1 game of thrones and kingdoms Mark 6:14-29 July 12, 2015 Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B It sounds weird, doesn t it, to say this is the gospel of our Lord, after something like that. When I was in seminary, as an exercise in biblical authority, our professor would have us read our least favorite, and some of the most disturbing, passages from scripture and we would all have to say the word of the Lord, thanks be to God, afterwards. While it felt odd at the time, and it made me shudder to read some of them, I think it helped us to remember that even the hard passages were worth looking at, talking about, praying over and wrestling with. And this is one of those difficult passages. When you read this passage, it s easy to realize that TV dramas have absolutely nothing on the Bible. This past spring, Matt got me started watching HBO s Game of Thrones. It s actually kind of a horrible show that I m not sure if I really like or not But when I was first reading this story from Mark, it reminded me of a movie, or a TV show, and when one of my favorite commentators compared it to Game of Thrones I thought yes! 1 This scene seems like it could be pulled straight from an episode of Game of Thrones: It s full of scandals, oaths, and disturbing images, and often times when something really awful happens on Game of Thrones, it happens at a big party. There are a couple of things about this scene that make it stand out: it s one of the longest sustained narrative scenes in the Gospel, Jesus does not appear in it at all, it seems to interrupt the flow of the rest of the story, and it s told in flashback, the only time that Mark employs such a narrative device. King Herod has heard of the deeds of the disciples, those ones who were sent out by twos, who were casting out demons, anointing the sick with oil and curing them. And so, he fears their leader, the one who has given them power, and who manifests this power himself. Gossip abounds as people whisper to one another about who Jesus might possibly be. Then we have this flashback Mark recounts the story of the death of John the Baptist, who died because of his prophet- like inability to keep his mouth shut when he saw something that was wrong. So why is this in the Bible? This weird, horrifying story, why? 1 This sermon leans HEAVILY on David Lose s work this week on his weekly lectionary blog, In the Meantime Here is the link: http://www.davidlose.net/2015/07/pentecost-7-b-a-tale-of-twokingdoms/
2 Well Mark, tells this story as a flashback, out of its narrative sequence, which means he could have put this scene anywhere. But he puts it here, not simply between the sending and receiving of the disciples but, more specifically, just after Jesus has commissioned them to take up the work of the kingdom of God and then, he joins them in making that kingdom three- dimensional, tangible, and in these ways seriously imaginable. Perhaps the point of this narrative, and it s location, is to draw a contrast between the two kingdoms available to Jesus disciples, and to all of us: the kingdom of God, and Herod s kingdom, the kingdom of the world, the kingdom of human kind. Herod s Kingdom is dominated by the desire for power, the will to gain influence over others. This is the world where competition, fear and envy are the currency, the world of not just late night dramas and reality television but also the evening news, where we have paraded before us the triumphs and tragedies of the day as if they are simply givens, another shooting, another church burning, another family torn apart, another town heavy with grief, as if there is no other way of being in the world and relating to each other. Maybe is why Mark places the story here. Just previous to this scene Jesus sends his disciples out in utter vulnerability, completely dependent on the hospitality and grace of others, to bring healing and mercy with no expectation of reward or return. As the disciples have gone out into the world to preach and teach repentance and heal the sick, they already know how that worked out for John the Baptist; they know that what happened to John could easily happen to them. But they come back. They all come back and just after this scene comes a different kind of feast altogether. What follows this flashback is completely unlike Herod s banquet of fear and misbehavior; instead what follows is a banquet of mercy, so markedly in contrast to the birthday bash Herod throws himself that it s almost stunning. It s a familiar story but still striking in it s contrast to the story that comes before. Jesus takes five loaves, and two fish, and feeds over five thousand people. Rather than the rich and powerful, it s the poor and outcast that flock to Jesus feeding of the thousands. Rather than political intrigue and power plays dominating the day, it s blessing and shocking abundance that characterize this meal. And that s the choice that Mark puts before us: which kingdom do we want to live in? Or, at least recognizing that we have no choice but to live in the kingdom of the world to some extent, to which kingdom will we give ultimate allegiance? Seems like it would be an easy answer, of course, The kingdom of God, we are all supposed to answer. But it s not as easy as just saying it out loud. The kingdom of God is where vulnerability, and sharing, and mercy and justice and grace lead to abundant
3 life for all people. And those are also the same qualities that have gotten prophets in trouble time and time again. At the very least, we might say, being vulnerable and showing mercy can make us feel like we could easily be taken advantage of. And the truth is, we might be but we can also give ourselves wholly and completely to the world of power and never quite feel secure, because once we ve accepted that power or wealth or influence or whatever; we are always vulnerable to those with more power it seems like we are simply in a never- ending contest where there are no winners like a lifelong episode of Game of Thrones, those who have the throne of power only have it for a short time until they are unseated by someone else. Herod himself felt this fear and vulnerability- he was a ruler with such immense power, and yet he actually has no control over his power or his kingdom. He, like many others in power throughout history and today, he is completely paranoid that his power is fleeting and that he is going to lose it. He believes that John the Baptist is back from dead to haunt him! Even though human power is fleeting, we know this from history, from the Roman empire to even our news stories today; humans still will always grab for it. Just because people in power, in this case Herod, are presented with an alternative, with the all- inclusive, freeing, merciful kingdom of God, that certainly doesn t mean that it s easy to give that power up. When repentance is preached to those in power, it s not a gift, it s a threat. And this story, and the story of Good Friday, and the gospel as a whole is a story of our human tendency to preserve power, to preserve privilege, to preserve our right to do whatever we want without worrying too much about the consequences 2. The contrast between these two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of power here on earth, shines light on the deepest, darkest realities of who we are. We are people who are more likely to save face than to do the right thing, who are more likely to keep what we have than to share it with others, who are more likely to look at the stranger and say out of fear you don t belong here, than to open the doors and let them in. When you play the game of thrones, a central character says early in the TV show, you win or die. There is no middle ground. But the good news is that is not how it is in the kingdom of God. When we are drawn into the kingdom of God, when we are captivated by it, when we surrender to it, first we do die. We die to all that we thought was important, to the power that we selfishly crave, to sin that threatens to overtake our lives. And then we live. 2 From the Working Preacher Podcast with Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis and Matt Skinner (Luther Theological Seminary): https://www.workingpreacher.org/brainwave.aspx
4 This story of corruption, lust and power is not where the gospel ends. This chapter goes on to celebrate the safe return of the disciples and then to share the story of an incredible meal. In a kingdom where food was scarce, Jesus takes five loaves of bread and two fish, looks up to heaven and blesses and breaks the loaves. He gives the loaves and fish to his disciples to give to the people and 5,000 eat and are filled. And still there is some left over! This, this is the kingdom of God. This is the grace of God. I know that the kingdom Jesus proclaims can seem odd, or idealistic, especially in light of recent current events. But it s these crazy stories of violence and people acting out of fear, the stories that have been going on since biblical times and still continue today, that make us crave the kingdom of God all the more. A kingdom where all are welcome, all are valued, all are cherished, all are fed. A kingdom where grace and mercy have the last word. May it be so. Amen.
Because of these features, the scene is not only as suspenseful and grisly as anything on television, but it is unlike anything else in Mark s account and seems almost out of place, even misplaced as a story looking for another narrative home. Some have questioned why Mark reports it at all. Matthew shortens it markedly and Luke omits it altogether. The majority opinion of commentators is that it serves two key purposes in Mark: it foreshadows Jesus own death and it serves as a disturbing version of final jeopardy music, an interlude between Jesus sending of the disciples and their return some unknown number of days or weeks later. The location of this story is so important. They ve been sent out, two by two, not knowing what to expect, but knowing that they could expect the worst. Each of them was living every day in the really clear knowledge that what they were doing could cost them their lives. Can you even imagine? 5