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7. Sunday after Pentecost, 07/15/2012
Sermon on Mark 6:14-29, by Luke Bouman
Mark 6:14 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." 15 But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." 16 But 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. 18 For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 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. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. 22 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." 23 And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." 24 She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the baptizer." 25 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." 26 The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
Speaking the Truth to Power
Religious leaders have few choices when it comes to dealing with power, especially political or economic power. Some choose to ignore the realms of power altogether. They simply point out that religion is about spiritual matters, not earthly matters, and so they ignore what happens around them. Others ally themselves with power. They put religious "right" behind political and economic "might". They declare that God must be with the rich and powerful or else they wouldn't be, well, rich and powerful. Still others try to achieve power and status for themselves, thinking to co-opt the forces of wealth and political might in an attempt to re-order the world, but ultimately they end up abusing power, as all in power do, in time. These three "religious" responses to power and its abuse are certainly the most common, so common in fact, that most people think them the only options.
There is another, however, and it is one that must capture our attention, for it is the one that costs John his head in Mark's Gospel text that we read today. It is perhaps the same one that costs Jesus his life on the cross at the end of the Gospel. That option is to speak the truth to those who think themselves to be in power. It requires of us courage, faith, and ultimately an understanding that the response may indeed be costly to us. We may be wise, like Nathaniel was with David, and speak the truth to the powerful in such a way that they cannot condemn us. John the baptizer was not so clever. Did he count on his popularity to save him? Did he depend on Herod's piety, which preserved him for a while in prison? Did he have a deeper motivation of faith? We shall never know. What we do know is that his life is cut short by his compulsion to speak the truth to power. This is a tale of warning to all who attempt to do such. Those in power often have no patience for us.
The Powerful Today
Who are those in power today? Are they political leaders? Are they the heroes of sports or entertainment? Are they the captains of industry? What moral standards are they held to in an era when the only rule seems to be the rule of thumb, or the rule of wealth or might. Is life today really that different from many years ago? Those who stand up with moral indignation are now mocked. When those who take such stands falter themselves, they are branded hypocrites. Pointing fingers at others has different consequences today than in First Century Israel. Dare we do it? And at whom shall we point? The political folks and their religious allies already point fingers at one another with such regularity that we tune them out before they finish their condemnations. Corporations have gained such status that they think of fines for wrongdoing as slaps on the wrist. Even our heroes relish any publicity, even bad publicity. Is there any place in today's world for those who speak the truth to power?
There may well be a place, but we must be careful what it is. First, care must be taken that we, especially we who are part of the developed world, and the religious traditions that have thrived in that world, recognize that we, ourselves, are in positions of power. When we speak truth to power we must understand that we are part of the very powers that must be called into question. We must know and understand that any critique must first be a critique of us. How have we used and abused our power to get our way? What have we done, in the name of God, to take advantage of others? We must confess these things and understand how captive we are to them before any other words may be spoken. We are not John the baptizer. Most of us have not relinquished our ties to society, to wealth, to things that look to the world like status. People will not take our words seriously until our actions are more consistent.
Second, we must understand that the deeper powers that hold all of us in thrall, Sin, Death, the power of Evil, are pervasive and even our words hurled against them will not break them. This should not keep us from speaking the truth to these powers, but it will force us to keep our perspective about them. We are powerless in the face of such things. In the end all we are able to do is cry out, scream out, groan out, with all of creation groaning with us, that the weight of such things is too much for us to carry, even if the whole human race were to join creation in the attempt.
Third, and finally, it is these things (Sin, Death, the power of Evil), not the violations that provoke our petty moral indignations, valid though they may be, which are the real enemies to be destroyed. It is these things that held Herod and his passions for his brother's wife in bondage. It is these things that are the root cause of the oppressions, the injustices, the economic tyrannies against which we would love to rant. We will make no headway in our crusade under the banner of indignation alone. There must be some greater intervention. God must act.
The Truth of the Cross
Amazingly, God does indeed act. Though this particular Gospel text does not tell the whole story, we know that Jesus, whom Herod took for John the baptizer raised, endures a similar fate. We have read the rest of the Gospel. We know that Jesus dies. But we also know that in doing so, he tackles more than just a monarch with loose morals. He takes on death itself. He takes on the whole world of self-serving sin. He suffers the pain and alienation that we all experience. And the wonder of it all is that he emerges on the other side. Death does not get the last word. Death's power is broken.
This is the true word of liberation. We cannot read this story of John's beheading in isolation. We must know that its true meaning cannot be determined apart from the resurrection of Jesus. For here we understand that the ultimate threat, the ultimate weapon of the unprincipled powers of this world is death. When death is rendered penultimate, then we begin to see that the weapons of fear and death become meaningless. When we live, faithful to the promises of the God of life, indeed the God of new life in Christ, then, only then, can hear God speak boldly to the powers of this world. "Your reign is ended," God says.
In the cross of Christ, then, we have the boldest example of speaking the truth to power, in ways that are not humanly possible. By dying, Jesus proclaims God's solidarity with those who suffer injustice at the hands of the powerful. By joining us in death and suffering Jesus has hallowed even these things, not as something that we should merely endure, as some have done, or actively seek in some misplaced asceticism, as other have done. Rather these things are hallowed because they are now within the experience of God. More than that, they are no longer places where God is absent. God has journeyed through the depths of our existence to lead us through as well.
Now we can see that John was not abandoned, nor was his death meaningless. God was there. In the coming weeks we will see the contrasts. Today, the rich gathered for feasts of self indulgence, celebrating the power of death. In coming weeks we will see the poor and dispossessed gathering on a hillside, feasting on the bread of life, Jesus himself. Herod takes a life, for his wife's revenge. Jesus gives his life for the love and life of the world.
When we gather for the celebration of Communion in our congregations, this is more than just a personal meal, celebrating our own inclusion in God's family and feast. It is a powerful acting out of a word of truth spoken to the world's power. God's action is not limited to a point in time 2000 years ago. God continues to act today. God is bold enough to combat the powers of this world through the ordinary act of eating and drinking, through simple bread and wine, extraordinarily transformed. When we hear God's affirmation of our lives in the reconciliation and forgiveness of this meal, we are formed into the very body of Christ in the world. God is thereby saying "yes" to life and "no" to death. Our response is to join God's "yes" and God's "no". The wonder of this is just as God acted by becoming human through Jesus, now God's action is extended to us and through us. We are not only empowered to be God's people as we gather in worship, but also as we are spread throughout the world in our daily lives. God is here, acting. Death is no longer the ultimate power in the Cosmos. We are free to speak the truth, even to die. For life, not death, will have the last, and most lasting, word.