Sermon Brief Andre Riendeau May 5, 2019

Text: :14-29

Title: “Who Do You Fear?”

Subject: is killed by King Herod.

Complement: Herod’s fears lead him to murder John.

Textual Idea: Herod’s fears lead him to murder John the Baptist.

Sermon Idea: What and who we fear directs our lives.

Interrogative: Who do you fear?

Key word/Transitional sentence: Video transition

Key Points: 1. Herod teaches us to not fear people – don’t seek approval from others. 2. teaches us to fear bitterness – forgive those who hurt you. 3. John teaches us to fear God – seek to live in His love.

What do I want people to know? I want people to know that fearing man will result in tragedy while fearing God results in blessing…though not necessarily in this life.

What do I want people to do? I want people to (1) identify their fears, (2) avoid seeking to please people or following popular opinion, and (3) deeply know the love of God.

What need am I addressing? addressing the need to deal with fear in our lives.

1 “Who Do You Fear?” Mark 6:14-29 May 5, 2019 What and who we fear directs our lives.

Take a moment and watch this video of a regular guy like you and me struggling with a very familiar issue: fear. (watch video)

What do you fear? Disease? Failure? Rejection? Terrorism? So much to be afraid of. The bigger question might not be WHAT do I fear but WHO do I fear? What we fear and who we fear will largely determine the direction and the quality of our lives. We can live in fear or we can live in freedom and it all depends on who we fear.

We’re in a sermon series on the of Mark called, (LCD) , More Than Enough and we left off with Jesus sending out His disciples in pairs to proclaim His kingdom, exorcise demons and heal the sick which multiplies Jesus’ kingdom ministry throughout . That expansion catches the attention of the ruler of Galilee – a man named . I’ve entitled my sermon “Who Do You Fear” because this morning we’re going to take a little break from Jesus’ story and go up close and personal with Herod Antipas - a fear-filled man. And his fears direct him into some dark places. Who and what do you fear?

Mark 6, verses 14 and 15, “King Herod heard about this (Jesus’ expanding ministry through his traveling disciples), for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is .” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” Jesus’ miracle ministry is a sensation throughout Galilee and King Herod hears about it. Everyone’s got an opinion about who Jesus might be: some say Elijah - a prophet who was taken up into heaven and never died. The last part of the Old Testament said that one day he would return to execute God’s judgment. Could this be him? Others said that after 400 years of silence, Jesus is a new prophet on the scene like one of the old ones. Others said that he must be the resurrected ghost of the holy man who had recently been killed - John the Baptist.

That’s what Herod believes, verse 16, “But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” In the Greek, “the one I beheaded” is in the emphatic position showing that Herod is suffering from a guilty conscience. To Herod, it’s a no brainer that this is obviously the ghost of John come to haunt him. It’s a reflection of his paranoia, his fear, that causes him to believe such superstition. Fear is driving Herod. Why? To understand that, let’s get his backstory first.

Herod Antipas was the son of another Herod: . You know him…he’s the guy who killed all the babies around Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Why? Because someone said he was born “king of the Jews” and Herod wanted that title all to himself. As a matter of fact, he was paranoid about keeping it – to the tune of the slaughter of thousands of innocent lives. His own sons didn’t fare much better. Herod had ten sons

2 and had several executed when he thought they might be aiming for his throne. Caesar himself once said of Herod, “I’d rather be Herod’s pig than one of Herod’s sons.” This is the environment Herod Antipas grew up in. Fear was part of the family DNA. Decadence was part of it too. Herod Antipas grew up in Rome and indulged in all her lustful pleasures. He was compromised to the core…and filled with fear.

Now I need to tell you a bit more about this people and it is a little like a soap opera so stay with me! When his father Herod the Great died, Caesar (LCD) divided his empire into four parts creating tetrarchs. Herod Antipas was put in charge of Galilee and and his half-brother Herod Philip was put in charge of Gaulanitis up here. Philip married his own niece Herodias. Eventually, Herod Antipas had an affair with Herodias, also his niece, and convinced her to divorce Philip and marry him after he divorced his own wife. Antipas’ wife was the daughter of the King of Nabatea down here next to Perea – a nearby enemy. This caused not only family issues but political tensions. Herod’s lust had not only fractured his family but also jeopardized the safety of Perea, one of his lands. It’s with all this backstory that we now read why Herod is paranoid about John.

Verse 17, “For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.” Not only did Herod have a family problem and a political problem, he also had a religious problem. Herod’s affair with Herodias was both adultery and incest - a violation of the Jewish law in Leviticus. Now Herod wasn’t a Jew but if he wanted to keep his position, he needed to keep the Jews in Galilee happy. John’s preaching threatened that.

On top of that, John’s preaching could rile up the Jews in Perea who might rise up and aid an overthrow by an enraged King Aretas of Nabatea whose daughter had been disgraced by Herod. You see how John is a problem to Herod? Everyone respected John. Even the Jewish religious leaders wouldn’t touch him or criticize him though he denounced them. What to do? Herod’s solution: imprison John. This stopped his preaching and saved his life which was the best he could do to try to keep the peace in his kingdom. But it didn’t help keep the peace in his home.

Herodias was not happy with John. Verse 19 says she nursed a grudge against him and she nursed it so long that she wanted him dead. But she wasn’t able to kill him because Herod protected him. He did so, as I said, to not enrage the Jews, but also because he had some measure of respect for John. Isn’t that interesting? Verse 20 says that Herod knew John was a “righteous and holy man.” Yes, he was. Herod liked to listen to him. One scholar said it is kind of like serial killers. We may loathe them, but we’ll watch an interview with them with fascination. True enough.

3 Herod is fascinated with John but there’s more than that; he’s perplexed. The word here is interesting. It is (LCD) “aporeo” which means “To be at a loss; in doubt, to be in perplexity with the implication of serious anxiety.” Note that final phrase…serious anxiety. Fear. Can you see Herod in your mind? Potential war on his border, family dysfunction, an unhappy wife filled with bitterness, a childhood filled with fear…and now a ghost with supernatural power come back from the dead for him. Can you say paranoia? Forget melatonin, like the doctor, there’s no way this guy is sleeping at night! His life is driven by fear…and Herodias’ life is driven by bitterness. She wants John dead, Herod wants him alive…something had to give.

Verse 21, “Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.” Okay, sorry but I need to stop again. It is crucial that you understand what kind of party this is. First of all, it most likely occurred at Herod’s desert fortress called (LCD) in the Perea district, not in the Galilee. Why? The first century historian tells us that John the Baptist was kept in prison here. If the story is read literally, then the party has to be here. Machaerus was built like other desert fortresses to protect Jewish borders and to be a place to retreat in time of war. Who is going to attack you up there!?

On top of these peaks, the Jews built elaborate places that were part fortress and part palace along the lines of Roman buildings. (LCD) Here are the remains of Herod’s dining hall where the party we’re going to read about most likely occurred. (LCD) Here is a rendering of what it might have looked like on the day in question. Imagine this elaborate setting overlooking the desert. I stood on top of a similar fortress/palace called and it is incredible. An amazing setting for a massive party.

Birthday parties were frowned on by the Jews. They were practiced by Greeks and Romans and they were really glorified stag parties with excessive drinking and dancing prostitutes as well as everything else that goes with that. What better way to treat your fears than to numb yourself with alcohol and sex. Some things haven’t changed. Verse 21 tells us that Herod invited everyone who was someone: the political, military and social elite. You can be sure that everything was over the top for this kind of a crowd. In the midst of this debauchery, an unlikely dancer comes out…catching everyone’s attention. Verse 22, “When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

What a horrible situation. Remember I told you that something had to give between Herod and his wife and Herodias seems to understand him very well. Dancers at parties like these were either prostitutes or courtesans – high-end call girls basically; not princesses. To have the princess come in would have been highly decadent and, to this crowd, exciting. The king, surely drunk, over-promises by swearing an oath that he’d give her anything she wanted. “Up to half my kingdom” isn’t meant to be taken literally,

4 it was a saying of the day that meant ask big. The bigger the ask, the greater the king will look in front of his important guests.

Josephus tells us that this princess’ name was and she appears to be a pawn of her mom as she runs out of the hall to go ask her what she should request. Herodias is not stupid. Most likely, she put her daughter up to this - essentially pimping out her daughter to nurse her grudge. The Greek word for “girl” could be anyone from between 10 and 16 so she’s probably of marriageable age – a young teen. She tells her daughter, “The head of John the Baptist!” The sweet taste of revenge. Salome shows no hesitation at all in carrying out her mother’s grisly wish. She rushes back in and asks for John’s head… adding that she wanted it “right now” and on a “platter.” Just imagine the disgust of this request. It’s meant to shock Mark’s readers.

How can John the Baptist be beheaded? He’s been in prison for two years at this point but surely God will rescue this man of God who boldly spoke truth, right? Verse 26, “The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.” What in the world happened here?

What in the world went wrong here? First of all, we read that the king was “greatly distressed” by the request. Knowing the background, you can understand why, right? The word here is very interesting. It is (LCD) “perilupos” and means to be “engulfed in sorrow.” It comes from the words ‘peri’ – encompassing plus ‘lupos’ – sorrow, it literally means ‘to be surrounded by sorrow.’ These are the ways it is translated in the – twice referring to this story and twice referring to Jesus’ suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane where He felt “overwhelmed with sorrow” to the point that He sweat real blood. Herod is engulfed in fear here. Absolutely overwhelmed. Killing John could set off all kinds of triggers. Obviously, he should nullify that request.

But he swore an oath in front of all his guests – anyone who is anyone. The peer pressure is too great and against his conscience and even his own will, he gives the order and the deed is done. Imagine the entire banquet hall laughing as this righteous man’s bloody head is brought into the hall and then given to Herodias. Revenge at last! Finally, risking their lives since John is considered a political rebel, John’s disciples come, take his body and give him a respectable burial. My guess is that Herod allowed it out of a guilty conscience. What a horrible story.

Why in the world is this here? Mark’s gospel has been about Jesus, not John. Jesus’ disciples just returned from a successful trip performing wonders and verse 30 is going to pick that back up followed by another miracle. Why intervene with this macabre story? We really don’t know for sure what Mark had in mind, but I think we can learn a few things by considering the characters named in this story. Especially looking at their fears.

5 First, we have Herod himself. (LCD) Herod teaches us to not fear people – don’t seek approval from others. Herod was ensnared by fear of public opinion, fear of popular uprising, fear of his enemy, fear of his wife. He was driven by a fear of people. Living for the approval of others will strip you of your peace and freedom. Proverbs says that (LCD) “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” We need to do the hard work of inner healing to determine the root of our fear of man. We see Herod’s fear of people from the time he is little watching some of his brothers put to death by his father. Talk about a “father wound.” I’m sure Herod learned to please his father to save his neck. Fear instilled at such an early age stays with you the rest of your life. It ensnares you into all kinds of coping mechanisms from perfectionism to isolation. Are you struggling with this fear? If so, seek out help to pull out the root of it. Talk to us on staff – we can direct you to people who can help you get free.

Second, we have Herodias. (LCD) Herodias teaches us to fear bitterness – forgive those who hurt you. Bitterness is a terrible robber of joy and peace. It is an ugly foe that if left to fester will destroy your life. A verse that’s helped me avoid bitterness over the years is Hebrews 12:15, (LCD) “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Bitterness grows wherever the grace of God is missed. When I am not living in the grace of God, I demand justice. When I forget how much God’s forgiven me, I don’t forgive others. The key to avoiding bitterness is being immersed in grace. The more I understand the depth to which I’ve been forgiven the more I forgive others.

I don’t have time to get into an entire sermon on forgiveness so instead I’ll just recommend a really good book I read recently on the topic. It is (LCD) “Choosing Forgiveness” by Nancy DeMoss. She says that in all her many talks on forgiveness, she always asks this question, (LCD) “How many of you would be honest enough to admit that there is a root of bitterness in your heart—that there are one or more people in your life—past or present—that you've never forgiven?” No matter the audience, Nancy says that 85 to 90% of the hands go up. This is a big deal. It cost John the Baptist his life and it is probably sucking the life out of many of us in this room right now. Jesus died to set us free. Let’s not miss the grace of God! One last quote from DeMoss, (LCD) “When we as God's children realize that His grace is sufficient for every situation, that by the power of His indwelling Spirit we have the ability to respond with grace and forgiveness to those who have sinned against us—at that point we are no longer victims. We are free to rise above whatever may have been done to us, to grow through it, and to become instruments of grace, reconciliation, and redemption in the lives of other hurting people and even in the lives of our offenders.” Amen.

Finally, we have John. (LCD) John teaches us to fear God – seek to live in His love. Now at first blush, this seems contradictory. How do fear and love go together? The fear here is a good fear. It is a healthy reverence for a holy God. It is a fear that causes us to obey God even when it hurts, and this kind of commitment only comes from a deep love relationship with God.

6 The beauty of this love relationship based in a healthy fear of God is that it results in the banishment of unhealthy fears that destroy us as John tells us, (LCD) “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” The better we know the love of the Father, the more we trust Him, and fear is gone. God is like the faithful father who comes running in the night when his child is afraid of the monsters under their bed. Or the faithful father who will move heaven and earth to find his lost child at Six Flags. Perfect love casts out fear. Do you know His love?

The last thing the doctor in the video said was this, “Fear’s become another person in my marriage, a silent partner in my practice, it’s a wall that I put up between me and everybody else.” That need not be the case for the child of God. We don’t have to live in paranoia like Herod or bitterness like Herodias. We can live in freedom like John – at peace and free - even in death.

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