A Tale of Two Kings (Mk 6:7-29) Sunday Morning October 14, 2018 Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA

Transcription

1 1. INTRODUCTION: - This is a message for: o anyone who s sick of politics, o everyone who s tired of the hypocrisy of politicians and leaders of all ideological stripes, o and anyone who wishes for a world without sex scandals, shady backroom deals or nasty elections - This is a message of contrasts; King Jesus and King Herod o One is the creator of creation, motivated and impelled by holiness, righteousness and divine justice o The other is a two-bit regional, puppet governor who sleeps with his niece o These two men represent the sacred and the secular; the holy and unholy, the righteous and the wicked - When you look at: o (1) the political climate in America, o (2) and the rapid secularization of Western culture across the globe, o (3) and the frightening geo-political world we live in (Iran, China, North Korea, Russia) o (4) we see Herod Antipas as a microcosm of everything that s gone so horribly wrong with God s creation o (5) and we also see Jesus as the One who ll set it all right in the end! 2. THE TWO KINGS: And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits (Mk 6:7). - Jesus marked and identified the 12 apostles a long time ago (Mk 3:13-19), but this is the first time He s sent them out by themselves to do anything - What does Jesus have them do? o He gives them authority over fallen angels; demons! o Think of what it says about Jesus that He has the power and authority to delegate this ability to 12 ordinary men 1

2 o The Maker and Sustainer of creation has power over everything, but has chosen to delegate some of this power to these 12 men o Jesus shows us a good example: (1) He doesn t do everything He wants His people to work (2) Jesus works through the efforts of His people, as they work together (3) Jesus will work at SKRBC through our efforts, as we work together o The great tension: Our triune God (Father, Son and Spirit) will make sure things happen exactly like He wants them to But, He commands His adopted children to get out and work He accomplishes His will through Christians in local congregations, working together - What s the point of the miracles? What does it mean? Why do them? o The miracles are Jesus credentials they prove who He is o Reversal of the curse = the Messiah is here = a short, small, local preview of world without the results of the Fall! He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff no bread, no bag, no money in their belts but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics (Mk 6:8-9). - No tablet, no phone, no Kindle, no WiFi, no credit card not even a charger! - He wants them to travel light (extraordinarily light!), and focus on their mission: o go town by town, o preach the Gospel, o and repeat - This idea of traveling light = similar to the Israelites in the Exodus: o In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover, (Ex 12:11) o The firstborn in Egypt were killed that very night (Ex 12:29) o Pharaoh then expelled them that very night (Ex 12:30-39) - Exodus theme: 2

3 o (1) Old = Israelites rescued from Egypt and led by God to the Promised Land, through a chosen prophet - Moses o (2) New = Israelites rescued from sin and led by God to the figurative Promised Land of salvation, forgiveness and perfect peace, though a chosen Messiah (Jesus) and His representatives - Parallel with the clothing = same sense of urgency, but this rescue is from a spiritual slavery, not a physical one And he said to them, Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 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, (Mk 6:10-11). - What does this shake the dust off thing mean? o It s a play on a cultural phenomenon o Many Jews had a very racist attitude towards Gentiles, led by the Pharisees and the influence they had on synagogue education o This shaking the dust off was what a pious Jew would do when he left Gentile territory and re-entered Israel; it signified he was washing himself of the filth and stain of Gentile lands o Jesus flips this script: (1) If the disciples Gospel message isn t received (2) They should leave, and shake the dust of the town off their feet (3) This town = heathen unbelievers ( Gentiles ) (4) Dividing line isn t ethnic; it s spiritual So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them (Mk 6:12-13). - What do the disciples do? What s their mission about? o (1) repentance tied into the larger Gospel story (creation, fall, reconciliation, restoration = embodied in Jesus as the revealer, reconciler and king who accomplishes all this) o (2) miracles to accredit the message 3

4 - This is a congregation s mission = the message that people must repent and turn to God, framed in the context of the Bible s storyline King Herod heard of it, for Jesus name had become known (Mk 6:14). - A bit of time has passed - Herod has heard about Jesus, and the missionary journey His disciples began - Who is Herod? o It depends! This will only make sense if you understand the intertestamental history of the region (Alexander and the disintegration of his empire, the rise and splintering of the Hasmoneans, the rise of Rome) o Herod the Great was the Hosmonean ruler (by this time, the Hasmoneans were puppet kings under the Romans); the one who spoke to the wise men, and slaughtered the children in Bethlehem = died in 4 A.D. o He had many sons, some of whom he killed to protect his own position o One of those was Archelaus, who was a cruel idiot and a fool who ruled over Judea and Samaria for only a few years before the Roman Emperor got rid of him and installed an imperial governor = this is why Pilate is on the scene by Jesus death Archelaus was ruling the region when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus back from Egypt (Mt 2:22) o Another was Herod Antipas, who ruled over Galilee this Herod! o His brother, Phillip, ruled over a small region east of the Jordan 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, (Mk 6:14-16). - All sorts of strange rumors are going around about this but everybody knows Jesus is a man with extraordinary power 4

5 o Is He John the Baptist, who Herod is desperately afraid of? o Is He Elijah, who could raise people from the dead? o Is He some other prophet? - Herod has a guilty conscience, and is convinced Jesus is actually John the Baptist, raised from the dead and wandering the countryside to torment him why? 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. For John had been saying to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife, (Mk 6:17-18). - Herod had been married to the daughter of a local king down near Ethiopia - He d met his brother Philip s wife (who was also his niece!), liked her looks, dumped the Ethiopian gal, and run away with his brother s wife - John (of course) directly preached against this, and told Herod to his face he was breaking God s law by doing this 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 (Mk 6:19-20). - For some bizarre reason, Herod couldn t bring himself to kill John - Herod knew about God, knew God s law, and knew what his responsibilities were - His new wife (his niece!) wants John dead, but Herod can t do it - He s straddling the fence: o thoroughly wicked, o but unwilling to retreat, o but (almost despite himself), compelled to listen to John tell him about God s judgment! But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading 5

6 men of Galilee. 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. And he vowed to her, Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom, (Mk 6:21-23). - Here s the situation: o Herod is a wicked man who dumps his wife, marries his niece and steals him from his brother, while she was already married to him o He s a large and important political leader; the son of the man (Herod the Great) who ruled over the entire Jewish kingdom less than 30 years before o He has a massive birthday celebration, and invites all the elites in military and civil society to come o His wife s daughter (his grand-niece!) comes, dances for them all, pleases all the guests, and Herod is so enthusiastic in the aftermath that he says, I ll do anything for you just ask! - Let s put away our pious, churchy exteriors and be honest with each other: o What kind of dance do you think the grand-niece performed? o Why do you think Herod was so enchanted that he makes such a rash vow to his grand-niece? - Herod Antipas is not a good man, or a moral one! And she went out and said to her mother, For what should I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist, (Mk 6:24). - The mother, who (remember!) is Herod s niece, sees her chance to kill John and takes it 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 (Mk 6:25-26). 6

7 - The only reason Herod went through with this was because it d be too embarrassing for him not to 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 a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb (Mk 6:27-29). - John is killed, Herodias gets what she wanted, and the last great prophet in the OT lineage is dead 3. THE CONTRAST: King Herod King Jesus Character of rule Motivated by lust Motivated by the Gospel Ultimate authority His own lust Obedience to Father vs. Response to God Rebellion Obedience Character of followers Motivated by lust Motivated by the Gospel - Here are three things to take away from this account, this morning: o (1) If you re a Christian, you serve a King whose rule and reign in the age to come will be characterized by peace, justice, righteousness, holiness and everything that s right and good in the world Injustice will be fixed The wicked will be punished The righteous will be rewarded Evil will be vanquished Tears will be wiped away There will be no political scandals, no testy Supreme Court confirmation hearings, no sex scandals, no illicit liaisons in the Oval Office with young, female interns, no Oval Office ( ), no Access Hollywood soundbites, no payoffs to pornographic actresses, no adultery, no erotic dances by grandnieces, no 7

8 marriages to nieces, no opinion polls, and no partisan hacks from either side of the political aisle There will only be Jesus Christ, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, (1 Tim 6:15-16). Do you spend more time watching Fox News, than you do reading and thinking about the King of Kings? o (2) God chose to spread the Gospel through His people, which means He chose to spread the Good News through you! The Father chose people from all over the world for salvation, before creation even began The Son came, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, and rose again so that His people could be set free The Spirit applies the Son s work to the hearts and minds of His chosen people, in every town, village and city in every country on the face of the earth regardless of education, skin color, money or looks; the only criteria is grace that we could never earn or deserve This seems all neat and tidy (Father, Son and Spirit working together in the great and awesome plan of redemption), but here s the untidy part our triune God chose to use us as the vehicles for the Spirit! Jesus doesn t do everything; He sent the apostles out to preach He sends us out to preach, too! He sends you out to preach, too! The Spirit convicts hearts and minds as you give the life-giving Good News of Jesus to the people in your life How is God using you? Invite someone to church Give a co-worker a Gospel tract Give a co-worker a Christian book that ll help them with through a difficult time in her life Invite a friend to come hear a Bible study about salvation; come see me and I ll give you one you can use right now! 8

9 There s no getting around it: o (a) You have to put yourself out there o (b) You have to care about people enough to genuinely make friends with them, so you can earn the right to speak truth into their lives, and be there for them o (3) People imitate their masters: Herod s cronies sat there, drunk, licked their lips and watch his grand-niece perform her erotic dance and they enjoyed themselves Jesus messengers went out and preached the Gospel to communities as best they could, and I m sure they made plenty of mistakes, I m sure they stumbled over their words a few times, and I m sure their PowerPoints failed to load once or twice, too! Who do you more resemble Herod or Jesus? Who does your heart at its core, most want to follow? Are the external actions that showcase your Christian life based on legalistic self-righteousness, or honest love for God? Why do you do what you do? If it isn t because you love God, and you re grateful for His salvation, then you re doing it wrong - If you re a Christian this morning, then: o (1) you serve a great and holy King o (2) He wants you tell people about Him and His Gospel o (3) He wants you to serve Him with your life because you love Him - I hope His Spirit will lead you: o (1) to keep pushing on, o (2) to keep praying for more grace, and o (3) to be a light for His Good News tomorrow morning, the next day, and the next week until our great God and Savior returns for us! 9