Atom“God Keeps Raising Us Up”
Mark 6:14-29
“But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’” Mark 6:16
When we were at the Academy of the Rockies last week, my good friend, Scott – former classmate and Pastor in Colorado who loves to tell Ole and Lena stories – told the one about how Ole let his dog out one morning and was startled when a little while later he opened the door to see his faithful Lab, Luther, holding a big white rabbit by the ears. With dismay, Ole recognized it as his neighbor Sven’s pet bunny, Blossom. And Blossom was covered with mud and grass and…well…looking pretty dead. At first Ole didn’t know what to do. How could he tell Sven the bad news? But then he remembered that Sven was out of town for the day, so he went over to Lars’ farm where Sven had got the rabbit in the first place and bought another big white rabbit that could have been Blossom’s sister. He took the rabbit over to Sven’s, put her in the rabbit hutch and went home. “Whew,” he thought, “That was a close one!”
When Sven got back from town that afternoon, it wasn’t ten minutes before Ole heard an awful racket coming from the back yard. Ole waited a moment or two so as not to arouse suspicion and then hurried over with a concerned look on his face. Seeing Sven kneeling by the rabbit hutch, he asked, “Sven, Are you okay? Is there something wrong with Blossom?” “Ole,” says, Sven barely able to breath, “It’s a miracle. Blossom died yesterday afternoon and I buried her out behind the garden. I don’t know how it happened, but she’s back!”
I know…its an old story and as many times as you bury it, it keeps coming back. It just won’t go away…which is what I have to believe Herod was thinking in this morning’s gospel lesson. He thought he had taken care of the problem that was John…he was, in fact, dead and buried. But here he was, back again, and Herod didn’t know how and it made him plenty nervous.
To be sure, Herod had not wanted to get rid of John. He liked John…well, liked wasn’t quite right. Herod didn’t like what John had to say when it was about him – and it often was – but he respected John. He had a sense about John that he spoke like the prophets of old, direct from the mouth of God – like Amos – who had come before King Jeroboam holding up a carpenter’s plumb line – a measure for straight lines and straight foundations and Amos had called him to task. “Jeroboam,” he said, “The Creator God has a measure for living and for being the king and you ignore it at your own peril. Your crooked ways make for crooked foundations and a crooked kingdom will not stand.” And Jeroboam’s kingdom did not stand, which made Herod even more uncomfortable, because he knew in his heart of hearts that what John was showing him the “plumb line” and that what John was saying to him was true, too.
But…Herod really liked being the king and all the power he had. When Herod said jump, people asked, “How high?” When Herod said someone should die, they died. When Herod wanted someone else’s wife, his brother Philip’s, for example, it could be arranged. On a visit to Rome to see his brother he had convinced Herodious, his brother’s wife, that being a big fish in a small pond was much better than being a small fish in a big ocean and that living as his queen in Galilee would be a lot more fun than being wife of a City Councilman in Rome. And Herodious had agreed and left Philip with the kids in Rome and run off with Herod. And everything would have been fine if it weren’t for John. John kept putting God in front of him. He kept holding up God’s plumb line and saying, “Herod, God has bigger plans and higher hopes for you than this.”
Well, Herod might have been willing to live with these uncomfortable feelings, but Herodious was not. Herodious was really miffed by John’s accusations and how nervous it made her husband. Besides, she didn’t like feeling guilty about being the wife of the king and she wanted John shut up. So, Herod had John thrown into prison, hoping that that would be enough for her.
But it wasn’t. Not long afterwards, Herod threw a big party celebrating himself. He invited the most powerful and wealthy in Galilee to a big birthday party at the castle. They ate and they drank, they drank and they ate and when they were too full and not a little tipsy from wine, Herodious sent her oldest daughter in to dance for the king and his guests, a very tantalizing dance sure to entice the king’s pleasure. As she dipped and whirled and enticed with all of her skill and beauty, Herod’s head began to swim from more than the wine.
When the girl finished, Herod stumbled to his feet applauding and all his guests with him. (When the king applauds, you applaud, too.) “My dear,” he said, “I am captivated by your loveliness. Whatever I have is yours. Ask what you will and I will give it!” He glanced around at the powerful folks standing nearby, the wine and his own words making him giddy. “Even to half of my kingdom,” he gushed.
Then he sat down in a heap on the floor cushions, not quite aware of what he had just said. But Herodious knew and she sent the girl back to Herod a quite unexpected and gruesome request: “John’ head,” she said. “I want it.” The color drained from Herod’s face. He was instantly sober. He looked at his guests. He thought of John – prophet of God – he really believed that…but he looked again at his guests and at the girl before him and her mother, his wife standing in the shadows near the entrance to the chamber. What could he do? He had made a promise…and his guests…well if he changed his mind, took back his word, they would think him weak, word would get out to others. They might lose their respect for him. They might try things. And Herodious…she might leave him. And John…was only one prophet among many. The people would get over it. Besides, he was the King. He lowered his head, “Guard,” he said, “Do as I have promised…” And it was done. And John’s friends buried him and Herod went back to his party and his ill-gotten wife and that was that.
It’s a pretty ugly story, to tell the truth. I’m not too happy that it is in the Bible and that we have to read it today. Why do we? Well maybe because as good as things went for the disciples last week when Jesus sent them out two by two and they went from town to town telling about the kingdom of God and healing people of their diseases and freeing them from their demons, it doesn’t always go so good for God’s messengers and exhibit is God’s man John.
Exhibit B might be the early church, of which Mark the gospel writer was a member, where many early witnesses to the faith died for talking about Jesus; Or Exhibit C: The Korean church that was annihilated just before and during WWII, churches burned, pastors and other Christians shot for daring to gather. By the end of that run of persecution it was pretty much dead. Or exhibit D: The Christian Community in Israel that Pastor Mark Holman will tell us about next week that, because it is largely Palestinian, is persecuted and dwindling.
Or exhibit E: Even the church among us where believers may not lose their heads for confessing Jesus, but may lose our jobs – like my friend Jean who wasn’t a trouble maker in any way, didn’t bring her Bible to work or try to push her faith in anybody’s face, but who tries to live as much like Jesus as she knows how. When Jean saw her little company padding the bills of its clients, she went in to her supervisor and brought it to his attention. The next thing she knew she was being asked to clean out her desk.
Or even exhibit F: one of my young friends from the community we moved from in Ankeny, IA. Aaron was a good guy, involved in all kinds of things at school, sports, music, not really a star, but a good teammate. You knew you could count on him to always give his best, even if he missed shot now and again. Aaron was also pretty active at church, went to lots of youth events, worship, Sunday night youth group…you know…and the kids at school knew it. He didn’t throw it at them, but they knew when he said he had to leave early for some church thing. So…he didn’t get invited to too many parties where kids were doing things they knew they shouldn’t. The kids at school might not have connected him with John the Baptist because they didn’t know John the Baptist and what a wet blanket he was for Herod’s parties, but they knew that when Aaron was around, they thought about God more than they wanted to and that made some of the things they are doing not so much fun, so they just didn’t invite him. You could say that Aaron was buried…socially…not like John…but, sort of.
Well…one morning some months after burying John, Herod went to breakfast and one of his staffers said to him, “So, have you heard about this Jesus? Word is that this weekend some of his followers were out and about in Galilee and people were being healed and helped and there was much talk of God and the kingdom and, well…people are wondering what God is up to, and if it might involve Jesus.” And Herod choked on his egg soufflé . He had a pretty good idea what God was up to. Someone dead and buried was back. He thought he had taken care of the God thing, but God’s messenger was back.
Which I believe is why Mark tells the story this way…and why the Bible can be so brutally honest about the challenges that will be there for the people of God. God’s Word reminds us that just like Jesus…who was also cut off and buried, you might remember…there will always be trouble for those who follow him. But just when you think you have God’s messenger dead and buried, they’re back…and God is on the move again.
Which is what happened to the early church again and again. In the first century AD Rome buried most of early Christianity when it buried Jerusalem and killed its messengers. But by the fourth century, Christianity was the religion of the empire. In the first part of the last century, Christianity was buried in Korea. I told you that earlier. But today, in South Korea, nearly 70% of the population is Christian, and the largest Christian community in the world, the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul has 800,000 members, and a service every two hours on Sundays, each attended by 12,000 worshippers. When you think you have God’s messenger buried, God is still at work.
Which is also true of my friends, Jean and Aaron. It took Jean awhile to find another job, but she is now managing the office staff for a pediatric clinic where her compassion and concern for others is a real asset to the office and its patients. Aaron still doesn’t get invited to parties where folks are stretching the boundaries of what is right and healthy, but he’s discovered that there are a lot of other young people like him who don’t really want to do those things either, just want to get together and hang out over video games and pizza…or car caravan to hear a band down in Des Moines…do all the things other kids do…but without the risky stuff. Socially, Aaron’s back in the game.
I guess what I’m saying this morning is that the Lord God has a message here for us – surprise – and that is that when those who don’t put much stock in God stuff – when they think they’ve got the messengers of God pretty much shut up and buried – God is still raising up the dead. God is still raising up you and raising up me. Herod didn’t have the last word on John; God did. And the world we live in and the folks that give God’s people a bad time don’t have the last word on us. Jesus does. And that word is always “life” – life in the future, yes, but also life now, here, with God’s people. So when you go home today and your parents ask you, what you remember about the sermon, say, “Well there was the story about Sven and the rabbit who came back.” But then remind them of John the Baptist and Jesus and of how God always comes back, and how the one who brings Jesus back from the dead also brings us back – even now.
Let’s pray…
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