Mark 6:14-29 Now King Herod heard of [the teaching of Jesus], for Jesus’s name had become known and some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead and that is why the powers work through him.” Yet others said, “It is Elijah” while others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets [of old].” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
For Herod himself had sent men who seized John and bound him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for Herod had married her. For John had told Herod, “It is not right for you to have your brother’s wife.” Now Herodias had a grudge against him and she wanted to kill him. But she could not. This was because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous man and a holy man and he protected him and listened to him, though greatly perplexed; yet it pleased him to listen to him.
Now an opportune time came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for his courtiers and commanders and for the leaders of Galilee. And Herod’s daughter Herodias came in a danced, pleasing Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish and I will give it to you.” And he swore to her repeatedly, “Whatever you ask me, I will give to you, even half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she returned to the king with haste and asked, saying “I want immediately for you to give me on a platter the head of John the Baptizer.” The king was deeply sorry, yet because of his oaths and the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier under orders to bring John’s head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison. And he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
Reflection Worried about evil? Here is how it works.
Slave to his fear of people’s judgment King Herod does not have the courage to live his convictions. Although he knew John the Baptizer to be a “righteous and holy man,” when his pride and power are on the line, Herod orders John’s head be given on a platter to his daughter. Fearing his guest’s judgement were he not to satisfy his daughter’s egregious demand, Herod is subject to the work of evil through him.
By contrast, John the Baptizer, a wilderness wandering preacher, dares to speak truth to power by calling out Herod for marrying his brother’s wife Herodias. Being a man who lives by faith not fear, John is confident in his convictions and veritably glows in contrast to the cold footed King Herod.
Fearful people capitulate to social pressure to conform. Believing their source of strength is in themselves or with other people they bow to political squeeze and aim to execute whoever threatens their sense of security, safety, esteem, power or control. Consequently the fearful become vehicles for the work of evil. It is not that the people are evil, rather, they are vulnerable to evil working through them when they live in fear.
On the other hand, when we choose to live in faith we find confidence and conviction in something greater than themselves. Finding faith with God (or Yahweh, Allah, The Light, the One, the Mystery...) gives us the freedom to remain calm in the face of threats to our security, safety, esteem, power or control. Being faithful we are free rather than slaves to the working of evil through us.
Eight years ago we witnessed a show of faith in Charleston, South Carolina when the Emmanuel American Methodist Episcopal Church responded to the murder of their senior pastor and eight other church members who were gunned down during a Bible study. Rather than eat the bait of evil and set off riots and a race war, the leaders and people of the AME church chose to respond with calm confidence, which they were free to do because they live in faith, not fear.
Four days after the tragic shooting during the Sunday morning service at the AME church, the Rev. Goff pierced the hearts of the people in his church and across the nation when he preached, “Some wanted to divide the races - black and white and brown - but no weapon formed against us shall prosper.” Outside the doors of the church hung a banner that read, “Holy City… let us be the example of love that conquers evil.” Choosing faith leaves no room for the work of evil’s hateful hand.
This is what the families in Lancaster, Pennsylvania did seventeen years ago following the hateful shooting of their ten young daughters in an Amish school house. This heart breaking incident shocked the nation, with strangers contributing more than four million dollars to support the Amish families. For many of us, even more stupefying than the massacre of ten girls between the ages of six and thirteen years was the Amish community’s response to their tragedy.
Almost immediately following the shooting the grandfather of one of the girls who was killed expressed forgiveness to the killer while other Amish folk visited and comforted the killer’s family. In the midst of unspeakable loss and grief, the Amish community refused to react with fear, anger, blame or seek retaliation. Instead they chose to respond with compassion which they were free to do because they choose to live in faith, not fear, which leaves no room for the work of evil’s hateful hand.
In Luke’s gospel we see Jesus nailed to a cross, hanging between two criminals. We are stunned by his shocking words, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23.34) I believe Jesus’ remarkable words are intended not only for the criminals flanking him but also for the disciples who abandon him and all who participate by their action or inaction in his brutal suffering and death. Jesus chooses to live by faith leaving no room for evil’s hateful hand to work through him.
We live in a world at war with our selves and one another. We have tuned our ears to hear insult and offense. We have set our minds to mine for misdemeanor. We screw up our eyes to find someone to blame for our wounded feelings. We harden our hearts to the suffering that abounds around us. We engage litigious means to execute retribution. We fail to follow the way of faith driven conviction commanded by God and embodied by the folks in Charleston, Lancaster, and Jerusalem.
I believe we are at a crossroads in our community, our country and our world. Evil seduces us in the marketing of excess and tolerance of abuse. Evil thrives when we shade our eyes to lies and bow to corruption. Evil succeeds when we choose fear rather than faith as the standard for our lives.
The only way I know to overcome fear is to choose faith, faith in something greater than ourselves that some call God, Yahweh, Allah, Mystery, Light, Divine Presence. Here is the thing. Choosing faith is not a once and done endeavor. It is a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute commitment to choose faith in the face of whatever shows up on this wild journey we call life, because when we choose faith there is no room for evil to work its hateful way through us.
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