Sermon for 5 Pent Yr B, 13/07/2003
Based on Mk 6:14-29
Grace Lutheran Church, Medicine Hat, Alberta
By Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
Ever since the beginning, prophets have, more often than not, lived on a collision course with “the powers that be.” Indeed, the prophetic word, often embodied among and by people of faith, has nearly always had its problems winning popularity contests in the so-called “real world!” Throughout the history of the church, there has always been a tension between faith and politics. There has always been a wealth of opinions and approaches regarding the church’s relationship with the state. As you know, Jesus’s answer to the Roman authorities regarding his kingship and kingdom was: “My kingdom is not of this world.” On the other hand, when asked about paying taxes, Jesus does not incite rebellion or non-compliance; rather, he instructs the people to take their worldly responsibility seriously by saying: “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” The apostle Paul, in his writings, councils Christians to be loyal and obedient citizens to the civil authorities. Sometimes—dare I say it?—especially in the German and Scandinavian “state churches,” we Lutherans have been a little too cozy with “the powers that be,” and the prophetic voice and presence has been muted or forgotten in the process! Hence, at crucial times, the church has failed to speak the necessary prophetic word and hold the civil authorities more accountable for their policies. The consequence, on occasion, as we all know too well, has proven to be catastrophic!
Yet, consider today’s gospel. Here we have a different picture altogether. A prophet and a prophet’s word ending catastrophically nonetheless. It’s a most interesting story, once again sandwiched in between Jesus having sent his disciples out on a mission of preaching, teaching and healing, and then their return from that mission. This story, when read for the first time, might not seem to have anything to do whatsoever with what precedes and follows it—but a more careful reading of it certainly convinces us otherwise.
Notice that the story actually begins with reports and rumours of the work of Jesus and his disciples, and it presupposes that John has already been executed; since Jesus is regarded by “the powers that be” as possibly being John the baptizer raised from the dead, Elijah, or one of the other ancient Israelite prophets. Indeed Herod, Mark tells us in verse sixteen, seems to have mistaken Jesus’s identity, thinking he was a resurrected version of John. The reason for this, we note, is the rumour mill reporting about the mission of Jesus and his disciples—their preaching, teaching, and healing.
Now before we go any further into this tragic story of John’s beheading it is necessary for us to clarify a couple of details concerning Herod, Herodias and the daughter. According to biblical scholars, this particular Herod is not the same Herod the Great who ordered the slaughter of the innocent children around the time of Jesus’s birth. Rather, this is Herod Antipas, a son of the older Herod. According to the secular Jewish historian of the time, Josephus, Herod Antipas, while on one occasion visiting Rome seduced his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias. Herodias likely agreed to the seduction with the hope that her political influence and fortunes would improve. They then both dumped their spouses, remarried, and Herod Antipas was the tetrarch of Galilee—thus NOT really a king. Now the text leaves some room for interpretation regarding the daughter. One reading of the text has it that the daughter’s name was also Herodias. However, likely the more correct reading is “the daughter OF Herodias,” in which case her name would have been Salome, not Herodias.
Now that we’ve clarified that, we can go on with the story. When John the baptizer learned of this new political union between Herod and Herodias, he did the right thing as a faithful and holy Jewish prophet—he spoke out against the marriage. John told Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” John was referring here of course to two passages from the Torah, both in the book of Leviticus, chapter eighteen, verse sixteen, and chapter twenty, verse twenty-one; wherein it is basically regarded as an act of adultery and publicly disgraceful, making those involved ritually impure, and the consequence was that such a marriage would not be blessed with children.
It obviously took considerable courage on the part of John to speak as a prophet to one of the highest political authorities of his day. Yet, John does not shrink from such a duty. He is the LORD’s prophet and so he faithfully does what a prophet is called to do—be God’s trustworthy spokesperson. This is the case in every time and place. And John as a prophet suffered the tragic consequences of speaking and living by God’s prophetic word—just as in our day prophets like Martin Luther King Jr. did and Oscar Romero did. So we too are called on to speak a prophetic word in the face of evil and injustice. So we too, like John, Martin and Oscar, are called even to die if necessary for speaking and living by God’s prophetic word.
After John speaks his prophetic word to Herod, the latter does not act on it immediately, nor does he completely get offended by it—even though as Mark puts it, this “greatly perplexed” Herod. Ironically enough though, Mark goes on to say that Herod “liked to listen to” John. Why is this so? Well, most likely deep within Herod’s heart, mind and soul he knew very well that what John spoke was the truth—knowing that John “was a righteous and holy man.” So instead of being offended at John and wanting to punish or do away with him, Herod, says Mark, “protected him.” As one’s called to be God’s prophetic voice, this is a sign of encouragement. The truth of God’s word has the power to touch even the most corrupt of politicians. Is this not at least one of the lessons we learn from Bishop Tutu’s words and life under the apartheid regime of South Africa? I believe that it is. Bishop Tutu was an authentic prophet in that nation and the nation’s political leaders took his words and his life to heart and acted upon them to end their racist policies. So never lose hope in the power of God’s prophetic word working in your life, my life, and in the lives of even the world’s most powerful politicians.
However, in the case of John we learn that Herodias DID TAKE OFFENSE AT JOHN’S PROPHETIC WORDS. Mark says she “had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him.” Then, ever watchful of an opportune time, BINGO! Herod threw a birthday party for all of the political luminaries. So as the evening unfolded and everyone was thoroughly wined and dined and their inhibitions were way down because the booze was taking its effect—scheming, plotting Herodias sends out HER OWN DAUGHTER TO DANCE LIKE SOME SEDUCTIVE PROSTITUTE IN FRONT OF ALL THESE BIG SHOTS. Herod, likely seeing how captivated his audience was by her dancing, wanted to impress them all so he ups the anti and becomes a foolishly boastful and proud politician making a blank check promise no astute politician in their right mind should or would ever make; says he’d give Salome anything her heart desired. Herod to double impress his audience—after all it’s not his birthday every day—goes even further and makes his promise as an oath: “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.”
The daughter, perhaps rather surprised by such a promise, as well as embarrassed and humiliated by being coerced into dancing in such an exhibitionist manner, doesn’t quite know what to say. So she goes off to consult her mother. Mother, having nursing her grudge against John to get the most out of it, now seeing her opportunity, tells her daughter to ask for John the baptizer’s head. Is this not another tragic lesson, which all of us need to take to heart? WHEN ONE CHOOSES TO NURSE ONE’S GRUDGES; WHEN ONE CHOOSES NOT TO FORGIVE; THEN THE DOOR OF TRAGEDY AND EVIL OPENS EVER WIDER. WHAT STARTS OUT AS ANGER AND TAKING OFFENSE GROWS INTO HATRED AND MURDER.
WHAT A BOMB SHELL THAT REQUEST WAS FOR POOR HEROD! WHAT WAS HE TO DO? “WHY, OH WHY DID I MAKE SUCH A FOOLISH PROMISE?!” If he failed to keep his promise under oath, that would most certainly bring him his own political ruin. Who would trust him if he failed to act on his promise? Would failing to act on such a promise not make him too much of a Jewish sympathiser? That could all-too-easily endanger Rome’s political and military control of Galilee. Herod would have to go too then. If he did carry out such a promise, he was murdering an innocent and holy man. Backing himself into the corner, preserving his political power, he chose the latter. And John was executed. ONCE AGAIN OUR STORY BIDS US LOOK AT OURSELVES THROUGH THE PERSON OF HEROD. HAVE WE, LIKE HIM NOT MADE FOOLISH PROMISES TO IMPRESS OTHERS? PROMISES THAT MOST LIKELY WE TOO HAVE LIVED TO REGRET—PERHAPS FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES?
In this horrible story of John’s untimely death, no one is really a winner. John least of all, for he is put to death; Herod, for most likely he is destined to live with a guilty conscience for the rest of his life; Herodias, for most likely such a request as hers now succeeded in eroding the level of trust between herself and Herod and perhaps between herself and her daughter too to such an extent that the marriage relationship and mother-daughter relationship suffered most severely; Salome, for was she not the victim of parental child abuse by having to be reduced to the role which was traditionally that of a prostitute? And one wonders too what havoc her request played in her conscience for the rest of her life. One thing we do know, according to Josephus again, eventually Herod and Herodias lost favour with the authorities in Rome and ended up living and dying in exile in the state of Gaul.
Coming back now full circle, we can see that this story too was likely sandwiched into Mark’s Gospel here with the purpose of reminding us all that John’s story is actually a foreshadowing of Jesus’s story. Jesus, like John would be totally innocent of the worldly powers’ charges made against him. Jesus, like John would be executed by the worldly “powers that be” more out of political preservation and expedience than anything else. Yet, according to Mark such stories are true for you and for me because they give us hope that God is still at work in peoples’ lives—sometimes even in politicians’ lives! In such stories we are full of hope that the prophetic word changes peoples’ lives for the better in spite of evil and tragedy. For God, in the face of evil, tragedy and suffering is able to work goodness, life and salvation in this world and the next! That’s certainly what the cross is all about!Amen.
