Well, good morning. It's good to see you all.
We are continuing in our series in the book of Mark.
Last week, we saw Jesus in his ministry on earth,
experiencing rejection from his hometown as he sought to live out God's calling on him.
And we reflected on how God's calling to the church, to us as God's people,
to make known the good news of the kingdom of God coming through Jesus
might also include, for us, opposition and rejection.
What I want to talk about this morning is what ought we to expect
as we live out this mission of the church.
In order to get to where my real concern is this morning,
let me tell you a little bit of my own story.
I was a new Christian back in the 1980s,
and I was brought into a movement that would be called Evangelical Christianity back then.
It doesn't necessarily mean the same thing today,
but let me tell you what it meant for me back then
and what I think it still means for lots of people
with lots of caveats about politics and culture war.
Here's what it meant to me.
It meant that the Bible was God's word.
It meant that the centrality of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection,
and particularly his death on the cross for our salvation,
was the centerpiece of the Christian message.
And that people had to respond personally and individually to that message
with faith in order for them to gain salvation.
And that because of Jesus' love, we are called to love the world
and to engage in it by sharing this message
and by caring for the world as we may.
And that's what it meant to me.
The church that I was brought into had held those values.
And this was in contrast to some other movements.
If you study in 20th century Protestant history,
you'll see that there was in the early 20th century
a movement called modernism
that thought that the Bible and the cross were antiquated
and a rational religion that needed to be reinterpreted,
that rationalism had brought us out of an adherence to these things,
and that Jesus' mission was to do good to others
as well as we knew as human beings.
In response to the modernist movement,
there was a movement, again, within Protestant Christianity
called fundamentalism.
We know this word much more broadly today
as it's used for religious movements.
But in the early 20th century,
it was those who believed in the fundamentals of historic Christianity.
And they responded to modernism by retreating into their own church,
defending truths of things like the Bible is the word of God
and the cross is central.
They said things like the virgin birth and the deity of Christ
and the resurrection are really important,
and we need to hold to those things as Christians.
But they also separated from the world
in a desire to escape from the confusion of modernism.
They wanted to protect church doctrine and purity
while critiquing the culture without much meaningful engagement.
And from the context of this fundamentalist, modernist divide,
evangelicalism, technically it's neo-evangelicalism.
If you're a historian, evangelicalism is an older movement.
But neo-evangelicalism and American Protestantism
emerged after the World War II
as a movement of people who believed the things that I was brought into
and held to the things that I was brought into.
And here's the thing, right?
As this project has gone on, how do we hold to these truths
and yet engage in the world in loving, compassionate way?
I have a concern that has been growing in my heart
for the last, well, 20 years probably.
But today we're going to talk about it.
And here's the concern.
Let me try to say this as clearly as possible
because this is what's going to shape what we look at this morning.
In our desire to love our neighbor and our world
in order to share Christ with them
and to engage the world with compassion and care,
we have bought into an implicit promise
that if we love well enough,
if we explain the gospel clearly enough and winsomely enough,
if we care with enough compassion,
then the world we live in will accept us and embrace us
and value us as a good part of community
and the world that we live in.
That's the promise that I think has crept into
this movement of Christianity that we belong to.
And is this promise true?
I believe that our passage in Mark 6 will illuminate this.
I believe that Mark is going to help us think through this a little bit.
So if you want to turn to Mark 6, we're starting in verse 14.
It's on page 790 in your pew Bibles.
And as we turn there, we're going to look at...
Oh, a very interesting passage.
So let me go ahead and read it for us,
and then we'll pray,
and then we will jump in.
Mark 6, verse 14.
King Herod heard of it,
and it means the growing popularity and effect of Jesus
and his disciples in their ministry in Galilee.
King Herod heard of it,
for Jesus' name had become known,
and some said,
John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.
That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.
But others said,
He is Elijah.
And others said,
He is a prophet,
like one of the prophets of old.
But when Herod heard of it,
he said,
John, whom I beheaded,
has been raised.
For it was Herod
who had sent and seized John
and bound him in prison
for the sake of Herodias,
his brother's Philip's wife,
because he had married her.
For John had been saying to Herod,
it is not lawful for you
to have your brother's wife.
And Herodias had a grudge against him
and wanted to put him to death,
but she could not.
For Herod feared John,
knowing that he was a righteous and holy man,
and he kept him safe.
When he heard him,
he was greatly perplexed,
and yet he heard him gladly.
But an opportunity came
when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his nobles
and military commanders
and the leading men of Galilee.
For when Herodias' daughter
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 to you.
And he vowed to her,
Whatever you ask me,
I will give you,
up to half my kingdom.
And she went out and said to her mother,
For what should I ask?
And she said,
The head of John the Baptist.
And she came in immediately
with haste to the king
and asked, saying,
I want you to give me at once
the head of John the Baptist
on a platter.
And the king was exceedingly sorry,
but because of his oaths
and his guests,
he did not want to break his word to her.
And immediately the king
sent an executioner
with orders to bring John's head.
He went and beheaded him
in the prison
and brought his head
on the platter
and gave it to the girl,
and the girl gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard it,
they came and took his body
and laid it in a tomb.
Let's pray.
Lord, help us this morning
to know,
Lord,
the value of your word.
Lord, for we look at this passage,
and it is a strange one,
and we need your help
to understand what it is
that you are saying to us through it,
and Lord,
how it might,
Lord,
shape us,
Lord,
your people this morning.
And we pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So we're going to look at this
in two steps.
First,
we're going to look at
what this particular passage tells us,
and then we're going to
pan out a little bit
and look
and talk a little bit more broadly
about what the New Testament tells us
about how we live out our mission.
So let's look at this passage together.
First of all,
this passage tells us
about following Jesus,
and you might be thinking,
why does it tell us that?
Well,
because
Mark has given us
one of his sandwiches.
We've talked about this before.
Mark likes to make
narrative sandwiches
where he starts a story
and then he tells another story
in the middle
and then he brings it around
back to the story at the end.
And the story here
is the sending out of the apostles.
That's what happens
in verses 7 through 13.
Jesus sends out his apostles.
And then if you look
at the very end,
in verse 30,
the apostles come back to Jesus.
So this is the meat
of the sandwich
about the apostles
following Jesus
on his mission
to make good news,
make the good news
of the coming of the kingdom
to the world.
Right?
And the message
is sobering
when you look
at what this meat says.
Because
I think
the point of this story,
what Mark wants us to know,
is that
faithful participation
in Jesus' mission
means suffering
and even death
because we live
in a world
that is opposed
to Jesus
and his kingdom.
And it teaches us
that through
the example
of John the Baptist.
Right?
So this story
begins
in verse 14
with
Jesus becoming
known to Herod
and people speculating.
Now,
before we go on
about that speculation,
we have to make sure
we know who is Herod
because there are
three Herods
in the Bible.
Right?
There are actually
a lot more Herods
in the first century.
There are three Herods
in the Bible.
There's Herod the Great
or King Herod
who was the Herod
of Jesus'
birth period.
So in Matthew 1.
Right?
There is Herod Antipas
or Herod the Tetrarch
who is Herod
during Jesus' life
and death.
And this is the Herod
that we're dealing
with today.
There is then
Herod Agrippa
who shows up
in the book of Acts
starting in Acts 12
and going on from there.
So those are
the three Herods
in the Bible
and we just want to know
this is the middle one.
Okay?
And this
he was the king
over the
Jewish ruler
over the region
of Galilee
where Jesus
was doing ministry
and as Jesus' ministry
was gaining popularity
he heard of him
and people were speculating
what is this?
Maybe it's the return
of Elijah
who was taken up
into heaven.
Maybe it's another
one of the prophets
like Isaiah
or Jeremiah
or Ezekiel
or maybe it's
John the Baptist
come back from the dead
or maybe that doesn't
really mean that
they thought
he was resurrected
but just
it's the second coming
of John the Baptist
it's the next one
in a line of people
who are going to
cause me trouble
and this occasions
in Herod's mind
what happened
with John the Baptist
and this is the story
that is the centerpiece
of it today
right?
Because Herod
remembered
what happened
to John
right?
So starting
in verse 17
Herod had imprisoned
John the Baptist
why?
Because
John the Baptist
walked into
the best
Jerry Springer
movement
in the New Testament
okay?
This is a crazy story
we're going to put
a slide up here
I think
you might be able
to see it
Herod
Antipas
had stolen
his half
brother's wife
who happened
to also be
his niece
to be his wife
okay?
Herod the Great
had 10 wives
lots of children
this shows
only some of them
Philip is one of them
Herod Antipas
is another one
Aristobulus
is a third one
Aristobulus
had a daughter
named Herodias
Herodias
is the centerpiece
of this
because John the Baptist
came and said
to Herod Antipas
you can't have her
because she's
your brother's wife
Leviticus 18
and Leviticus 20
says that is not lawful
and Herod Antipas
in fear of
John's righteous
claim against him
imprisoned
John the Baptist
and in fear
of his wife
too
it seemed
that he was
he felt stuck
and he's like
oh I want to do
something
but interestingly
when you notice it
right
Herod was conflicted
because he put him
in jail
but he didn't kill him
even though his wife
wanted him to kill him
he said there's something
about this guy
well one
he seems to be
a righteous and holy man
and it might be
bad business
to kill him
but also
there was something
about him
verse 20 says
he was greatly perplexed
and he gladly
listened to him
there was something
about John the Baptist's
life
that Herod
found intriguing
even as
he feared
and hated
the message
that he was hearing
and so
John the Baptist
is in prison
being protected
by the man
who put him
in prison
from the man's
wife
who wanted him
killed
okay
this is a great
soap opera
right
and so then
the second scene
is
and then
the opportunity
came
right
it is almost
unbelievable
in its ugliness
at a state
birthday party
with all the people
gathered
Herodias' daughter
who we know
from other places
is named Salome
she dances
for the
assembled people
they please
or she pleases
the king so much
that the king
makes this rash
promise
I'll give you
anything you want
now look
it's not clear
what kind of dance
this woman danced
there's no need
for us to assume
that it was
particularly
erotic
or sexual
she might have
been a really
young girl
she might have
been just a
12 year old
so
we don't need
to over imagine
but whatever
the pleasing
was
it arouses
response
from the king
of
I'll give you
anything
and the girl
goes to her
mother
and says
what should I
ask for
and Herodias
the vengeful
self-justifying
woman
who wanted
so much
to clear her
name
and to get
rid of this
gadfly
who kept
messing with
her life
said
I want
his head
on a
platter
and Herod
shows his
moral fiber
by agreeing
he's like
I'm really
sorry
I kind of
didn't want
to do
this
but
I don't
want to
break my
promise
in front
of my
guests
and my
wife
really
wants
me
to do
this
okay
we'll
just
kill
herod
was not
a particularly
admirable
man
he listened
to the
voices
of those
around
him
and
sought
to
please
them
and
Herodias'
fear
Herodias'
fear
of shame
and exposure
and her
rejection
of the
truth
that John
the Baptist
spoke
resulted
in his
death
why did
Mark put
this story
in here
it's a
reminiscence
there's no
historical
this isn't
even a
historical
narrative
this is
why did
he put
it in
here
he put
it in
here
so that
we as
readers
as we're
watching the
apostles
go out
as we're
thinking about
what it means
to follow
Jesus
can reflect
on the life
of John
the Baptist
and to
recognize
that faithful
witness
in serving
Jesus
may result
in suffering
and death
because the
world is
opposed
to Jesus
and his
kingdom
look
friends
we need
to recognize
that this
is true
today
as well
a follower
of Jesus
is often
perplexing
in our
world
I remember
when I was
coming to
faith
I had two
friends
I've told
you about
them before
I'm going
to keep
telling you
about them
because God
used them
in my
life
Bill and
Becky
and I
made fun
of them
right
because I
rejected
the message
that they
were talking
about
and I
felt judged
by their
lives
because they
were pursuing
righteousness
in a way
that I
didn't want
to
and yet
I was
drawn to
them
by their
love
by the
light
that was
in their
life
that I
saw
and that
I
wanted
so there's
this
dynamic
today
of this
perplexity
and yet
also
this
opposition
this
opposition
that
happens
in lots
of
different
times
when I
studied
Christian
history
or when
I studied
for my
senior
thesis
at Princeton
I did
I looked
at early
20th century
history
of Princeton
and there
used to be
a statue
on the
Princeton
campus
called
the
Christian
man
and it
was a
you know
strapping
young man
with a
Bible
in one
hand
and a
football
in the
other
and it
was the
vision
of the
complete
scholar
athlete
moral
man
but you
know what
happened
in the
early
1920s
a bunch
of drunken
students
on one
Friday night
they
dragged the
statue
off of
its pedestal
in rejection
of all
of the
ideals
that it
stood
for
so in
case you
think it's
bad on
campus
today
it's
always
been
bad
on
campuses
it's
been
true
throughout
history
I've
studied
the
history
of
Hudson
Taylor
in
1868
they
had
moved
into
the
inland
to do
missionary
work
among
the
Chinese
people
they
set up
a
hospital
to
welcome
abandoned
children
so they
could be
cared
for
and yet
the
people
rose up
against
them
accusations
of
and this
is a
quote
they
scooped
out
the
eyes
of
the
dying
and
opened
foundling
hospitals
in order
that they
might
eat
the
children
a mob
was formed
the
mission
compound
was
burned
the
missionaries
barely
escaped
with their
lives
and it's
not just
something
that
happened
in
history
in
1999
you know
this story
probably
the
Australian
missionary
Graham
Staines
and his
two
sons
were killed
by
a militant
Hindu
mob
who set
the van
that the
family was
sleeping in
on fire
I saw
this account
I found
this account
online
the question
was asked
why would
anyone
want to
kill a
missionary
who dedicated
his life
to rehabilitating
lepers
and eradicating
such diseases
as polio
and tuberculosis
we are
mystified
said a
senior police
officer
Staines was
a much loved
and respected
person
his wife
Gladys
who is now
left with
no other
members of
her family
except her
13 year old
daughter
Esther
said Staines
did not have
one enemy
in the world
and that's
what makes
this mind
numbing
deed
all the
more
surprising
a local
Hindu
activist
is not
surprised
he says
Staines was
murdered because
he was engaged
in converting
the substantial
tribal people
in Orissa
people could
have killed
him in a
fit of rage
he reckons
friends
this is what
Mark wants
us to hear
the opposition
of the world
to Jesus
and his
kingdom
is real
and at
times it
is bad
and look
we don't
need to
live in a
black and
white world
where all
we do is
identify the
enemies and
throw our
verbal grenades
at them
but we need
to recognize
that as we
fulfill this
mission of
going out
into the
world to
love and
share with
Jesus
there will
always be
this dynamic
spiritually
and at
times it
will show
itself in
violent
and irrational
and terrible
ways
and we
need to
not believe
the lie
that if we're
just winsome
enough or
just caring
enough or
just compassionate
enough that we
will be
accepted
so how do we
go about this
mission what
are some of the
principles that we
need to have
as we live
this out
I asked Kate to
throw together a
slide last minute
it's going to be up
on the board
because we're going
to run through a
bunch of
scriptures
five things that
the Bible tells
us about how
we carry
ourselves as we
enter into this
mission in a
world that's going
to be at times
in opposition to
us so here we
go first of all
don't be surprised
the scripture tells
us over and
over and over
again that we
should expect
this kind of
opposition so
John 15 18
if the world
hates you this is
Jesus speaking to
his disciples if
the world hates
you know that it
has hated me
before it hated
you if you were
of the world the
world would love
you as its own
but because you
are not of the
world but I
chose you out of
the world therefore
the world hates
you remember the
word that I said
to you a
neighbor is not
a servant is not
greater than his
master if they
persecuted me they
will persecute you
also so Jesus
reminded us of
this the early
church knew this
Paul and Silas
were traveling
through the churches
strengthening the
souls of the
disciples in Acts
14 22 encouraging
them to continue in
the faith and saying
that through many
tribulations
we must enter the
kingdom of God
the apostle Paul in
Philippians 1 reminds
us that it has been
granted to us the
church that for the
sake of Christ you
should not only believe
in him but to suffer
for his sake and the
apostle Peter as he
suffered himself and
ministering to a
suffering church at
Rome said beloved do
not be surprised at the
fiery trial when it
comes upon you to test
you as though it were
something strange
happening to you but
rejoice in so far as
you share Christ's
sufferings that you
may also rejoice and be
glad when his glory is
revealed now look
friends let us not be
hated or resisted for
being stupid or for
being hateful or for
being disrespectful okay
the aroma of Christ does
not condemn others with
megaphones on street
corners and it does not
advocate for righteousness
with epithets rage and
violence but as we live
out our calling let us
not be surprised when we
live rightly for God and
are not accepted by our
neighbors for this is the
consistent so first do not
be surprised secondly as we
engage in this oppositional
context we are called to
love our enemies don't give in
to hatred don't make
relationships a power
dynamic don't allow vengeance
to eat your heart as we go
in not being surprised we
might respond by falling into
this desire to hate back and a
desire to punish those who
resist us but Jesus says
you've heard it that you've
heard that it was said you
shall love your neighbor and
hate your enemy but I say to
you love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute
you so that you may be sons of
your father who is in heaven for
he makes his son rise on the
evil and on the good and sends
rain on the just and on the
unjust for if you love those who
love you what reward do you
have do not even the tax
collectors do the same and if
you greet only your brothers
what more are you doing than
others do not even the Gentiles
do the same as we face the
rejection of the world Jesus
reminds us that to represent him
it must always smell and taste
like the kingdom of God it must
always be seasoned with grace
with endurance and patient love
towards those who oppose us
thirdly we are to love our
neighbors this may be inherent in
what we've already said so much
but I wanted to say it again we
are to engage in the world not
retreat out of fear so Jesus says
in Matthew 22 teacher what is the
greatest commandment in the law and
Jesus says to them you should love
the Lord to God with all your heart
and soul and all your mind this is
the greatest in the first commandment
and the second is like it you shall
love your neighbor as yourself so we
must continue to engage and not
retreat or to hide or protect
ourselves how might we do this so
many different ways we might do so
through politics to help shape the
laws of our land so that they would
be a blessing to human flourishing we
might engage in social justice to end
the work of sex trafficking in the world
we might engage in social service
becoming a mentor or serving in a soup
kitchen we might engage in the
intellectual life making kingdom economic
strategies and philosophies and thinking
about how we use biotechnology for
healing and for wholeness we might
engage in the creative life making art
and loving nature and stewarding animal
life and doing all sorts of creative and
wonderful wings so that we might taste
the aroma of Christ and if you're not in
any of these fields in our everyday life
how do we serve those who we live next to
in our apartment building in our dormitory
on the block that we live in our
workplace the person in the cubicle next
to us or the person that we never see in
person anymore because we all work
remotely but the person that we have to
interact with over zoom how do we love
them and serve them how do we raise our
families to love the world that we live in
in the name of Jesus and as we're doing
all of these good things to care let us
remember that the the very first priority
of God's people is to bear witness to
Jesus to tell the world about what God
has done for us an undeserving sinful
fallen world in the work of Jesus Christ
in his life and death and resurrection for
our salvation to tell the world about his
love for sinners like us and for you
so we're not to be surprised by the
opposition we're to love our enemies we're
to love our neighbors fourth we are to live
our lives for God and not for the approval
or acceptance of others friends you know
Nick talked about this more last week but I
wanted to reiterate it it's so easy isn't
it when you know that your friend is going
to reject you if you start saying I go to
church or to talk about your faith it's so
easy to be silent isn't it and it's so easy to
when you go out for you know go out for dinner
after after work together with your co-workers
it's so easy to somehow leave your Christian values
behind and just go with the flow and be with
your people it's easy to blend in with the crowd
friends John the Baptist gives us an example here
he cared more about God's favor than he did about
Herod's even though it led to his imprisonment and
ultimately his death so the apostle Peter urges us
first Peter to beloved I urge you as sojourners and
exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which
wage war against your soul keep your conduct among the
Gentiles that is people who know who don't know God
honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers
they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of
visitation do you hear that perplexity that we saw in
John the Baptist this is what God calls us to we will
never be like those around us who don't know God if we are
faithfully following Christ we are meant to be distinct not in
self-righteousness not in holier than thou not in look at how
great I am and golly your problems must be because you really
stink but in humility knowing that by God's grace he has saved
us out of sin and that as we pursue him we live lives that have
a kind of life from God that is distinctive and it has boundaries and
it has borders and it has commands for us to follow and we are called to
be distinct in how we live that out living for the approval of our Savior not
those around us
and friends you may feel like this is too much this is a high calling this is a
hard calling but the fifth thing that I want to tell you is where we go to
find the ability to do this and you know what it's not rock science friends we look to
Jesus we look to Jesus who has gone before and walked this very path for us he
suffered while on earth he was despised and rejected by humanity he was like a
sheep silent before its shearers before his executioners he was unjustly arrested
imprisoned and executed dying in shame upon a cross and all that suffering and
injustice all that evil and the crazy rejection and accusation God was working for us our redemption
our salvation when we look to Jesus when we see him
he is our model he is our example and he is our salvation
and so Peter writes in first Peter 2 20
if when you do good and suffer for it you endure this is a gracious thing in the sight of God
for to this you have been called because Christ also
suffered for you
leaving you an example that you might follow in his steps
he committed no sin neither was deceit found in his mouth
when he was reviled he did not revile in return
when he suffered he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself
to him who judges justly he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness
by his wounds you have been healed
for you were straying like sheep
but now have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls
and friends what John the Baptist knew
and what the early apostles and the early church knew
and what the saints throughout history through across the world
have come to see
is that as we walk in this path
as we pursue God's mission
in the face of opposition
even unto death
in a world that rejects Jesus
not only by our words
but by our suffering
we proclaim Jesus Christ
and in our proclamation of him
we have fellowship with him
and this is the great hope
that we have in our
that as we do this
we know that not only will we have fellowship with him
in his suffering
being made like him in his death
but as the apostle says
we will also then be raised with him
to a new and indestructible
and eternal life with him
that outweighs all of it
and this is what God has called us to do
and so my prayer
is that the best of what evangelicalism has meant to me
and to us
will continue to be
the heartbeat
of who we are
as Christians
that we would hold to God's Bible
that we would see the centrality of the cross
that we would love our neighbors
for the sake of Jesus
in word and deed
and engage in this world
until he takes us home
knowing that it will cause opposition
not believing that we will be accepted
but knowing that
it is good and right
to walk in Jesus' footsteps
in these ways
let's pray
Lord Jesus
we are sobered by this message
and yet also
Lord there's a part of us
that is thrilled by it
because Lord
you call us to something
that is beyond us
and yet it is good
and it is great
to walk in your footsteps
to follow you
to hear your call
and to respond
by living for you in this world
Lord knowing that it may cost us many things
but knowing that you are of greater worth
than any of those
oh Lord Jesus
I pray for my brothers and sisters
as I pray for myself
Lord that we would have courage
that we would have humility
that we would have grace
that we would have strength to endure
to press on in this calling
that you've called us to
for your glory in this world
we pray in Jesus' name
Amen