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16/7/06 Year B Proper 10/Trinity 4 Mark 6:14-29

14 King Herod heard about this, 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 Elijah." And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago." 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!" 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. 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. 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." 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, 28a nd 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.

PRAY

I suppose we have all been accosted by someone in the street wanting three minutes of our time to answer some questions.

What would you say to the questions, "Do you believe in Jesus" and "Who is He".

A survey commissioned by the B.B.C. showed that 62% of people believed in Jesus but only 38% believed that he was the Son of God. Which begs the question, 'What type of Jesus do the remaining 24% believe in ?' Some said he was 'just a man', others a 'story'.

Jesus' disciples had just gone out, preached repentance, cast out demons, and cured many sick people ( 6:1-13 a passage we looked at last week ). But, while the crowds gather around Jesus, the authorities are beginning to reject him.

This passage revolves around two questions. Who is Jesus ? and, What is going to happen to him ?

Who is Jesus ?

Yet this role was fulfilled by John the Baptist "I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me ..." ( 1:2 )

Others see Jesus as a prophet, someone who speaks the words of God to people. They had not had prophets for over 400 years, so some of them may have thought that Jesus was bringing in a new age of divine activity. This was true, although not in the way that they expected it.

We read that some people thought he was John the Baptist, risen from the dead, now working with the power to perform miracles. Herod points inadvertently to the resurrection when he suggests that Jesus was John raised from the dead. His reaction is "Not John back again!" (v.16). This shows a complete ignorance of the background to Jesus. Closer investigation would have revealed that John had baptised Jesus !

Today we live in a world where some people are still prepared to make up their minds about Jesus without examining the most elementary facts about him. We should not be scared of correcting them, even offering them the chance to find out more through something like the 'Alpha' course. We will be starting a new course in September. Please pray for the practical details and that people would come. Please also be prepared to be the answer to your prayer. Look for an opportunity to invite someone to come to the course. This could be part of the prayer that we had last week, asking God for the power and opportunity to hare his love.

After all,there's no growing...without the sowing.

Herod's reaction could have come from guilt over the death of John. No doubt he would have experienced some unease at the events leading to John's death, and the hope of the resurrection of John would have made him feel better.

Today, many people have some vague hope of an afterlife. For example, during a funeral visit parents sometimes tell me that they have told their children that granny has 'gone to be with Jesus'. I don't know if this is a sincerely held belief, wishful thinking, words to comfort the child or to show me that they have some belief in the afterlife.

The idea that John had been raised from the dead points forward to the resurrection of Jesus.

The resurrection of Jesus is not a vague hope or wishful thinking. Over 500 people saw the risen Jesus in a forty day period.

It is only by acknowledging that Jesus died and rose again for us that we can hope to join him. We need to be united with him here on earth before we die. Only by trusting in Jesus and following his ways can we have a right relationship with God. This relationship will not be severed by death, indeed death will be a gateway into a new, wonderful life.

What is going to happen to Jesus ?

At first glance it may appear that Mark is telling us, in some detail, what had happened to John the Baptist. This contrasts with Mark's earlier description of John's ministry in Chapter 1 which only takes up 7 verses !

Mark deliberately inserts a flashback to the story of John the Baptist in verses 16-29. This is to point out what discipleship may cost; and to anticipate that Jesus would be rejected and die an unjust death, as would many of his disciples.

Earlier in Mark's gospel he recorded opposition to Jesus from evil spirits ( 1;24,5:6 ) and from the religious leaders ( 2:6, 3:1ff, 3:22 ). Last week we saw earlier in this Chapter that people from Jesus home town were offended by him ( 6:3 ) and that he warned his disciples that they would not always be welcomed ( 6:11 ).

Jesus demands that his followers carry a cross. A sign of death. Of his disciples, Andrew died on a cross and Simon was crucified. Bartholomew was flayed alive. James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded. The other James (son of Alphaeus) was beaten to death. Thomas was run through with a lance. Matthias was stoned and then beheaded. Matthew was slain by the sword. Peter was crucified upside down. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows. Philip was hanged.

The Christian faith is not an easy way. It will lead to opposition, persecution, even death.

Herod had no sensitivity to the Jewish people. This was shown by the fact that he chose Tiberius as the site of his capital city which was an ancient cemetery. Going there would have made Jews ceremonially unclean so none of them lived there! Herod also went against the O.T. law ( Leviticus 18:16 ) by marrying his brother's wife whilst his brother was still alive.

Herod had had John arrested (v. 17) because he had denounced him for marrying Herodias.

John Wesley used to ask his young men whom he had sent out to preach on probation two questions: "Has anyone been converted?" and "Did anyone get mad?"

If the answer was "No," he told them he did not think the Lord had called them to preach the Gospel, and sent them away. When the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, people are either converted or they don't like it, and get mad.

If we are not finding opposition to our faith in our lives perhaps we should question how radically we are trusting in Jesus?

We need to stand up and be counted when it comes to our beliefs. Like John the Baptist we should not be scared from denouncing practices that are contrary to God's will. There are different ways we can do this. In private, in conversations with people. But also more publicly. And we can have an influence. For example, when the Sunday trading Laws were reviewed recently Christians were active in pressing for the statues quo to be retained and it was.

Nowadays it is easier to bring pressure to bear on politicians and governments by the use of e-mails and on-line petitions. It is also an area in which we can be better informed about what is happening around the world.

In many parts of the world Christians face violent opposition to their faith, for example in Islamic Countries. According to traditional Islamic law (Shari'ah) adult Muslim men who choose to convert to another faith and refuse to return to Islam should be put to death.

Some schools of Shari'ah teach that this should be applied to women as well. Other punishments prescribed by the Shari'ah include the annulment of marriage, the removal of children and the loss of all property and inheritance rights.

This tradition is still upheld and taught by most Muslim religious leaders around the world today. In countries like Iran, Sudan and Saudi Arabia converts have faced imprisonment, death threats, torture and beatings because of their faith. Some have been executed; others have died in prison or disappeared. Christians in Iraq are also facing increasing persecution.

Even in more moderate Muslim countries, and Western nations where Muslims are a minority, converts often face widespread hostility and aggression from their own families and communities. I have put on the Notice Board some recent reports of the persecution of Christians in India, Somalia and China..

How can we help our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted/ There are two ways.

We can bring political pressure to bear on the countries involved by lobbying them and our own government.

We may also like to support agencies who help persecuted Christians like the Barnabas Fund.

We can also pray To help us I have printed some prayer pointers from the Barnabas Fund...

Persecution Prayer Pointer

When we read of the suffering which our brothers and sisters in Christ endure for the sake of His Name, our hearts are moved and we long to bring them before the throne of grace. But sometimes it is difficult to know exactly how to pray, especially if we have never experienced such injustice or persecution ourselves. The Bible tells us that the Church will be persecuted. So if the Lord will continue to allow persecution, what exactly should we ask Him for when we pray about these situations? We hope that the ten points below will be helpful suggestions, under the guidance and prompting of the Holy Spirit.

1. Praise God that He is all-knowing and all-powerful, that in Christ He has Himself experienced shame, pain and agonising death. Thank Him for His presence in every situation and for His promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you," (Joshua 1:5).

2. Pray that all governments will work for justice and righteousness. Pray for an end to legalised and institutional discrimination and persecution, especially in cases where the loss of human life is a real possibility. While Jesus says that in this world we will have trouble, and that includes suffering and persecution, He does not say that it will always be present in every place.

3. Pray that the leaders of liberal democracies will use their influence to find ways to reduce, if not end persecution in countries where it occurs. Just as Paul appealed to Caesar to seek justice, so Christians can appeal to secular governments for justice.

4. Pray for the growth of the Church where persecution flourishes, remembering that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church".

5. Pray for strength, courage and hope for our sisters and brothers undergoing persecution. We do not know about all the pressures they face. Pray that the Lord will remove their fear and provide them with the peace and assurance that only He can bring. Thank Him for the promise that His grace is sufficient for their needs (2 Corinthians 12:9). Pray that their suffering will draw them closer to Him and increase their faith. Pray that those who are called to suffer for years on end will not be worn down by seemingly unending suffering. Pray for those who are being severely persecuted that their faith will not fail and they will not deny their Lord.

6. Pray that nothing will separate them from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus and that they may point to Christ as the source of their strength (Romans 8:38-39). Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable persecuted Christians to forgive and love their persecutors. The Lord Jesus Christ said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44) Pray that the Christ-like reactions of those who are persecuted will have an impact on their persecutors.

7. Pray that the Lord will be at work in the hearts of those who currently persecute our sisters and brothers to bring them to a saving knowledge of Himself, as He did with Saul of Tarsus.

8. Thank the Lord for the privilege of entering into the sufferings of our sisters and brothers, remembering that "if one part [of the body] suffers, every part suffers with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26).

9. Pray that Christians who are experiencing persecution do not become overwhelmed by their suffering so that they see only the negative and lose sight of the God who intervenes. Pray that they will not lose the ability to accept or trust any genuinely well-meant approaches from those who had formerly been persecuting them, as when the believers in Jerusalem had to learn to accept the reality of Saul's conversion after he had been persecuting Christians. Pray that the Lord will give discernment, and relieve our brothers and sisters of unnecessary fears. Pray that they will be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves.

10. Finally, give thanks to the Lord for His faithfulness in bringing blessing to those who have undergone persecution for the sake of righteousness (Matthew 5:10). Praise Him that He has already overcome the world (John 16:33) and that therefore their temporary afflictions may be achieving for His own an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17).

www.barnabasfund.org

Jesus is The Messiah, God and man who has come to earth to reveal God to us, and reconcile us to God. He calls his followers to live life differently, according to God's will. This should and will challenge the world, both directly and indirectly.

PRAY

13/7/03 6 p.m. Year B Proper 10/Trinity 4 Mark 6:14-29

14 King Herod heard about this, 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 Elijah." And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago." 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!" 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. 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. 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." 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.

PRAY

This passage revolves around two questions. Who is Jesus ? and, What is going to happen to him ?

Who is Jesus ?

At this time some saw Jesus' actions as a preparation for the coming of the Messiah: that he was "Elijah" who was taken up to heaven ( 2 Kings 2:11 ) and was expected to return immediately before the Messiah came ( Malachi 4:5). Yet this role was fulfilled by John the Baptist "I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me ..." ( 1:2 )

We read that some people thought he was John the Baptist, risen from the dead, now working with the power to perform miracles. Herod points inadvertently to the resurrection when he suggests that Jesus was John raised from the dead. His reaction is "Not John back again!" (v.16). This shows a complete ignorance of the background to Jesus. Closer investigation would have revealed that John had baptised Jesus !

Perhaps Herod's reaction came from guilt over the death of John. No doubt he would have experienced some unease at the events leading to John's death, and the hope of the resurrection of John would have made him feel better. Today, many people have some vague hope of an afterlife. For example, during a funeral visit parents sometimes tell me that they have told their children that granny has 'gone to be with Jesus'. I don't know if this is a sincerely held belief, wishful thinking, words to comfort the child or to show me that they have some belief in the afterlife.

The idea that John had been raised from the dead points forward to the resurrection of Jesus. It is only by acknowledging that Jesus died and rose again for us that we can hope to join him. We need to be united with him here on earth before we die. Only by trusting in Jesus and following his ways can we have a right relationship with God. This relationship will not be severed by death, indeed death will be a gateway into a new, wonderful life.

What is going to happen to Jesus ?

Jesus demanded that his followers carry a cross. A sign of death. Andrew died on a cross Simon was crucified. Bartholomew was flayed alive. James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded. The other James (son of Alphaeus) was beaten to death. Thomas was run through with a lance. Matthias was stoned and then beheaded. Matthew was slain by the sword. Peter was crucified upside down. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows. Philip was hanged. The Christian faith is not an easy way. It will lead to opposition, persecution, even death.

"Herod" was Herod Antipas son of Herod the Great. He was Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea so, strictly speaking, he was not a "king". Later on he pressed for this title and, as a result was dismissed by Caesar Augustus. Mark could have called him King in verse 14 because it was the custom, or it may be a point of irony.

Herod had had John arrested (v. 17) because he had denounced him for marrying Herodias.

John Wesley used to ask his young men whom he had sent out to preach on probation two questions: "Has anyone been converted?" and "Did anyone get mad?"
If the answer was "No," he told them he did not think the Lord had called them to preach the Gospel, and sent them about their business. When the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, people are either converted or they don't like it, and get mad.

If we are not finding opposition to our faith in our lives should we question how radically we are trusting in Jesus?

Herod found John fascinating ("liked to listen to him" v. 20). He recognized John was godly and upright and did not wish him dead. Perhaps he had never encountered someone so honest, outspoken and fearless in his beliefs.

Perhaps it was pressure from Herodias that forced Herod to arrest John. After all, we know she "wanted to kill him" (v. 19), and we see how cunning and manipulative she was in this story.

One scholar says that Herods' daughter may have been called Herodias, although Josephus says her name was Salome. Her dance was probably less than wholesome and brought extravagent, and ill-judged praise from her father, who may have been less than sober. This story is the reason why Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays !

Verse 25: A "platter" was a wide, flat dish. It was brought "immediately", suggesting that Herodias had planned this.

Verse 29 foreshadows Jesus' burial in 15:45-46, but his unlike John's disciples Jesus' disciples deserted him, leaving Joseph Of Arimathea to collect the body and provide the tomb.

Mark presents Herod as caught between his public boast, verses 22f, and the harsh reality of his daughter's request. The fact that his word and reputation were more important to him than John's life adds to the abhorrence of the story. Herod was the victim of his own foolish promise.

I mentioned earlier the way that many of the first disciples died because of their faith in Jesus. In many parts of the world Christians face violent opposition to their faith, for example in Islamic Countries. According to traditional Islamic law (Shari'ah) adult Muslim men who choose to convert to another faith and refuse to return to Islam should be put to death.
Some schools of Shari'ah teach that this should be applied to women as well. Other punishments prescribed by the Shari'ah include the annulment of marriage, the removal of children and the loss of all property and inheritance rights.
This tradition is still upheld and taught by most Muslim religious leaders around the world today. In countries like Iran, Sudan and Saudi Arabia converts have faced imprisonment, death threats, torture and beatings because of their faith. Some have been executed; others have died in prison or disappeared. Christians in Iraq are also facing increasing persecution.

Even in more moderate Muslim countries, and Western nations where Muslims are a minority, converts often face widespread hostility and aggression from their own families and communities.

Over the last decade or so the church has weakened it's stance over co-habitation, homosexuality, and the role of other faiths to the god of political correctness. I am not saying that we should hate such people, we should love them, and part of this loving will be to declare that the way that they live is contrary to God's revealed will contained in Scripture and calling them to repent. I rejoice that many Biblical, balanced, devout clergy and laity from the world-wide Anglican Communion have voiced their disapproval of the appointment of Jeffrey John to be Bishop of Reading and that this has led to his refusal to take up this post.

There is further controversy over a Canadian Bishop authorising a service for blessing homosexual relationships (28/5/03) and the election of an openly homosexual bishop to the Diocese of New Hampshire, U.S.A. Two lesbian Anglican deacons in Canada have recently succeeded in having marriage defined as 'a lifetime union between two people' accepted by the Ontario Court of Appeal. Formerly the definition had been ' a lifetime union between a man and a woman'. The women plan to 'marry' next year.

I know that there will be Anglicans in these and other parts of the world who will be encouraged by Jeffrey John's decision and praying that their churches would follow the ways of God outlined in the Bible.

In 1998 at the Lambeth Conference Bishops agreed that all homosexual acts are 'incompatible with scripture'. The 1991 House of Bishops statement 'Issues in Human Sexuality' takes this view.

If we take the Biblical way it will rejected by many people and result in Christians being misunderstood, hated and abused. The reason for this is that these people are spiritually blind and it threatens their, and many people's life styles. Jesus warned his disciples to expect opposition saying that this was a blessing and should lead to rejoicing because they could look forward to rewards in heaven, Matthew 5:11f.

We are to present God's ways prayerfully, lovingly but firmly. We can do this confident that God will honour our obedience to his perfect will and that we will follow Jesus through death into everlasting life. He has overcome violent opposition, sin and death and offers that victory to those who are united with him.

PRAY