The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Saint Timothy Lutheran Church
Saint Mark 6:14-29
One of the weirdest production in all of opera is Richard Strauss’ “Salome” which tells the story of today’s gospel in a dramatic and ghastly fashion.
In its concluding scene Herodius, Herod’s brother Philip’s wife, whom Herod had taken as his own, and who, herself, holds a grudge of unrequited love against the Baptist dances for the King at a party. It is the famous “Dance of the Seven Veils.”
So overwhelmed is Herod by her beauty and the pure sensuality of the dance that he offers her anything she would like, even half of his kingdom.
Instead, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
In the Lyric Opera production I saw they did not pull any punches.
The head was presented to her exactly the way she asked for - on a silver plate. When I first saw it it looked like a dead cat but it was a lifelike head.
Here is the point where those of you who are faint of heart may want to check out.
Herodius, picked up the dismembered head and began to dance with it. She didn’t hold it out at arms length but danced with it. She held it, and caressed it, and whirled around with it, and finally, she kissed it.
At this point, much to the relief of every audience member, Herod points at her and yells: “Kill that woman!” We all thought it was a very good idea. The curtain fell, the lights came up, and the audience applauded more in relief that the nightmare was over than in appreciation.
When we arrived at the bar downstairs the server asked me if he could get me something to drink and I replied, “Believe me, you don’t have enough.”
The whole experience did remind me, in a very vivid, way just what an evil character Herod was. He wasn’t just deplorable. He was a one man basket of deplorables. What makes him so despicable is not so much what he did but whom he did it to.
The whole experience did remind me, in a very vivid, way just what an evil character Herod was. He wasn’t just deplorable. He was a one man basket of deplorables. What makes him so despicable is not so much what he did but whom he did it to.
Body
John the Baptist had made the mistake of challenging Herod’s authority. “He stopped preaching,” as they say in the south, “and got to meddling.” He called into question Herod’s relationship with his brother’s wife. The king did not kindly toward this interpersonal interference and decided that his opponent should be locked up. (Good thing that in the 21st century our politics have risen above this kind of rhetoric.☺)
So there John the Baptist sat until the fateful moment came when, on impulse, and as a favor to his mistress, Herod orders the Baptist’s beheading.
At this moment, Herod was only acting as he always had acted. He always took his wrath out upon the weak.
Remember after Jesus was born and three Magi came from the east and mistakenly stopped at Herod’s place to tell him of the birth of a new born king. Herod irrationally acted out and ordered that all males two and younger in his kingdom be slaughtered lest they be a threat to his peace and stability. It was the ultimate child separation policy.
As was Herod’s order to execute three of his sons when they became a threat. And, even worse than that, he ordered, “at his burial one member of every family was to be slain so that he nation might really mourn.”1
Herod never worried about the implications. If he was threatened he fought back but only against societies most vulnerable. When Herod stood face to face with Jesus it was an entirely different story.
He had feared Jesus for a long time. He thought he might have been the Baptist brought back to life. He wondered if he wasn’t one of the prophets who had returned. At Jesus’ trial he has the chance he had longed for. With Jesus in front of him he has the power to face the one he feared. He had the same power over Jesus that he had over John. It was the power of life and death. But Herod also feared the crowds - he was a prisoner of public opinion.
What Herod does at this moment of truth is cave. His soldiers mock Jesus, put a gorgeous robe on him, and then send him back to Pilate. Herod had, as they say in Washington, “kicked the can down the road.”
There is no bravery here, men and women. Herod was a coward. He was afraid of a baby born in Bethlehem. He was afraid of magicians from the east. He was afraid of his wife and his mistress. He was afraid of the crowds that followed John the Baptist. He was afraid of anybody who challenged him. He was afraid because he was a fraud. He was afraid because he wasn’t as smart as he liked to pretend he was. His was afraid because he knew that someday, someway, he would be found out.
Jesus has Herod pegged from the very beginning. He knew he was coward. Even though Herod had his cousin, John the Baptist, killed Jesus knew he was all bluster and bravado. So when the Pharisees come to Jesus pretending to be his best pals and warn: “‘Run for your life! Herod’s on the hunt. He’s out to kill you!’ Jesus said, ‘Tell that fox that I’ve no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I’m busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick...’”2
That is what Jesus was all about and nothing was going to stop him. That is what his followers are to be about and nothing should stop us.
Yes, for a time we may becomes afraid when a despot arises within our midst. Yes, for a time we may become afraid when it looks like the world has lost its moorings. Yes, for a time we may become afraid when it looks like the forces of evil are going to win the day.
That is just the time to look to Jesus and do what he did. Reach out and include people whom others might shut out. Reach out and heal people whom others might find unworthy. Reach out and tell folks that they are not an infestation to be wiped out but very important people who should be included in. Now is a time, now is the hour, to reach out and tell people that no one is vermin but that everyone is a child of God for whom Jesus died and for whom he loves.
Now is a time to live out the words of Edwin Markham’s simple poem:
How might that work? How might that look?“He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic , rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him.3
In the midst of days, months, and perhaps even years of bad news cycles there was some good news. In the midst of volleys on twitter and personal attacks by politicians. At a time when all the current candidates for governor of this beleaguered state can talk about is who is paying less taxes or who has removed the most toilets from his million dollar mansion (Bringing new meaning to campaigns that have gone down the drain!) there was something we could rejoice over.
A glimmer of hope came from a dark cave in Thailand where twelve young men and their soccer coach were rescued after 18 days while the whole world watched, waited, and prayed all sorts of prayers, to all sorts of different gods, in all sorts of different languages.
The acting governor of the province in which the accident occurred summed up the rescue perfectly as he praised the cooperation between rescuers from every nation.
“The situation went beyond being just a rescue mission and became a symbol of unity among mankind.” he said. “Everyone worked together without discrimination of race or religion as the ultimate goal was to save the youth football squad.”4
Jesus came to save us all without any discrimination or qualifications! Jesus came to heal the sick and cure us all from the demons of hate and mistrust. And Jesus called us to follow him to do the same.
No need to lose your head over the matter. Follow Jesus out into the light and the world will be a better place because you did. Don’t you think?
Thanks for listening.
__________
1. http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/matt2x13.htm
2. St. Luke 13:32-35. In The Message. Eugene Peterson, trans. (S.l.: Navpress Publishing Group, 2013.)
3. "A Quote by Edwin Markham." Goodreads. Accessed July 13, 2018. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8703-he-drew-a-circle-that-shut-me-out--heretic.
4. Wright, Stephen, and Kaweewit Kaewjinda. "Team Flashes Signs of Recovery as U.S. Diver Details Cave Rescue." The Chicago Tribune, July 12, 2018, sec. 1. July 12, 2018. Accessed July 13, 2018.
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