Take Your Mission, Don’t Make It

Text: Mark 6:14-29

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          Wrapping my mind around the message to proclaim to you this week from today’s Gospel message was a bit difficult. There are some passages that you just read and re-read and you wonder, “Where’s the Gospel in this?” This account of Herod’s birthday party with entertainment provided by his own niece and eventually ending with the head of John the Baptist on a platter, doesn’t appear to advance Jesus’ ministry at all. At first glance it seems like a morbid interlude that serves only to strengthen the thought that followers of Christ can and will face harsh difficulties in life, even the possibility of a terrible death. And while we can’t escape the possibility that as a Christian there will be hardships in our lives, there’s something here that should point us to the goodness of God. All Scripture, breathed out by the Holy Spirit does this. It reminds us of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. And this piece of it, while hard to see at first, should actually be comforting to us for a couple of reasons.

The first reason is not included in Mark’s text but is revealed to us by Matthew. In Matthew’s account of John’s death, it’s immediately followed up by Jesus’ reaction. “Now when Jesus heard this, He withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by Himself.” He was so grieved by what happened to His friend – His forerunner – that He needs time alone to process His pain. Of course, Jesus knows that John’s death points to what will eventually happen to Him, but in this grief, there is also genuine care and concern. John’s death matters to God. God isn’t ignoring it or pretending that it didn’t happen and going about His own business. If God in human flesh could grieve for John, then we can trust that our own suffering matters to God as well.

I think that’s sometimes what really bothers us, isn’t it? Sure, we’d like to know why God allows certain things to happen, but even moreso we wonder if God cares. Is He seeing the things that I’m going through? Does He recognize my pain? Does He care? What we see from Jesus’ reaction is that he does care. He doesn’t ignore the suffering of His people. That’s the very reason He took on human flesh. To conquer evil and set us free from the difficulties and hardships of this world. To ensure us that He fully understands our plight, and that by what He accomplished on the cross, we might know that our suffering, whatever it may be, is only temporary.

That’s the first piece of Gospel truth that I was able to draw from today’s passage. The other forces us to look at this passage in its context within Mark’s Gospel to see what’s happening in the lives of Jesus and His disciples at the time when Herod is recalling what he’d done to John the Baptist. To do that we need only look back to last week’s Gospel where Jesus sends out the 12 disciples. Sent to call on people to repent, cast out demons, anoint, and heal the sick. They had a mission given to them by Jesus which is in stark contrast to the mission, or purpose, that all the key players in today’s Gospel had. The message we’ll explore here is that God wants you to

TAKE YOUR MISSION, DON’T MAKE IT.

          It will become clear in a moment what that means, but let’s first take a look at what’s happening in the text. Jesus’s disciples are sent out to preach and heal and the word about what they’re doing is spreading so fast it quickly reaches the highest levels of the government. “King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known.” Herod’s reaction is that this must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. The account we then get is a recollection of what previously happened between Herod and John the Baptist. John and Herod’s relationship was an interesting one. We’re told that John was in prison as a result of his calling our Herod’s sin of marrying the wife of his brother, who was still alive. We’re lucky that we don’t live in a society where this happens, but there are many places in the world where speaking the truth about sin would get you thrown in prison. Many places where doing the things Christians are called to do cold lose you your freedom, and even sometimes your life.

Even though Herod has John thrown in prison, there’s still something about John that intrigues him. He enjoys listening to John, but he’s like one of those people who listens to sermons but never acts on them. The text tells us that Herod’s wife, Herodias, wanted John put to death, but “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe.” It just goes to show you that faith isn’t about head knowledge. Herod could see something different about John and his message, but the truth of it all hadn’t worked its way into his heart. Don’t be like Herod. It’s not enough to simply know that the Gospel is different than what the rest of the world is telling you. You need to believe it. And that’s the work of the Holy Spirit, acting on your heart.

So, Herod decides to throw a birthday party for himself and ends up having his niece dance for the guests. It’s likely there’s some libations that contribute to his pleasure at the entertainment and his offer to give the niece anything she wants. By the way, the historian Josephus tells us that the young woman’s name was Salome. What Herod’s offer actually does though is to offer Salome’s mother, Herod’s wife, Herodias, the opportunity to get what she’s wanted regarding John all along. The text ends with Herod granting the request and the disciples laying the body of John in a tomb.

So, what’s the point of all that? There’s a reason it’s placed right here by Mark as a clear contrast to the sending of the disciples on their Gospel mission. Remember the decree? “He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff – no bread, no bag, no money in their belts – but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics…And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” They have a mission. Given to them by Jesus.

Everyone has a mission. The question though is where that mission comes from. In contrast to the disciples, the characters in the account of Herod have a very different mission and purpose. Herod’s mission is status. He wants to be the king. Herodias lives for power, hopping from one husband to the next looking for the man who will take her to the top the quickest. Salome lives to please the crowd. First, it’s the audience of her dancing, and then her mother, who she so desires to please that she would ask for a man to be killed. Herod’s party guests are on a mission for pleasure, just looking for a good time at an elite party to honor Herod.

Everyone has a mission. Everyone has a purpose. The difference here is that the disciples have their mission given to them. The people around Herod all pursue their own personal mission in life. One they produced for themselves. Our mission and our purpose is what gives life meaning. This is a major difference between Christians and those who don’t know Christ. If you don’t believe that there’s a God, or that everything that happens in life is totally chance, then there’s no meaning. And without meaning what does your life matter. Which is why those who don’t know Christ attempt to create meaning for themselves. Create a mission. Create purpose. Seek status, or power, or pleasure.

But the mission that God gives us is so much better than all that. Because all those things are fleeting. The things of this world may bring passing pleasure today, but what matters is what the view is like from eternity. Following the mission given by God – building the kingdom, sharing the Good News, and following His lead – leads to a celebration far more extravagant than any that Herod could throw. Which is why I say,

TAKE YOUR MISSION, DON’T MAKE IT.

          Steven Covey, author of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says, “We don’t invent our missions, we detect them.” I’d modify that just a little bit by saying, “We don’t invent our missions, we receive them.” If you listen for God’s voice, He will make it clear to you what He wants you to be doing. What He wants your mission to be. But you have to listen. Because His voice can very easily be drowned out by the voices of this world. Telling you that it’s all about you, and what you want, and your purpose, and your pleasure. It’s not. It’s about Him. It’s about the One who grieves at the struggles of His friends. His people. It’s about the One who cared enough to come into this world and struggle alongside you. It’s about Jesus, who fulfilled His own mission at the cross, and who sends you to share that Good News with the world. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.