The Most Embarrassing Lesson - Mark 6:45-56 - May 3, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for May 3, 2020. Watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

Mark 6:45-56 The Most Embarrassing Lesson

Last week we looked at Jesus feeding the five thousand and how that miraculous event was really aimed at teaching the disciples a lesson in humility. They had returned from a successful missions trip where they had preached and cast out demons and healed many who were sick in Jesus’ Name, and then when faced with an inconvenient hungry crowd Jesus challenged their pride in their accomplishments and said to them, “You feed them.”

Jesus proved to them that the power to accomplish His work on the earth came from God and not from them, that they were merely clay pots that the Lord had chosen to manifest His power through. Unfortunately for them, Jesus was not finished teaching them this lesson.

We are going to pick up Mark’s account in Mark 6:45-56 and we are going to look at, what I think, is the most embarrassing and humiliating moment in the Disciples’ lives.

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. 

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Before we go too far, I want you to consider what is missing from Mark’s account. I’m sure many of you have heard of Jesus walking on water but who else is usually included in the story? Peter, right?

In Matthew’s Gospel he includes Peter asking Jesus to invite him out on the water in order to prove that it’s really Him, and, of course, Peter takes his eyes off the Lord and focuses instead on the wind and the waves and began to sink. Peter cried out to Jesus and He saves him and they both get into the boat.

Now, you have to remember that Mark is recording Peter’s recollection of these events. This is most likely why this part of the story is left out, either because Peter didn’t want people to get the wrong idea and think too much of him, or he was embarrassed by his failure.

Either way, there was enough embarrassment to go around.

After everyone had eaten their fill and the disciples picked up the twelve basketfuls of leftovers Jesus compelled the disciples to get into their boat and go to the other side to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd.

I’m sure the disciples didn’t want to go without Him and that is apparent in the language there, “He made His disciples get into the boat and go…” But they went and paddled off for the other side of the lake.

Jesus remained and dismissed the crowd, then went up on the mountain to pray. “Mountain” is a generous word especially compared to the White Mountains where we live, nevertheless, He went up on the hillside to pray.

And He prays until about the fourth watch of the night there on the hillside where he can see the disciples struggling against a headwind down on the lake and He decides to go to them, walking on the water.

Now imagine yourself in the disciples’ shoes, or sandals, I guess.

The disciples had just witnessed the glory of God manifested in the feeding of five thousand men with the equivalent of a tuna melt. In fact, they most likely had the twelve baskets full of broken pieces of bread and fish in the boat with them. And when Jesus comes to them in the fourth watch of the night, that’s somewhere between three and six in the morning, when He comes to them walking on the water, how do they respond?

…when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified.

They thought He was a ghost. They thought the same as King Herod thinking Jesus was the ghost of John the Baptist.

They had just been on a spiritual mountaintop and fallen off a cliff!

The scholars say it like this: “The disciples did not properly consider the glory of Christ which was exhibited in the multiplication of the loaves…”

I say it like this: what a bunch of morons! They had full bellies, and most likely full baskets of bread, all by Jesus’ hand and now when they see Him walking on the water they freak out and think he’s a ghost! What on earth is their problem?!

49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. 

So, what on earth was their problem? Their hearts were hardened, they were literally unwilling to learn and accept new information, they did not yet recognize that Jesus is Messiah, the Son of God.

Even after Jesus got into the boat and calmed the wind, even after they recognized that it was truly Him and not a ghost, they were, “utterly astounded,” completely flabbergasted as Ray Steadman put it.

The fact of the matter is regardless of what they had seen Jesus do or what they had heard Him say they still did not know who He really was. They were blinded.

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Even after they landed at Gennesaret, just south of Capernaum, people flocked to Jesus for healing, but, like the disciples, their understanding of who Jesus is was limited only to what He could do for them right then. To even touch the hem of his garment brought healing to the sick. He met their immediate need but what about their eternal need?

And what about the disciples? How did this bunch of dim-witted, dull-eyed, dopes go on to change the world? There are cities named after these men all over the world because of what they did, so what changed?

Fast-forward a year or so to Acts chapter 2…

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 

17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.     19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ 

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ 

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Peter, the disciple too embarrassed to include his failure at walking on water in Mark’s Gospel preached this message and about three thousand souls came to Christ in faith. 

What was the difference? The presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

John Calvin wrote, “It is no new thing if men have their eyes closed against the manifest works of God, till they are enlightened from above.”

When people are enlightened from above by the power of the Holy Spirit they are given new eyes to see, new eyes that are no longer blinded to the purposes of God in their lives and in the world.

May we see the world with new eyes, may we seek the Lord with new eyes.

Amen.

The Real Hero of Your Story - Mark 6:30-44 - April 26th, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for April 25, 2020. Watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

Mark 6:30-44 The Real Hero of Your Story

Good morning! We are returning to the Gospel of Mark this morning with chapter six, verses 30-44, and we are going to look at Mark’s account of one of Jesus’ most famous miracles, the feeding of the five thousand.

As I’ve said before, there is a great deal of intentionality and strategy in which accounts are included in Mark’s Gospel and this account is no different. Unfortunately, the lesson of this text is often missed. Maybe it’s only me that’s missed it, but either way, it hit me between the eyes in my study this week.

Before we read out text, let’s remember that Jesus had sent out the Twelve two by two and proclaimed that people should repent, and cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Here in verse 30, we see what happens when they all return from their wildly successful missions trip.

30The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

So here we have Jesus and His disciples, called apostles here for the first time. (The word “apostle” means “one who is sent,” like an emissary or a missionary.) 

The apostles come back with this great report of all the preaching that they did, the demons that they cast out, and the people that they healed and they were exhausted. 

Jesus was very popular at this time, there was a lot going on, a lot of people coming and going, Jesus’ name was known all over as we saw last week. There wasn’t even time to stop and eat!

Jesus offers the best suggestion, “Let’s go camping!”

This exposes an important ministry reality: it’s tiring. An equally important ministry reality is that real rest is important, but is often hard to come by. I hope that our time in lockdown is giving you ample opportunity to rest, this time is a gift!

Jesus and the Apostles get into their boat and sail along the shore to a desolate place, out of town, in the wilderness. But as they are going, as they are sailing along people on shore recognize them and take off on foot to where they assumed that they were headed so that they could get more of Jesus. 

I can hardly blame them! How many miles would you run to get some time with Jesus?

So what began as a restful camping trip turned into another ministry opportunity for Jesus. And this, I think, is the popular message from this passage: where we see problems Jesus sees potential.

And that idea is not wrong exactly, every obstacle we face in life is an opportunity for the Lord to show Himself strong, and Jesus certainly did in this instance, but I don’t think that’s the main message here in this text.

Jesus has compassion on this crowd, He saw them as sheep without a shepherd, He saw a scarcity of good teaching, He saw the hunger of their souls not just of their bodies. He also knew that He Himself was the solution for their problems.

The Apostles however, only saw the problems. They were exhausted and hungry already, this huge crowd had rudely ruined their camping trip and now it was getting late and there was nothing to eat for them and all these people. 

So they came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

Now, maybe I’m reading a little too far into this, but Jesus response to their suggestion has got to be one of the most humbling responses He could have given them. We often laugh it off as ridiculous but I don’t think Jesus was joking.

In verse 37 Jesus answered them, “You give them something to eat.”

Why is this statement significant?

Remember that the Apostles had just returned from their very successful missions trips where they had preached and healed a bunch of people and cast out a lot of demons, Jesus wasn’t there it was only them sent out two by two. 

We have to be very careful with how we view the Apostles at this point, they had almost no clue what they were involved in and Jesus used this opportunity in the wilderness to expose their ignorance, pride, and powerlessness. 

All that demon casting out, all that healing, the power for that did not come from them, not from their own abilities or charisma, all that power came from Jesus. 

The disciples didn’t even have the power to come up with a decent plan to feed the crowd, they didn’t even have the power to trust Jesus to provide a solution to their problem.

These people weren’t starving, this account only spans three or four hours, it wasn’t even evening yet, it was only around three o’clock in the afternoon. 

The Apostles just wanted them to go away so they could rest. 

The real obstacle here in this account is pride.

Augustine rightly said that pride is the sin that is pregnant with all the others. The Apostles were proud of their accomplishments, proud of their success, but they were wrong about the source of their success. 

Their success didn’t come from their own power, it came from Jesus. 

This was exposed when Jesus said, “You feed them,” but they couldn’t, they didn’t even have enough money to buy bread for everyone to even have a little. 

They were powerless. But Jesus is all powerful.

He asks them what they do have, how many loaves? When they had found out, they said, “five loaves, and two fish.”

39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.

In verse 41 after Jesus said a blessing, he broke the loves and gave them to the disciples. There is something very important about the word “gave” that is not clear in our English translations. 

The verb, “gave,” is in the “active, imperfect” tense. 

If it were translated literally it would say that He broke the loaves and gave them and continued giving them to the disciples. The loaves were multiplied in Jesus’ hands and the disciples had to continually return to Him for more bread to serve the people.

The disciples were ministers of Jesus’ divine power by submitting to Him and serving the bread. Their problem was that they weren’t yet looking to Jesus as the divine source, they still saw themselves as the heroes of their own stories. We’ll see in next week’s passage that they still didn’t understand this lesson.

We are faced with the same problem. On Easter Sunday we talked about how the Bible is not just a collection of random stories but is one long story of God’s work of redemption with Jesus as the hero. 

Our stories are no different, they are stories of God’s redemptive work in us and in the world. But all too often, just as the disciples did, we see ourselves as the heroes of our own stories but we’re not, Jesus is!

We have two advantages that the disciples did not at this point. 

One, we can see how the story ends, at least their part in it, we have the perspective that they lacked in this moment. 

The second advantage, through faith in Jesus Christ, is that we are filled with the Holy Spirit who guides us and helps us make sense of God’s Word, at this point the disciples did not, they were not filled with the Holy Spirit until the Day of Pentecost after Jesus ascended back into heaven.

Though we have these advantages, we often have the same problem, we see ourselves as the heroes of our stories instead of Jesus, we see ourselves as the source of our successes, our talent and hard work and tenacity, when, as James put it, “every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights.”

One of my favorite verses sums up this account and this lesson perfectly. 2 Corinthians 4:7, “we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

The disciples hadn’t figured this out yet, I hope that we all will.

Let’s pray.

Seeing Ghosts - Mark 6:14-29 - April 19, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for April 19, 2020. Watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

Mark 6:14-29 Seeing Ghosts

Good morning! It is now week five of our CrossRoads in Quarantine livestreams and after much struggle and debate I have decided to return to our study in the Gospel of Mark. Unfortunately we cannot return to our format of discussion that we were enjoying before but we can still look at it together and you are free to write in your thoughts and questions in the comments under this video and we can dialogue after the live stream is over that way.

So let’s return to Mark chapter six. When we last studied Mark together we talked about the sending out of the Twelve two by two back in verse seven.

7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

And this is where we pick up our text for this morning.

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He 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 it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 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. 

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s 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.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 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.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Word had spread of all that Jesus had been doing and teaching, no one could claim ignorance, obviously, because the Name of Jesus the Christ had spread abroad and had even penetrated the court of King Herod and this account reflects Herod’s reaction to Jesus.

Like any normal, stable, reasonable individual would, Herod deduced that it was the ghost of John the Baptist. Makes sense doesn’t it?

14 King Herod heard of it [that is, the preaching of repentance by the Twelve in Jesus’ Name], for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He 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.”

Remember back to chapter one where we first met John the Baptist, what was his message? Repent for the forgiveness of sins. That was what he preached, that is why he baptized people, for repentance.

We’ve dealt with the idea of repentance before, it is an acknowledgement of sin and turning from it. Repentance is the beginning of the gospel, the beginning of the work of the Good News. In order for us to receive forgiveness we must first acknowledge our sin and sinfulness and then turn from it.

Have you done that? Have you acknowledged your sin before God and received His forgiveness?

Holy week reminded us of the purpose of Jesus’ death on the cross, He was the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Death is the price that must be paid for sin and Jesus paid it all Himself for us.

But if we do not acknowledge our sin, how can we be forgiven? How can we call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ if we do not turn away from our sinful ways and follow His Way of righteousness?

Lust, greed, selfishness, hatred, bitterness, we give ourselves permission to continue this way but Jesus does not, the message still rings true: Repent!

The ministry of Jesus, who was not the ghost of John the Baptist by the way, had reached all the way to the court of Herod Antipas, who wasn’t really a king, he was more like a prince with rule over one fourth of his father Herod the Great’s kingdom. He was more like, governor of the districts of Galilee and Perea.

The Herod family tree is a little more like a wreath. Herod the Great had five wives and had children by each of them. These half-brothers then all had children and started intermarrying. Herod Antipas, king Herod, or Herod the Tetrarch as Luke called him, was originally married to a daughter of the Arabian king Areta the Fourth but divorced her in order to seduce and marry his half-brother Phillip’s wife Herodias. She was the daughter of Herod’s half-brother Aristobulus which made her his half-niece.

It’s no wonder that John the Baptist told Herod that it was not lawful to have his brother’s wife! According to Leviticus 20:21 it was in fact forbidden for someone to marry his brother’s wife. This didn’t seem to bother Herod that much but it certainly did bother Herodias, and from verse 17-29 Mark flashes back to the account of the murder of John the Baptist.

16 But when Herod heard of [Jesus’ ministry], he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 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. 

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s 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.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 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.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

The message of repentance has never been a popular one, people don’t like to preach it, and people don’t like to hear it. Let’s face it, no one wants to hear that they’re wrong, let alone admit it.

Herod and Herodias had three options when confronted with their sin, one good one and two bad ones.

Herod chose to be indifferent about his sin. He liked John the Baptist, he didn’t want to kill him, but he also liked his sin and didn’t want to kill that either. Herod could have made things right but, like a coward, chose to just let things lie and hoped that it would all just blow over but it didn’t. He had to choose between letting John live and living with his venomous and vengeful wife. He had John beheaded and was from then on plagued by guilt.

Herodias, on the other hand, when confronted with her sin, celebrated it. The Law meant nothing to her, she had found her way into the arms of a more powerful man and would kill to protect all that her sin offered her and that’s exactly what she did. She took vengeance on the only one bold enough to expose her sin and call it what it was.

These were the two bad options. The third option is the way that leads to life, acknowledging sin and sinfulness and turning from it, this is the beginning of the gospel, repentance.

This account in the Gospels is a kind of milestone event for Herod and Herodias, but it is given to us as a reminder that we are constantly faced with the same choices they were, to be indifferent about our sin, to celebrate our sin, or to turn from our sin.

We are sinners, by nature and by choice. Through faith in Christ we are forgiven for that sin and sinfulness but that doesn’t make us now unable to sin, nor does it remove sin’s natural consequences. 

Jesus paid the penalty that our sin deserves on the cross and every time we sin we make His sacrifice that much more necessary. 

A life of faith in Jesus Christ is a life of repentance from every sinful thought, every evil deed, choosing to reject sin and its empty promises of fulfillment, and living lives of true righteousness and holiness.

Herod and Herodias chose to reject this message, to reject repentance, to their own eternal peril.

I pray that you won’t.

Don’t choose to be indifferent to your sin as if it doesn’t really matter, Jesus’ death on the cross for sin says otherwise!

Don’t choose to celebrate your sin as if you have the right to live however you want with no consequences, Jesus death on the cross says that isn’t so!

Choose to turn from your sin, to repent and to turn to Jesus. I’m not just talking about people who have never trusted in Jesus, I’m talking about all of us in our constant struggle with sin.

If you do not have faith in Jesus, repent! Turn from your life of sin that leads to death and trust Jesus for forgiveness and to lead you in the way that leads to life!

If you do have faith in Jesus, the life you live in Christ must be a life of repentance, constantly turning from the temptations and sin that so easily entangles.

In either case we must constantly call on the Lord to help us, to accept His death in our place and the forgiveness that comes through faith in Him and to defend us from the continuous temptations to sin.

Amen.