"Pressures"
Mark 6:14-29
The boss was complaining in the staff meeting the other day that he wasn’t getting any respect. After the meeting he went to a local sign shop and bought a small sign that read, “I’m the Boss!” and taped it to his office door. Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said, “Your wife called, and she wants her sign back!”
Most people really don’t like having their shortcomings pointed out, especially in public. When it happens, the shame of being exposed is quite often stronger than the guilt brought on by the shortcoming. In this case, Herod Antipas was a man experiencing both guilt and shame.
Herod’s ruthless ambition was public knowledge, as was his illegal marriage. It really was quite a Peyton Place! Herod had married his niece, Herodias, who was already the wife of his half brother. When Herod stayed with them on his way to Rome, he fell in lust with her and brazenly proposed marriage. Herodias apparently perceived that this arrangement would be a move up the social ladder and agreed—that is, upon the condition that Herod divorce his wife, who happened to be the daughter of Aretas IV, the ruler of neighboring Nabotea. It was this divorce that likely touched off a border war with the outraged Aretas and the Naboteans a few years later, which resulted in serious military losses for Herod. And on top of all that, his new marriage to Herodias caused some strong protests among the Jews at home because it was classified as incestuous.
But one man made Herod’s sin a very public issue. That man was John the Baptist. John had been preaching in the wilderness, and thousands flocked to hear him. Apparently it was no secret that John had rebuked Herod for his adulterous marriage. And because he had, Herodias was particularly anxious to have John silenced. But opting for the easiest way out, Herod imprisoned John.
Herod liked John. John was one of the few people who would speak the truth to him. But the truth about his sin was a bitter pill to swallow, and Herod wavered at the point of conflict: He couldn’t afford to have John constantly reminding the people of their leader’s sinfulness, but he was afraid to have John killed. So he put off the choice. Ironically, Herod’s young stepdaughter captivates him with her erotic dancing, which also hints at Herod’s incestuous lust. In the end what happens is that John condemns Herod for the lust that led to the first incest, and his inflamed passion for his stepdaughter allows Herodias to step in and force his hand, leaving Herod with no other viable alternative but to have John executed. Of course, this only served to increase Herod’s guilt. (And some say that the Bible is boring!)
Upon hearing about Jesus, Herod immediately identified Him with John. Jesus was proclaiming the kingdom of God—something that must have troubled someone like Herod. What Jesus was saying boiled down to the simple message: God is King, and Herod (and anybody else) is not. Once again, Herod couldn’t decide what to do about Jesus. He didn’t want to repeat the mistake he had made with John, so he tried to threaten Jesus just before his final journey to Jerusalem. When the two met briefly during Jesus’ trial, Jesus wouldn’t even speak to Herod. Herod had proved himself to be a poor listener to John, and Jesus had nothing to add to John’s words. Herod responded with spite and mocking.
So John loses his head but gains the kingdom. Herod saves face but loses his soul. And having rejected the messenger, he found it easy enough to reject the Messiah. But in both John’s and Jesus’ case, there is triumph in the midst of suffering. John’s martyrdom is not a defeat. Twelve more preachers are sent in his place. Ironically even Herod suspected that John would ultimately triumph when he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” It is as Soren Kierkegaard said: “The tyrant dies and his rule ends, the martyr dies and his rule begins.” It all turns out to be God’s constant modus operandi: He raises new witnesses to take the place of the dead ones and eventually even raises the dead!
Still, life has a funny way of pressuring us into doing things we wouldn’t normally do. In a way, Herod’s is a story about a man who caved in to social pressures. But what about you? How do life’s pressures affect your judgment? And ultimately, what is it that we can we learn from this deplorable moment in the life of the wannabe king Herod—this moment when he caved?
We learn that pressures in life can affect good judgment. Give it a month or two and most pastors will hear some of these comments from various people. A woman says, “I’m under tremendous pressure from my son these days. I can’t seem to satisfy him however hard I work.” A young man says, “My parents have fantastic goals for me to take over the family business. It’s not what I want to do, but their pressure is unbearable.” A college woman says, “I’m being pressured by my boyfriend to live with him before we are married. You know, sort of try it out, to see if we are right for each other.” A husband says, “My wife is never satisfied. Whatever I do—however much I make—it’s never enough. Life with her is like living in a pressure cooker with the lid fastened down and the heat on high.”
A secretary points to her phone and says, “That little black thing is driving me silly. At the other end of the line are people who make impossible demands and think they are the only people alive.” A middle-aged wife says, “My husband thinks my faith is silly. When I feel his resistance to Christ, I wonder if I’m wrong and confused. As a result, I’ve developed two lives; one with him and one when I’m with my Christian friends.” An elderly woman says, “My sister thinks she has all the answers about the faith and tries to convince me of her point of view. I feel pressured to become her brand of Christian, but I keep thinking if it means being like her, I don’t want it at all. When she calls, I just put the phone on my shoulder and let her rant on while I do other things. A half-hour later, she’s still on the line blasting away, but I still feel the pressure.” A young pastor says, “I hardly know who I am any more. There are so many points of view in my congregation; I can’t please them all. Everyone wants to capture me for his camp and get me to shape the church around his convictions. The pressure makes me want to leave the ministry.”
All of these persons have one thing in common: They’re under pressure from other people. All of us at one time or another experience people-pressure. The question is: how will it affect our judgment? If we’re not careful, we’ll let the pressures of the day guide our decisions, rather than letting rational, godly wisdom and discernment show us the way—even in the midst of our pressures.
We also learn that promises made in haste create great waste. The funny thing is that as a ruler under Roman authority, Herod really had no kingdom to give. The offer of half his kingdom was his way to say that he would give Herodias’s daughter almost anything she wanted. When Herodias asked for John’s head, Herod would have been greatly embarrassed in front of all his guests if he had denied her request. And therein lies the problem with words: They are so powerful. Because they can so easily lead to great sin, we must strive to use them with great care.
Herod arrested John under pressure from his wife and had him killed under pressure from his peers and family. What you do under pressure often reveals what you’re really like. A flippant oath to a pretty dancing girl—a promise made in haste—cost John his life and Herod his soul. What a terribly tremendous waste!
We finally learn that puzzling problems require conscientious decisions. It is so sad that Herod so greatly admired John, but not enough to apply his teaching to his own life—not enough to risk his own honor and prestige to protect him. When John confronted Herod and Herodias for committing adultery, Herodias began formulating in her mind a plot to kill him. It is so sad that instead of trying to get rid of her sin, Herodias tried to get rid of the one who brought it to public attention. Think of her this way: Herodias is the Jezebel of the New Testament! Neither Herod nor Herodias made conscientious decisions for their puzzling problems, and that very pattern—that habit—would eventually cost them their souls. Two millennia later, we speak of the reigns of the Herods and Caesars with pity and disdain, but the names of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ live on as those for whom life was lived with devotion and courage. Which way will you choose?
When we as believers attempt to live a life worthy of the Gospel, it’s because our understanding of “worth” grows to be far different from the world’s. John wasn’t beheaded because he went along with the status quo. He gave his life because of his commitment to the truth. Will you commit to pursuing the truth?
For every single one of us, God chooses the best possible ways to reveal Himself. Sometimes He uses His Word; sometimes He uses our various circumstances; sometimes He gets into our mind; sometimes He uses other people to get our attention. One way or the other, God is always persuasive and persistent, and yet He never forces Himself on us. The decision is left to each of us. To miss or to resist God’s message, as did Herod, is a terrible tragedy. How aware are you of God’s attempts to enter your life? Have you welcomed Him? Why not today?
Let us pray: Lord, what a tremendous waste it would be to gain this whole world and yet lose our soul. No matter what allurements this world offers us, Lord help us make a conscientious decision to serve You, to be devoted to You, to be committed to You and Your truth. In Your name and for Your glory.
Mark 6:14-29
The boss was complaining in the staff meeting the other day that he wasn’t getting any respect. After the meeting he went to a local sign shop and bought a small sign that read, “I’m the Boss!” and taped it to his office door. Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said, “Your wife called, and she wants her sign back!”
Most people really don’t like having their shortcomings pointed out, especially in public. When it happens, the shame of being exposed is quite often stronger than the guilt brought on by the shortcoming. In this case, Herod Antipas was a man experiencing both guilt and shame.
Herod’s ruthless ambition was public knowledge, as was his illegal marriage. It really was quite a Peyton Place! Herod had married his niece, Herodias, who was already the wife of his half brother. When Herod stayed with them on his way to Rome, he fell in lust with her and brazenly proposed marriage. Herodias apparently perceived that this arrangement would be a move up the social ladder and agreed—that is, upon the condition that Herod divorce his wife, who happened to be the daughter of Aretas IV, the ruler of neighboring Nabotea. It was this divorce that likely touched off a border war with the outraged Aretas and the Naboteans a few years later, which resulted in serious military losses for Herod. And on top of all that, his new marriage to Herodias caused some strong protests among the Jews at home because it was classified as incestuous.
But one man made Herod’s sin a very public issue. That man was John the Baptist. John had been preaching in the wilderness, and thousands flocked to hear him. Apparently it was no secret that John had rebuked Herod for his adulterous marriage. And because he had, Herodias was particularly anxious to have John silenced. But opting for the easiest way out, Herod imprisoned John.
Herod liked John. John was one of the few people who would speak the truth to him. But the truth about his sin was a bitter pill to swallow, and Herod wavered at the point of conflict: He couldn’t afford to have John constantly reminding the people of their leader’s sinfulness, but he was afraid to have John killed. So he put off the choice. Ironically, Herod’s young stepdaughter captivates him with her erotic dancing, which also hints at Herod’s incestuous lust. In the end what happens is that John condemns Herod for the lust that led to the first incest, and his inflamed passion for his stepdaughter allows Herodias to step in and force his hand, leaving Herod with no other viable alternative but to have John executed. Of course, this only served to increase Herod’s guilt. (And some say that the Bible is boring!)
Upon hearing about Jesus, Herod immediately identified Him with John. Jesus was proclaiming the kingdom of God—something that must have troubled someone like Herod. What Jesus was saying boiled down to the simple message: God is King, and Herod (and anybody else) is not. Once again, Herod couldn’t decide what to do about Jesus. He didn’t want to repeat the mistake he had made with John, so he tried to threaten Jesus just before his final journey to Jerusalem. When the two met briefly during Jesus’ trial, Jesus wouldn’t even speak to Herod. Herod had proved himself to be a poor listener to John, and Jesus had nothing to add to John’s words. Herod responded with spite and mocking.
So John loses his head but gains the kingdom. Herod saves face but loses his soul. And having rejected the messenger, he found it easy enough to reject the Messiah. But in both John’s and Jesus’ case, there is triumph in the midst of suffering. John’s martyrdom is not a defeat. Twelve more preachers are sent in his place. Ironically even Herod suspected that John would ultimately triumph when he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” It is as Soren Kierkegaard said: “The tyrant dies and his rule ends, the martyr dies and his rule begins.” It all turns out to be God’s constant modus operandi: He raises new witnesses to take the place of the dead ones and eventually even raises the dead!
Still, life has a funny way of pressuring us into doing things we wouldn’t normally do. In a way, Herod’s is a story about a man who caved in to social pressures. But what about you? How do life’s pressures affect your judgment? And ultimately, what is it that we can we learn from this deplorable moment in the life of the wannabe king Herod—this moment when he caved?
We learn that pressures in life can affect good judgment. Give it a month or two and most pastors will hear some of these comments from various people. A woman says, “I’m under tremendous pressure from my son these days. I can’t seem to satisfy him however hard I work.” A young man says, “My parents have fantastic goals for me to take over the family business. It’s not what I want to do, but their pressure is unbearable.” A college woman says, “I’m being pressured by my boyfriend to live with him before we are married. You know, sort of try it out, to see if we are right for each other.” A husband says, “My wife is never satisfied. Whatever I do—however much I make—it’s never enough. Life with her is like living in a pressure cooker with the lid fastened down and the heat on high.”
A secretary points to her phone and says, “That little black thing is driving me silly. At the other end of the line are people who make impossible demands and think they are the only people alive.” A middle-aged wife says, “My husband thinks my faith is silly. When I feel his resistance to Christ, I wonder if I’m wrong and confused. As a result, I’ve developed two lives; one with him and one when I’m with my Christian friends.” An elderly woman says, “My sister thinks she has all the answers about the faith and tries to convince me of her point of view. I feel pressured to become her brand of Christian, but I keep thinking if it means being like her, I don’t want it at all. When she calls, I just put the phone on my shoulder and let her rant on while I do other things. A half-hour later, she’s still on the line blasting away, but I still feel the pressure.” A young pastor says, “I hardly know who I am any more. There are so many points of view in my congregation; I can’t please them all. Everyone wants to capture me for his camp and get me to shape the church around his convictions. The pressure makes me want to leave the ministry.”
All of these persons have one thing in common: They’re under pressure from other people. All of us at one time or another experience people-pressure. The question is: how will it affect our judgment? If we’re not careful, we’ll let the pressures of the day guide our decisions, rather than letting rational, godly wisdom and discernment show us the way—even in the midst of our pressures.
We also learn that promises made in haste create great waste. The funny thing is that as a ruler under Roman authority, Herod really had no kingdom to give. The offer of half his kingdom was his way to say that he would give Herodias’s daughter almost anything she wanted. When Herodias asked for John’s head, Herod would have been greatly embarrassed in front of all his guests if he had denied her request. And therein lies the problem with words: They are so powerful. Because they can so easily lead to great sin, we must strive to use them with great care.
Herod arrested John under pressure from his wife and had him killed under pressure from his peers and family. What you do under pressure often reveals what you’re really like. A flippant oath to a pretty dancing girl—a promise made in haste—cost John his life and Herod his soul. What a terribly tremendous waste!
We finally learn that puzzling problems require conscientious decisions. It is so sad that Herod so greatly admired John, but not enough to apply his teaching to his own life—not enough to risk his own honor and prestige to protect him. When John confronted Herod and Herodias for committing adultery, Herodias began formulating in her mind a plot to kill him. It is so sad that instead of trying to get rid of her sin, Herodias tried to get rid of the one who brought it to public attention. Think of her this way: Herodias is the Jezebel of the New Testament! Neither Herod nor Herodias made conscientious decisions for their puzzling problems, and that very pattern—that habit—would eventually cost them their souls. Two millennia later, we speak of the reigns of the Herods and Caesars with pity and disdain, but the names of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ live on as those for whom life was lived with devotion and courage. Which way will you choose?
When we as believers attempt to live a life worthy of the Gospel, it’s because our understanding of “worth” grows to be far different from the world’s. John wasn’t beheaded because he went along with the status quo. He gave his life because of his commitment to the truth. Will you commit to pursuing the truth?
For every single one of us, God chooses the best possible ways to reveal Himself. Sometimes He uses His Word; sometimes He uses our various circumstances; sometimes He gets into our mind; sometimes He uses other people to get our attention. One way or the other, God is always persuasive and persistent, and yet He never forces Himself on us. The decision is left to each of us. To miss or to resist God’s message, as did Herod, is a terrible tragedy. How aware are you of God’s attempts to enter your life? Have you welcomed Him? Why not today?
Let us pray: Lord, what a tremendous waste it would be to gain this whole world and yet lose our soul. No matter what allurements this world offers us, Lord help us make a conscientious decision to serve You, to be devoted to You, to be committed to You and Your truth. In Your name and for Your glory.
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