The Rest of the Story

Zephyr United Methodist Church

Early First United Methodist Church

July 23, 2006

Rev. Eddie Smart

Mark 6:14-29 (NRSV)

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."

¹⁷For 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.

Tons of books have been written on the subject of memory. For the internet shoppers, you will find at Amazon.com 25,372 possibilities when you ask for books on memory. I need help with my memory. There are lots of books that include information on how our memory works, the kinds of things we can do with exercise and diet to improve our memory, and all those "tricks" to help us remember.

You know, memory is an important part of the preaching task. It is hoped that the gospel message will not only be heard, but retained. One preacher once said, "Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them." Repetition is a way of helping us remember.

We talk about illustrations in sermons. One benefit of the illustration is to help the listener better understand the subject that is being addressed. But a primary purpose of the illustration is to help us remember the point being made.

Some time back I read about a young man who had been in a car accident 19 years earlier. He had been in a comma all that time. Suddenly he was out of the comma, remembering that Ronald Regan was President. He asked about his Grandmother who had died a few years ago. Terry Wallis was the only one in the family that could remember that Grandmother's phone number. Memory is an interesting thing.

I think maybe Mark knew a great deal about human memory and helping us remember what is important. I think Mark is wanting us to remember something important as he shares the story we read today from his gospel.

As I read today's texts, I was struck by the same question that comes to the minds of many commentators. Fred Craddock asked the question in these words, "Why does the shortest Gospel have the longest account of this event?" I have pointed out earlier that Mark is very brief in his accounts. It takes 61words to describe the baptism of Jesus. He describes Jesus' 40 days of temptation in much fewer words. It takes Mark only 7 verses to describe the ministry of John the Baptist and its purpose. Mark goes into much greater detail in describing the death of John than he used to describe his life.

Why does John focus so on the murderous plot to kill the Baptist? Could it be that the death of John warns us that God does not always reward faithful discipleship with an easy life. John is faithful. He is faithful in speaking for God to the adulterous Herod and Herodias. He is faithful in his calls for repentance. He is faithful in being that one to go before Jesus. He is faithful in fulfilling the role to which he had been called by God. If anyone deserved to live a long, rewarding life surely it was John the Baptist.

Have you ever heard someone say that a tragedy in their life was the result of something they had done in their life? The entire Biblical account of John the Baptist blows that idea into a million pieces! Sometimes bad things happen to the most faithful of people.

Actress Helen Hayes used to tell of walking through Paris with Mary Martin, who was wearing a new designer outfit. A bird came down, went swoosh, and Mary was covered. Helen expected Mary to blow her top, but instead Mary simply said, "For some people, they sing." Some people get beautiful music, others get...the raw end of the deal. It has little to do with who they are and what they have done. John the Baptist got his head chopped off, but he did not deserve that!

Why does Mark give so much attention to the telling of John's fate? Could it be a warning to us that the choices others make can drastically impact our lives?

Herod had a choice to make? He could honor his promise to the daughter of Herodias and save face, or he could choose to spare John's life by following the deepest desires within himself. While Herod did not like John shouting to the world that he was a sinner, there was something about the words of John which caused Herod to enjoy listening to him. Herod knew that John was a holy man, and Herod tried to protect him. Craddock tells us that "the Herod family left bloody footprints across the New Testament." There was this strange tension within Herod Antipas. There was the desire to protect John, a sense of respect, mixed with self-centered emotions that would lead to John's death. Herod had a choice, and he made it.

Why would Mark dedicate so much space to John's demise? Could it be there is even more to the story? You will notice that Mark does something here that is his custom. Mark tells this story within another story. Remember the woman with the hemorrhage who was healed by Jesus. That was a story with in the story of Jesus going to the daughter of Jairus. Mark begins the story of Jairus' daughter, interrupts it with the woman's story, and then picks up the original story.

Prior to telling the gruesome details of John's last days, Mark has Jesus sending his disciples out 2 x 2 to minister to the people. They are to preach repentance and heal the sick. Mark picks this story up following John's story with the disciples telling Jesus of their great success. While John is imprisoned and beheaded, Jesus' disciples are spreading the good news-they are continuing a message of repentance that began with John, and they are healing the sick in the name of Jesus, who will be revealed as the Christ. Maybe Mark wants us to know that God's work will continue even in the midst of tragic events.

Why so much attention to John's last days? Could it be that John is indeed the forerunner of Jesus? John's perspective on repentance, judgement and eternal life were those of Jesus. John's preaching ministry anticipated that of Jesus. John had faithful disciples. Jesus had faithful disciples. A weak Herod succumbs to pressure and had John executed. A weak Pilate succumbs to pressure and had Jesus executed.

While the story is one about the passion and death of John the Baptist, could Mark have been using this story to remind his community that John's story is Jesus' story. Could it be a way of helping us remember the death of Jesus? Mark will spend over 1/3 of his gospel describing the last week of Jesus' life. "For Mark, the cross is key to comprehending Jesus Christ."

Mark wants us to remember that Jesus died for you and me so that we might know the eternal reward of the faithful. He wants us to remember to "set [our] minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Col. 3:2 To get through the tragedy of this life, we need an eternal perspective. When we think it is all about now, life at times makes no sense. We were created to spend an eternity with the creator. Maybe that's why he spends all this time on the tragedy John the Baptist–since John always is pointing to Jesus.