Through It All
Mark 6:6-30[1]
I think it’s fair to say that our society is one
that lives in the fast lane. Or at least many of us do. We’re constantly
rushing to get wherever we’re going. We like fast food, instant pots, quick
meals, and anything that’s microwaveable. We’re accustomed to being able to
simply speak any question into an electronic device and have an answer in
seconds. We are hooked on shopping online with next-day delivery. We “deepen”
our time by doing two (or perhaps three) things at once. We’re in a hurry with
just about every aspect of life. Instant gratification is the name of the game.
And we don’t like waiting for anything, ever!
But those of us who have taking more than a few
trips around the sun can attest that life just doesn’t work that way. And I can
assure you that’s not the way it works if you want to live as a follower of
Jesus. A fitting analogy for what it means to commit yourself to a life of
discipleship is planting a tree. For some varieties of trees, if you plant a
seedling when you’re in elementary school, you may be retired before it reaches
maturity! That’s the way the Christian life works. It’s a project that you
continue to work on, through all that life may throw at you. “Instant
gratification” isn’t part of this picture at all. The life of following Jesus
in discipleship is one that takes time, and consistent commitment, and practice
over a whole lifespan.
You may be wondering how this relates to our lesson
from the Gospel of Mark for today. It’s a strange episode, to say the least. To
be quite honest, it seems out of place in any story of Jesus’ life. At first
glance, anyway. The bulk of it is a rather gruesome story about the death of
John the Baptist at the hands of Herod Antipas, the Roman puppet ruler of
Galilee. If we were to just take this story on it’s own merits, it wouldn’t
seem to have much to say to us, other than the fact that John lost his life as
a result of his service to God. But I think we have to use a different set of
Bible reading skills to make sense of this lesson. We have to read this story
in light of story of Jesus as a whole in Mark’s Gospel.
In the first place, there is an interesting
connection between John and Jesus. The story begins with speculations about
Jesus’ identity based on the fact that what Jesus was doing had come to the
attention of Herod Antipas. And the speculations included that he may have been
a resurrected John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the other prophets of old
(Mk. 6:14-16). And then Mark proceeds to explain how John had been executed at
Herod’s hands. But later in the Gospel, when Jesus asks his disciples who the
crowds said he was, they answered, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and
still others, one of the prophets” (Mk. 8:28). This is significant because
right after that Jesus tells them for the first time that he would have to die.
So one function of this story about John the Baptist may have been to prepare
us for the fact that Jesus was going to have to undergo an even more horrible
death.
Another clue to the meaning of this lesson may be
found in that it is introduced and concluded by Jesus sending out the twelve to
extend his ministry. He sent them to tell the good news and to care for others
in the same ways he was doing. It may be that Mark tells this story about
John’s fate because he wants to warn those who would follow Jesus that their
commitment to him would be costly. Just as John only gained a hearing from “the
powers that be” when it suited them, so they could expect similar treatment.
Later in the Gospel Jesus warns his disciples that they would be “handed over”
to the authorities to give an account for themselves (Mk 13:9-13). And just as
John lost his life because he was true to God, so Jesus warns his disciples
that at times they would face the same threat.
I think we’re meant to understand this story from
another perspective as well. Everyone who heard this story about John the
Baptist would have already known what happened to Jesus. They would know that
he had died a cruel death on the cross, but also that was not the end for him.
God raised him from the dead, making it clear to all that his death was
undeserved, and that in fact Jesus truly was the one whom God had chosen to
bring the new life of the kingdom to all people. But beyond that, I think we’re
meant to see the resurrection as an event that points forward to the complete
fulfillment of the kingdom when God would right all wrongs. That includes
righting the injustice that was done to John the Baptist by a foolish man. But
as Jesus alludes to in Matt 13:35, it also includes righting the wrongs done to
all those who have suffered injustice from the beginning of time to the present
day.
I realize that comparing the Christian life to
plating a tree that may take a lifetime to mature isn’t a very “marketable” approach
in our world. It doesn’t fit in at all with our preoccupation with “instant”
everything. But the message of the Bible is that dedicating your life to
serving God and following Christ is not something that fits with “instant
gratification.” The Bible alerts us in many ways that those who commit themselves
to following Jesus and to working for the kingdom of God in this world will face
many obstacles in life. That’s a hard truth to hear. But we can persevere
through it all if we take a broader point of view. That means recognizing the
resurrection of Jesus as an event that not only vindicated him, but also points
forward to the day when God will right every wrong. If we can hold firmly to
that perspective, and not be so caught up in what happens right now, then we
too can continue to serve God and follow Christ through it all.
[1] ©2021
Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 7/11/2021 for Hickman
Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
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