener - even though we don’t really know what to do to make that happen. We’re good at making promises. But we’re also good at breaking those promises - even when we have the best intentions - to keep them. Sometimes - something gets in the way. Sometimes - someone else entices us. And sometimes - a part of ourselves that we don’t really know about shows up in an unexpected way. That’s the thing about promises. They can be beautiful - powerful - amazing things. But the promises we make can also be the very things that undoes us. 

So let’s live into God’s promises instead.

And that’s what a baptism is - really. It’s about God’s promise to each of us. My bet is that K. - as smart and precious as she is - she probably can’t quite yet make promises on her own. She can’t promise Tyler that she’ll give up her toy when she’s done with her turn. She can’t promise here mom and dad that she’ll do her homework every night and be home way before curfew. And K. can’t even promise God that she’ll never forget to say her prayers. K. can’t make promises - but God can. Today, she’s going to hear God’s promise to her. She’s going to hear that Christ died for her. She’s going to hear that she’s part of Jesus’ family - and that God’s promises to her can’t be undone. We don’t know exactly where K.’s life will take her - but we do know that Jesus’s promises will never let her go.

Today’s gospel story is a flashback. King Herod remembers what his promise cost the one who dared to speak God’s truth to him. And Herod remembers this story when he hears about “it;” about Jesus in the villages - about the disciples curing the sick; about these nobodies casting out demons, and telling folks to turn back to God’s promises of hope, love, and forgiveness. K. can’t articulate it - but today she is now part of God’s mission - a part of God’s journey. And we’re part of this journey too - called to love the world whether we’ve been brought into this faith journey when we’re 42 days old or when we’re 42 years old. We’re here to be one of those 12 - sent to live into God’s unbroken promise - to speak truth to power; to show the world what the world is truly like; to point out when our own promise as a community, as a country, as individuals has been broken - and to turn us back into God’s promises of healing and love - casting out the demons of hate, privilege, power, and control. We’re called to love so that all people can become people where our promises are never broken. Today, the number of Christ’s disciples is going to grow by one. Today, K.’s is going to join those twelve. She, like all of us, is called to live into God’s promises - to trust that God’s promise to us can’t be broken - and live like this world is truly being changed - so that a feast only for kings and those who do anything for power - is now becoming a feast of hope and love, with endless loaves and fishes for all.  Amen.