The Powerful Response

This morning we pick back up in our study of six responses to Jesus with the response of the Powerful. From my first engagement with politics, I noticed that politicians cannot resist using religion for their political ends. George W. Bush touted his “faith-based initiatives”. Obama and McCain pandered to Rick Warren and Billy Graham. Biden claimed to be a devout Catholic. And, President Trump has had everyone from a Hindu to a Jewish Rabbi, along with Christians of all stripes, to offer public prayers at his events. Now, to be sure, I much prefer a world in which religion takes such a central role, even if the politicians are cynical in their use of it. But even still, when it comes to Christians, we can be a bit naïve about the politician and his religion. We can think that, because a politician claims to be a Christian or makes appearances at a church or supports the same causes that Christians do, that he must be a devout Christian that we should unquestioningly support.

Of course, this use of religion for political gain is nothing new. The ancient Sumerian, Babylonian, and Egyptian kings claimed to be the sons of the gods. They were both the religious and political heads of their nations. King Henry VIII of England would wrest the church from the Pope to excuse his own divorce, and in so doing, created the Anglican church. Hitler attempted to bring both Evangelical and Catholic churches under his influence and control. Even today, it seems that every debate over policy is challenged by whether it is “Christian” or not. Celebrity pastors, seeking worldly influence, make social media posts about the “Christian” position to one such policy or another (immigration, healthcare, welfare, etc.).

But, Jesus will not be used for political points. He is the king, and every knee will bow to him, including the rulers of this earth. To see that, consider Mark 6:14-29. I want to look at this text in two points: the Ambivalence of Power, and the Abuse of Power.

First, from verses 14-20, consider the Ambivalence of Power. Here, Mark takes a break from the story of Jesus to tell us of a subplot. Jesus’ fame had reached to the heights of society, even to the ears of King Herod Antipas. Herod Antipas was not the King Herod of Jesus’s childhood, but rather his son – one of four who ruled a quarter of his original kingdom (a tetrarch). Word of Jesus’ ministry makes it to Antipas, and he is overtaken by fear, because he believes that John the Baptist has come back from the dead to judge him. So, why is he so afraid of this resurrected John the Baptist? We find out that Herod had an ambivalent and tragic connection to John. This connection tells us two things about the relationship of worldly power and the kingdom of God. First, the kingdom of God stands opposed to worldly power. Herod the Great and his four sons did not gain their rule by divine decree, but by the decree of Caesar. In fact, it is believed that Herod the Great’s father and Julius Caesar were college roommates, and it may very well be the case that he was not even Jewish. They were not descendants of David. They had no allegiances to the religion of Moses. Besides that, the Herodians were terrible people, both in their rule and in their morality. We find out, in verse 17, that Herod had John arrested because of his wife, Herodias. You see, Herodias was the wife of Antipas’ brother, Herod II, aka Phillip. But, Antipas and Herodias were having an affair, and so they arranged for her to divorce Phillip and marry Antipas. All of that was going just fine until a prophet named John came on the scene. John was faithful to preach the word of God to high and low, rich and poor, powerful and weak, and he faithfully preached to Herod, reminding him that the law of Moses forbade adultery, especially adultery with your sister-in-law. In this, I want you to see that it is the responsibility of the Church to be a faithful witness against sin, and especially the sin of those in power. You often hear it said that Christians should speak more about what they are for than what they are against. You might have been chided for “judging” someone for their sinful lifestyle. While it certainly is true that Christians should be faithful to speak of God’s love and grace, and we should always be careful not to show partiality, the Bible repeatedly calls on us to correct and reprove and rebuke sin. You might have also heard it said that the Christian and the church should stay out of politics. Certainly, the left is quick to say this when Christians stand against abortion, even going so far as to jail Christians who protest abortion. But, Christians can also find themselves on the outs with the right when they seek to be faithful. I remember, in 2016, many conservatives turning on their own pastors because they questioned Trump’s morality or his Christian commitment. There was real pressure put on Christian leaders, not only to endorse Trump, but to sanctify him. The kingdom of God stands against every worldly power that would set itself against the rule of Christ. Sure, there are plenty of rulers who would like Christian support. There are those who might sympathize with Christian morality. But do they bow the knee to king Jesus? If they don’t, then they are set against him, and if they are set against him, then the church must stand as a witness to Christ.

We also find in this ambivalence of Herod that there is a difference between affection and obedience. Mark notes, in verse 20, that Herod liked John, he feared him, and he heard him gladly, even though he was bothered by what he said. Yet, this fear and affection were not as powerful as his lust for his brother’s wife. So, he had him jailed to keep him out of the public eye.

With that in mind, consider my second point – the abuse of power. In verses 21-29 we are told that Herod throws a big party on his birthday, with all of the nobles and officials present. They are drinking and having a good time, so they decide to call in Herodias’ daughter, Salome, to dance for them. This dance was erotic in nature, and it would normally have been performed by professionals. So, it is either the case that this princess was a professional erotic dancer, or that Herod put her up to it in this moment. In either case, this is a sick and sinful scene. Even worse, Herod delights in her dance and seeks to bribe her for more, so he tells her, “Ask me for whatever you wish.” At this, Salome consults with her vindictive mother, and Herodias has her chance. So, she sends her back to ask for John’s head on a platter. Herod is stuck between a rock and a hard place and seeing that he is more interested in worldly power than the kingdom of God, he sends for John’s head.

There are two truths to see in this tragic end of John’s life. First, when given the choice between power and Christ, the worldly will always choose power. Remember the words of Jesus from John 15:18, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but you are not of the world… therefore the world hates you.” Christians should not be surprised when we face persecution because the world hates the truth. We shouldn’t be surprised when we don’t get a promotion because we won’t go along with the latest DEI initiative or put our pronouns in our bio. We shouldn’t be surprised when the government passes laws just so they can put us in jail for opposing abortion, or when they pass laws restricting speech on social media that is “anti-trans.” We shouldn’t be surprised because they hate Christ, and they will hate us. They are not allies in a fight for morality. If they will not bend the knee to king Jesus, then they are set against him.

Second, this story of John’s execution is meant to be a foreshadowing of Jesus’s execution. After all, Jesus was imprisoned by another Herod. Then Pilate was given the impossible choice of holding on to power or doing the right thing by Jesus. After his death, his disciples took Jesus’s body to a tomb, just like John’s did. These connections are intentional, because they establish the pattern of a faithful life. Those who would be faithful to the kingdom of God in this corrupt and fallen world must walk the path of John and Jesus.

So, brothers and sisters, where is your allegiance? Have you bowed the knee to king Jesus, or do you just like his morality? Do you submit to him as Lord, or do you just think Christianity is a social good? If faced with the impossible choice of Herod and Pilate, between power and Jesus, would you choose the approval of man, or would you choose Jesus?