"The Danger of Indecision" - A Sermon on Mark 6:14-29

(1) The Story in a Nutshell

Herod had taken the wife of his brother Philip to be his wife. John the Baptist, who was not one to mince words, criticised Herod for this. This was a big call given Herod’s power in the district. But from the moment John the Baptiser had arrived on the scene, he had been boldly calling for people to “repent” … to turn their lives around in a new direction. John the Baptist was saying that a new time was dawning, and that he was announcing this through preparing the way for the Annointed One that would soon follow (Mark 1:4-8). The sort of behaviour that Herod was exhibiting served as an example of what was harming human relationships, what was demeaning society, and what must be “repented” from. Herod had flagrantly, according to John, ignored and broken Jewish law (Lev 18:16, 20:21), therefore God’s law, and this from a community leader!

As often happens, such a call to change one’s ways, when the hearer is actually comfortable with where they’re at or resistant to any challenge to their behaviour, can meet with heavy opposition. John the Baptist is hauled before Herod and subsequently thrown into prison. Subsequently when an opportunity opens for Herod’s even more offended wife Herodias to take her revenge on John the Baptist, she doesn’t hesitate, and John loses his life in gruesome circumstances. The evidence of John’s demise was there for everyone to see, yet when Jesus started to become well known for his message and deeds, Herod’s superstitions raised their head, and he was caused to recall what he had allowed to happen to John the Baptist and experience feelings of guilt in the matter.

If we get into the little details of this text and go to other sources like Josephus, some of the names and logistics of this incident become problematical, yet here we have the very strong basis for some very important teaching for the Marcan community and those disciples of Jesus of all generations to follow. This is especially seen in the placement of this story in Mark’s gospel, which is closely followed in Matthew’s gospel (14:1-12) yet there abbreviated.

(2) The Grave Difficulty of Mission

Despite the call to mission in Mark’s gospel, and the success Jesus was having in ministry, difficulty and danger is never too far from the scene. This was a realistic picture of mission for the Marcan community of the 1st century to appreciate. Putting oneself on the line for Jesus, out of one’s comfort zone, travelling to the other side [of the lake], was never going to be easy, nothing to be ever taken lightly. The first section of Mark concludes with Jesus being rejected in his hometown of Nazareth (6:1-6). And while the second section starts with the disciples’ success in proclaiming repentance, casting out demons and curing the sick (6:7-13), it is quickly followed by the execution of the very forerunner of Jesus and principal proponent of repentance. No wonder that when they returned from their two-by-two mission journeys, Jesus took his disciples to a deserted place for rest and sustenance (6:30-31). Their future will be filled with difficult challenges. Dorothy A Lee-Pollard calls this “a sombre and ominous note in the midst of triumph and success in the mission”. Mark’s point is that mission with Jesus takes place in the context of hostility.

(3) Forerunner to the End

Another aspect of the teaching of this text, is the way in which the person of John the Baptist takes the role as forerunner of Jesus right through to his death. The future reality of the death of Jesus already casts its shadow over this Gospel story; the Pharisees had been conspiring with the Herodians to bring about Jesus’ demise since Jesus healed the man with the withered hand at Mark 3:1-6. Now in very graphic terms, the one who prepared the way and set the tone for the Kingdom of God, John, while being guilty of no crime, was hated, conspired against, held up for ridicule, and killed by a negligent and indecisive community leader. John the Baptist’s own disciples had to suffer loss and lay his body in a tomb. We are being prepared for the climax of Mark’s gospel – the death of Jesus and the flight of his disciples.

(4) The Danger of Indecision (verse 20)

The verse that most captured me when I read this passage in preparation was verse 20. This gave me understanding of why Herod’s life was so messy, and why he became trapped in a situation that he couldn’t get out of – leading to the death of John the Baptist. This gave me understanding of why ministry and mission can be so hard. This gave me understanding as to why people find life so difficult, lack purpose, become anxious, and why hope begins to allude them. People, and Herod serves as a real example, are indecisive. And indecision can be dangerous, not only for the person themselves, but also for all those around them.

As we have the situation in Mark’s text, Herod’s inappropriate relationship with Herodias, wrought hatred, violence and manipulation, badly affecting his household and his community leadership. Look at the way the daughter became involved, and how the “soldier of the guard” was forced into violence against John, and how the guests came to witness such a vicious display of outrageous revenge. Of course Herod’s own heritage had a lot to do with his behaviour in life, being one of the sons of the so-called “Herod the Great” who reportedly had all the children around Bethlehem two years old or under killed in attempt to kill Jesus who he saw as a potential rival (Matt 2:16). While giving us an understanding of his background, this does not take away Herod’s own responsibility for his actions. It was Herod’s own ecstatic reaction to his daughter’s public display of dancing that led him to the point of manipulation.

We read in verse 20 that Herod had a great deal of time for John and held him in high regard; Herod found John to have integrity and spiritual depth. And despite John’s challenging even threatening words (sometimes directed at him personally causing Herod to feel perplexed even fearful), Herod still liked listening to John. Due to this, even though he had thrown John in jail, Herod wanted to protect him from any further harm. But in the end, Herod didn’t have the character or the backbone to save John from Herodias’ ill-will. Herod had wavered about John, but the problem probably really lay in the fact that Herod had never actually formed the habit of being decisive in the cause of right.

We need to be decisive about those things that guide our life. If we aren’t then we lack the boundaries within which to make our decision-making, and then anything can happen. We can make dreadful decisions, be manipulated easily, and waver all over the place. When good people or good opportunities come across our path, we are not in a position to recognise them for their great worth. We may not be strong enough to stand up for what is right for ourselves and everybody else. We need to be decisive about those things that we need to rightly guide our life.

What are some of the things we need to be decisive about???

· That we will live within the law, including the road laws, the tax laws, the copyright laws … to name just three.
· That we will maintain our marriages to the absolute best of our ability, which will include putting up whatever boundaries are necessary to assure our spouse of our continuing faithfulness.
· That we consider the well-being of our neighbours as important, thus avoiding selfish living. (Herod only stood for himself, which meant that when tested he actually stood for nothing.)

What about young people, at the beginning of their lives???

· They will be decisive about their attitudes to alcohol and other drugs before being put in difficult situations they can’t control.
· They will make some determinations about which people are helpful friends and which are not safe people to be around.
· Christian young people will determine to only court and marry a Christian person, and wait to marry that person before engaging in intimacy.
· They will determine to be involved in a Christian Church community, make a contribution, and mature through an accountability to such a group of people.

For everyone??? To see that a relationship with Jesus is paramount, and that everything else should fall into line behind that life orientation. In everything we do, we start with the acknowledgement that we are following Jesus, and make our decisions from there.

A Sermon on Mark 6:6b-13 - "Open & Closed Doors"

(1) On the Move (v.12-13)

This text is the beginning of the second major part of Mark’s Gospel. In the previous section we read about Jesus’ coming and his call to “repent” (i.e. turn in a new direction) and actually “believe” (or have faith in) the good news that God is breaking into history with a gift of grace and salvation.

Then we read about Jesus calling disciples to share in the development of God’s mission, to participate in the spreading of this “good news”. We read continually of Jesus’ successes in meeting the needs of those he came into contact with; yet we also read about the difficulty the disciples were having in going to the other side, how hard it was to share with people who were so unfamiliar to them. But let us not be concerned, because when the waves and the wind seem to strong for us to handle, and we think we are about to sink, Jesus says to the environmental conditions … “Peace! Be still!”

The earlier section concluded with Jesus being rejected from his own hometown of Nazareth; reminding us that Jesus considers his closest family, not to be those biologically connected to him, but to be those who do God’s will.

Jesus was not deterred by his disciples’ lack of understanding and faith. This second part of Mark’s gospel commences with Jesus sending them out two by two on serious mission. What choice did Jesus have! Following Jesus’ short ministry on earth, the spread of the “good news” would depend totally on such disciples as these choosing to be responsive to the Holy Spirit and going out!! Let them learn and discover the hard way! We know that they really didn’t get it until after the resurrection, but these texts serve to give us important lessons (directly from Jesus) about how to go about sharing the “good news”.

The nature of the disciples’ mission is again made clear in verses 12 & 13. There should be a ‘call to repentance’ (i.e. an invitation to try life in a new way), and a demonstration, in one way or another, that God is available to break through all barriers and obstacles – physical and spiritual. The first disciples would carry out this mission in the way open and familiar to them; we need to continually find the methods that are appropriate for the age in which we live.

* How will we ‘call for repentance’ and ‘demonstrate God’s healing power’ in the context in which we live? I’ve often be asked for hints concerning effective witnessing! We might just be able to answer this question by looking at Jesus’ instructions to his disciples in verses 7 to 11.

(2) Working in Tandem (v.7)

Why would the disciples be sent out in twos??
· less lonely, less fearful;
· mutual encouragement, shared responsibility, accountability (beware the person who wants to work alone – this may be more about their own agenda than God’s mission), cooperative discernment;
· greater chance of connecting (with two different personalities); and
· a multiple cohesive witness – we know that in legal cases, two eyewitnesses agreeing in their testimony are better than just one in proving the case.

As the disciples went “two by two”, they did so as official representatives of Jesus. Their message and deeds were to be an extension of Jesus’ own message and work. It was as if Jesus was going to all these places himself. Jesus’ disciples would be doing exactly what Jesus had been doing. As such they had Jesus’ “authority”, therefore having the potential of complete effectiveness over the powers of darkness, physical incapacity, and in their call for a change in attitude.

* Now with the creation of the church community, we have the opportunity of working not just in twos, but in bigger numbers, providing this multiple cohesive witness, with a variety of personalities to connect with a broad society, all the time providing mutual support and insight to each other along the way.

Part of the task of ‘casting out demons’ in this day, will involve attempts at effecting change in the demonic systems that hold some people captive i.e. making a positive difference within any dehumanising forces, addictions or behaviour patterns that can destroy people and be so difficult to escape.

[Just a further word of explanation of what it means when we say people “should repent”. This can sound judgemental, dominating or patronising handled the wrong way. We usually have to earn the right to talk about the solution to a person’s life situation through building a relationship based on really good listening. In the face of another person’s own growing conviction that their life is not what it should be and they need to change, we can begin to talk about how God actually provides such an opportunity.

Through Jesus there really is an opportunity to turn around, change direction, start again, to alter one’s way of living. William Barclay wrote: “To repent means to change one’s mind, and then to fit one’s actions to this change of mind”. This involves a complete change of heart from self-centredness toward God-centredness & neighbour-centredness.]

(3) Travelling Light (v.8-9)

Jesus directed that they shouldn’t take:
Ø a packed lunch or a frozen dinner,
Ø no backpack to carry the portable DVD player or store up things gathered at the antique shops along the way,
Ø no petty cash or credit card to fall back on if all else failed,
Ø no overcoat to bring extra comfort.

Just go with the basics: the set of clothes you’re wearing, good walking shoes, and a big stick to avoid falling on a rough track. Clearly, to be given such instructions, they were obviously heading out of their comfort zones, where they may have wanted to cling on to some of their luxury items, and have an extra coat against the cold weather. Yet these would have weighed the disciples down, slowed them up, and affected their focus.

This would be like over-packing to go on holidays, never really needing half the stuff you packed, but you still had to carry it around. We pack for ‘worst case scenarios’, the slightest chance we need this or that! Jesus wanted it kept simpler and more basic than that. Jesus wants his followers to fully trust him for everything.

What was to be gained by travelling light??
· Not having to look after a whole lot of stuff along the way.
· Not to develop any feelings of self-sufficiency on what was really unpredictable unchartered territory; where dependency on God was a more helpful mindset.
· Other itinerant philosopher/preachers often carried a bag which was a sort of ‘begging bag’ (like today’s tin with a hole in it) obviously seeking donations for their cause. The absence of this in the disciples’ case showed that they came only offering something, rather than seeking something (like financial assistance).

If the disciples didn’t have these things, what did they have??
· Purely, the testimony of their lives – what Jesus had done for them;
· This together with a demonstration of a total reliance and trust in God for their survival and well-being. There would be ‘open doors’ to the disciples’ gospel message; and in a culture where hospitality (even to strangers) was prevalent, where doors were open, then the disciples would certainly be offered food and accommodation.
· This hospitality would be a sign that God was travelling with the disciples, indeed ahead of them.

* So the basic message here was, as it is now, that where God calls us to go, we can trust God for both the process and the outcome, even if our resources seem thin on the ground. Rather than gimmicks or even detailed strategies, we are primarily to utilise the strength of our relationship with Jesus. Our life should be the sermon, with the Bible as the reference book.

(4) Staying and Going (v.10-11)

Verses 10 & 11 offer the disciples some direction on staying in some homes, and on leaving from others. It seems that when the disciples found an open door in a particular locality they should use this as their temporary base without looking for anything more comfortable. This home that was first to offer hospitality to the disciples should be honoured in this way (they should not seek out more generous arrangements). This should be seen as God’s provision, until they move on to the next village.

However when a door is closed outright, or becomes closed to the disciples, they should not hesitate in moving on to another home (or, with consistent refusals, ultimately to another town) where they might be welcomed. ‘Shaking off the dust’ from their feet would be symbolic of the disciples being released from responsibility, for they had done their best, the occupants of this home had been given a chance. Some people just don’t want to know – some feel content in their material comfort or are used to their everyday darkness, and don’t recognise or otherwise ignore their spiritual poverty. [We would be advised to use caution though, lest we give up on someone too easily and for the wrong reason.]

Not everything the disciples do will be successful, because this is out of their hands. To a large degree it will be up to whether people are prepared to respond or not. But the disciples of Jesus would keep trying … running into a closed door isn’t the end of the world but rather an opportunity to find another open one! This is not a matter of God giving up on someone, just a wise use of limited resources. This was shown in Jesus’ own experience of being driven out of his own hometown of Nazareth, yet determinedly fixing his mind on other places. If we are intent on mission, there will be a positive response somewhere, for God will see to it.

* This says to me now, that we are free to experiment together, trying to discover creative ways to connect with people. Not all these experiments will be successful, and the success of some will not necessarily be immediately apparent. Some will be long term investments, others will be one-off trials. Our responsibility is to be active for the Gospel of Jesus in as many ways as we can, leaving God to bring about the good outcomes.