Mission Expectations

Well, good morning. It's good to see you all.

We are continuing in our series in the book of Mark.

Last week, we saw Jesus in his ministry on earth,

experiencing rejection from his hometown as he sought to live out God's calling on him.

And we reflected on how God's calling to the church, to us as God's people,

to make known the good news of the kingdom of God coming through Jesus

might also include, for us, opposition and rejection.

What I want to talk about this morning is what ought we to expect

as we live out this mission of the church.

In order to get to where my real concern is this morning,

let me tell you a little bit of my own story.

I was a new Christian back in the 1980s,

and I was brought into a movement that would be called Evangelical Christianity back then.

It doesn't necessarily mean the same thing today,

but let me tell you what it meant for me back then

and what I think it still means for lots of people

with lots of caveats about politics and culture war.

Here's what it meant to me.

It meant that the Bible was God's word.

It meant that the centrality of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection,

and particularly his death on the cross for our salvation,

was the centerpiece of the Christian message.

And that people had to respond personally and individually to that message

with faith in order for them to gain salvation.

And that because of Jesus' love, we are called to love the world

and to engage in it by sharing this message

and by caring for the world as we may.

And that's what it meant to me.

The church that I was brought into had held those values.

And this was in contrast to some other movements.

If you study in 20th century Protestant history,

you'll see that there was in the early 20th century

a movement called modernism

that thought that the Bible and the cross were antiquated

and a rational religion that needed to be reinterpreted,

that rationalism had brought us out of an adherence to these things,

and that Jesus' mission was to do good to others

as well as we knew as human beings.

In response to the modernist movement,

there was a movement, again, within Protestant Christianity

called fundamentalism.

We know this word much more broadly today

as it's used for religious movements.

But in the early 20th century,

it was those who believed in the fundamentals of historic Christianity.

And they responded to modernism by retreating into their own church,

defending truths of things like the Bible is the word of God

and the cross is central.

They said things like the virgin birth and the deity of Christ

and the resurrection are really important,

and we need to hold to those things as Christians.

But they also separated from the world

in a desire to escape from the confusion of modernism.

They wanted to protect church doctrine and purity

while critiquing the culture without much meaningful engagement.

And from the context of this fundamentalist, modernist divide,

evangelicalism, technically it's neo-evangelicalism.

If you're a historian, evangelicalism is an older movement.

But neo-evangelicalism and American Protestantism

emerged after the World War II

as a movement of people who believed the things that I was brought into

and held to the things that I was brought into.

And here's the thing, right?

As this project has gone on, how do we hold to these truths

and yet engage in the world in loving, compassionate way?

I have a concern that has been growing in my heart

for the last, well, 20 years probably.

But today we're going to talk about it.

And here's the concern.

Let me try to say this as clearly as possible

because this is what's going to shape what we look at this morning.

In our desire to love our neighbor and our world

in order to share Christ with them

and to engage the world with compassion and care,

we have bought into an implicit promise

that if we love well enough,

if we explain the gospel clearly enough and winsomely enough,

if we care with enough compassion,

then the world we live in will accept us and embrace us

and value us as a good part of community

and the world that we live in.

That's the promise that I think has crept into

this movement of Christianity that we belong to.

And is this promise true?

I believe that our passage in Mark 6 will illuminate this.

I believe that Mark is going to help us think through this a little bit.

So if you want to turn to Mark 6, we're starting in verse 14.

It's on page 790 in your pew Bibles.

And as we turn there, we're going to look at...

Oh, a very interesting passage.

So let me go ahead and read it for us,

and then we'll pray,

and then we will jump in.

Mark 6, verse 14.

Mark 6:14

King Herod heard of it,

and it means the growing popularity and effect of Jesus

and his disciples in their ministry in Galilee.

King Herod heard of it,

for Jesus' name had become known,

and some said,

John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.

That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.

But others said,

He is Elijah.

And others said,

He 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 it was Herod

who had sent and seized John

and bound him in prison

for the sake of Herodias,

his brother's Philip's wife,

because he had married her.

For John had been saying to Herod,

it is not lawful for you

to have your brother's wife.

And Herodias had a grudge against him

and wanted to put him to death,

but she could not.

For Herod feared John,

knowing that he was a righteous and holy man,

and he kept him safe.

When he heard him,

he was greatly perplexed,

and yet he heard him gladly.

But an opportunity came

when Herod, on his birthday,

gave a banquet for his nobles

and military commanders

and the leading men of Galilee.

For when Herodias' daughter

came in and danced,

she pleased Herod and his guests.

And the king said to the girl,

Ask me for whatever you wish,

and I will give it to you.

And he vowed to her,

Whatever you ask me,

I will give you,

up to half my kingdom.

And she went out and said to her mother,

For what should I ask?

And she said,

The head of John the Baptist.

And she came in immediately

with haste to the king

and asked, saying,

I want you to give me at once

the head of John the Baptist

on a platter.

And the king was exceedingly sorry,

but because of his oaths

and his guests,

he did not want to break his word to her.

And immediately the king

sent an executioner

with orders to bring John's head.

He went and beheaded him

in the prison

and brought his head

on the platter

and gave it to the girl,

and the girl gave it to her mother.

When his disciples heard it,

they came and took his body

and laid it in a tomb.

Let's pray.

Lord, help us this morning

to know,

Lord,

the value of your word.

Lord, for we look at this passage,

and it is a strange one,

and we need your help

to understand what it is

that you are saying to us through it,

and Lord,

how it might,

Lord,

shape us,

Lord,

your people this morning.

And we pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So we're going to look at this

in two steps.

First,

we're going to look at

what this particular passage tells us,

and then we're going to

pan out a little bit

and look

and talk a little bit more broadly

about what the New Testament tells us

about how we live out our mission.

So let's look at this passage together.

First of all,

this passage tells us

about following Jesus,

and you might be thinking,

why does it tell us that?

Well,

because

Mark has given us

one of his sandwiches.

We've talked about this before.

Mark likes to make

narrative sandwiches

where he starts a story

and then he tells another story

in the middle

and then he brings it around

back to the story at the end.

And the story here

is the sending out of the apostles.

That's what happens

in verses 7 through 13.

Jesus sends out his apostles.

And then if you look

at the very end,

in verse 30,

the apostles come back to Jesus.

So this is the meat

of the sandwich

about the apostles

following Jesus

on his mission

to make good news,

make the good news

of the coming of the kingdom

to the world.

Right?

And the message

is sobering

when you look

at what this meat says.

Because

I think

the point of this story,

what Mark wants us to know,

is that

faithful participation

in Jesus' mission

means suffering

and even death

because we live

in a world

that is opposed

to Jesus

and his kingdom.

And it teaches us

that through

the example

of John the Baptist.

Right?

So this story

begins

in verse 14

with

Jesus becoming

known to Herod

and people speculating.

Now,

before we go on

about that speculation,

we have to make sure

we know who is Herod

because there are

three Herods

in the Bible.

Right?

There are actually

a lot more Herods

in the first century.

There are three Herods

in the Bible.

There's Herod the Great

or King Herod

who was the Herod

of Jesus'

birth period.

So in Matthew 1.

Right?

There is Herod Antipas

or Herod the Tetrarch

who is Herod

during Jesus' life

and death.

And this is the Herod

that we're dealing

with today.

There is then

Herod Agrippa

who shows up

in the book of Acts

starting in Acts 12

and going on from there.

So those are

the three Herods

in the Bible

and we just want to know

this is the middle one.

Okay?

And this

he was the king

over the

Jewish ruler

over the region

of Galilee

where Jesus

was doing ministry

and as Jesus' ministry

was gaining popularity

he heard of him

and people were speculating

what is this?

Maybe it's the return

of Elijah

who was taken up

into heaven.

Maybe it's another

one of the prophets

like Isaiah

or Jeremiah

or Ezekiel

or maybe it's

John the Baptist

come back from the dead

or maybe that doesn't

really mean that

they thought

he was resurrected

but just

it's the second coming

of John the Baptist

it's the next one

in a line of people

who are going to

cause me trouble

and this occasions

in Herod's mind

what happened

with John the Baptist

and this is the story

that is the centerpiece

of it today

right?

Because Herod

remembered

what happened

to John

right?

So starting

in verse 17

Herod had imprisoned

John the Baptist

why?

Because

John the Baptist

walked into

the best

Jerry Springer

movement

in the New Testament

okay?

This is a crazy story

we're going to put

a slide up here

I think

you might be able

to see it

Herod

Antipas

had stolen

his half

brother's wife

who happened

to also be

his niece

to be his wife

okay?

Herod the Great

had 10 wives

lots of children

this shows

only some of them

Philip is one of them

Herod Antipas

is another one

Aristobulus

is a third one

Aristobulus

had a daughter

named Herodias

Herodias

is the centerpiece

of this

because John the Baptist

came and said

to Herod Antipas

you can't have her

because she's

your brother's wife

Leviticus 18

and Leviticus 20

says that is not lawful

and Herod Antipas

in fear of

John's righteous

claim against him

imprisoned

John the Baptist

and in fear

of his wife

too

it seemed

that he was

he felt stuck

and he's like

oh I want to do

something

but interestingly

when you notice it

right

Herod was conflicted

because he put him

in jail

but he didn't kill him

even though his wife

wanted him to kill him

he said there's something

about this guy

well one

he seems to be

a righteous and holy man

and it might be

bad business

to kill him

but also

there was something

about him

verse 20 says

he was greatly perplexed

and he gladly

listened to him

there was something

about John the Baptist's

life

that Herod

found intriguing

even as

he feared

and hated

the message

that he was hearing

and so

John the Baptist

is in prison

being protected

by the man

who put him

in prison

from the man's

wife

who wanted him

killed

okay

this is a great

this is a great

soap opera

right

and so then

the second scene

is

and then

the opportunity

came

right

it is almost

unbelievable

in its ugliness

at a state

birthday party

with all the people

gathered

Herodias' daughter

who we know

from other places

is named Salome

she dances

for the

assembled people

they please

or she pleases

the king so much

that the king

makes this rash

promise

I'll give you

anything you want

now look

it's not clear

what kind of dance

this woman danced

there's no need

for us to assume

that it was

particularly

erotic

or sexual

she might have

been a really

young girl

she might have

been just a

12 year old

so

we don't need

to over imagine

but whatever

the pleasing

was

it arouses

response

from the king

of

I'll give you

anything

and the girl

goes to her

mother

and says

what should I

ask for

and Herodias

the vengeful

self-justifying

woman

who wanted

so much

to clear her

name

and to get

rid of this

gadfly

who kept

messing with

her life

said

I want

his head

on a

platter

and Herod

shows his

moral fiber

by agreeing

he's like

I'm really

sorry

I kind of

didn't want

to do

this

but

I don't

want to

break my

promise

in front

of my

guests

and my

wife

really

wants

me

to do

this

okay

we'll

just

kill

herod

was not

a particularly

admirable

man

he listened

to the

voices

of those

around

him

and

sought

to

please

them

and

Herodias'

fear

Herodias'

fear

of shame

and exposure

and her

rejection

of the

truth

that John

the Baptist

spoke

resulted

in his

death

why did

Mark put

this story

in here

it's a

reminiscence

there's no

historical

this isn't

even a

historical

narrative

this is

why did

he put

it in

here

he put

it in

here

so that

we as

readers

as we're

watching the

apostles

go out

as we're

thinking about

what it means

to follow

Jesus

can reflect

on the life

of John

the Baptist

and to

recognize

that faithful

witness

in serving

Jesus

may result

in suffering

and death

because the

world is

opposed

to Jesus

and his

kingdom

look

friends

we need

to recognize

that this

is true

today

as well

a follower

of Jesus

is often

perplexing

in our

world

I remember

when I was

coming to

faith

I had two

friends

I've told

you about

them before

I'm going

to keep

telling you

about them

because God

used them

in my

life

Bill and

Becky

and I

made fun

of them

right

because I

rejected

the message

that they

were talking

about

and I

felt judged

by their

lives

because they

were pursuing

righteousness

in a way

that I

didn't want

to

and yet

I was

drawn to

them

by their

love

by the

light

that was

in their

life

that I

saw

and that

I

wanted

so there's

this

dynamic

today

of this

perplexity

and yet

also

this

opposition

this

opposition

that

happens

in lots

of

different

times

when I

studied

Christian

history

or when

I studied

for my

senior

thesis

at Princeton

I did

I looked

at early

20th century

history

of Princeton

and there

used to be

a statue

on the

Princeton

campus

called

the

Christian

man

and it

was a

you know

strapping

young man

with a

Bible

in one

hand

and a

football

in the

other

and it

was the

vision

of the

complete

scholar

athlete

moral

man

but you

know what

happened

in the

early

1920s

a bunch

of drunken

students

on one

Friday night

they

dragged the

statue

off of

its pedestal

in rejection

of all

of the

ideals

that it

stood

for

so in

case you

think it's

bad on

campus

today

it's

always

been

bad

on

campuses

it's

been

true

throughout

history

I've

studied

the

history

of

Hudson

Taylor

in

1868

they

had

moved

into

the

inland

to do

missionary

work

among

the

Chinese

people

they

set up

a

hospital

to

welcome

abandoned

children

so they

could be

cared

for

and yet

the

people

rose up

against

them

accusations

of

and this

is a

quote

they

scooped

out

the

eyes

of

the

dying

and

opened

foundling

hospitals

in order

that they

might

eat

the

children

a mob

was formed

the

mission

compound

was

burned

the

missionaries

barely

escaped

with their

lives

and it's

not just

something

that

happened

in

history

in

1999

you know

this story

probably

the

Australian

missionary

Graham

Staines

and his

two

sons

were killed

by

a militant

Hindu

mob

who set

the van

that the

family was

sleeping in

on fire

I saw

this account

I found

this account

online

the question

was asked

why would

anyone

want to

kill a

missionary

who dedicated

his life

to rehabilitating

lepers

and eradicating

such diseases

as polio

and tuberculosis

we are

mystified

said a

senior police

officer

Staines was

a much loved

and respected

person

his wife

Gladys

who is now

left with

no other

members of

her family

except her

13 year old

daughter

Esther

said Staines

did not have

one enemy

in the world

and that's

what makes

this mind

numbing

deed

all the

more

surprising

a local

Hindu

activist

is not

surprised

he says

Staines was

murdered because

he was engaged

in converting

the substantial

tribal people

in Orissa

people could

have killed

him in a

fit of rage

he reckons

friends

this is what

Mark wants

us to hear

the opposition

of the world

to Jesus

and his

kingdom

is real

and at

times it

is bad

and look

we don't

need to

live in a

black and

white world

where all

we do is

identify the

enemies and

throw our

verbal grenades

at them

but we need

to recognize

that as we

fulfill this

mission of

going out

into the

world to

love and

share with

Jesus

there will

always be

this dynamic

spiritually

and at

times it

will show

itself in

violent

and irrational

and terrible

ways

and we

need to

not believe

the lie

that if we're

just winsome

enough or

just caring

enough or

just compassionate

enough that we

will be

accepted

so how do we

go about this

mission what

are some of the

principles that we

need to have

as we live

this out

I asked Kate to

throw together a

slide last minute

it's going to be up

on the board

because we're going

to run through a

bunch of

scriptures

five things that

the Bible tells

us about how

we carry

ourselves as we

enter into this

mission in a

world that's going

to be at times

in opposition to

us so here we

go first of all

don't be surprised

the scripture tells

us over and

over and over

again that we

should expect

this kind of

opposition so

John 15 18

if the world

hates you this is

Jesus speaking to

his disciples 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 because you

are not of the

world but I

chose you out of

the world therefore

the world hates

you remember the

word that I said

to you a

neighbor is not

a servant is not

greater than his

master if they

persecuted me they

will persecute you

also so Jesus

reminded us of

this the early

church knew this

Paul and Silas

were traveling

through the churches

strengthening the

souls of the

disciples in Acts

14 22 encouraging

them to continue in

the faith and saying

that through many

tribulations

we must enter the

kingdom of God

the apostle Paul in

Philippians 1 reminds

us that it has been

granted to us the

church that for the

sake of Christ you

should not only believe

in him but to suffer

for his sake and the

apostle Peter as he

suffered himself and

ministering to a

suffering church at

Rome said beloved do

not be surprised at the

fiery trial when it

comes upon you to test

you as though it were

something strange

happening to you but

rejoice in so far as

you share Christ's

sufferings that you

may also rejoice and be

glad when his glory is

revealed now look

friends let us not be

hated or resisted for

being stupid or for

being hateful or for

being disrespectful okay

the aroma of Christ does

not condemn others with

megaphones on street

corners and it does not

advocate for righteousness

with epithets rage and

violence but as we live

out our calling let us

not be surprised when we

live rightly for God and

are not accepted by our

neighbors for this is the

consistent so first do not

be surprised secondly as we

engage in this oppositional

context we are called to

love our enemies don't give in

to hatred don't make

relationships a power

dynamic don't allow vengeance

to eat your heart as we go

in not being surprised we

might respond by falling into

this desire to hate back and a

desire to punish those who

resist us but Jesus says

you've heard it that you've

heard that it was said you

shall love your neighbor and

hate your enemy but I say to

you love your enemies and

pray for those who persecute

you so that you may be sons of

your father who is in heaven for

he makes his son rise on the

evil and on the good and sends

rain on the just and on the

unjust for if you love those who

love you what reward do you

have do not even the tax

collectors do the same and if

you greet only your brothers

what more are you doing than

others do not even the Gentiles

do the same as we face the

rejection of the world Jesus

reminds us that to represent him

it must always smell and taste

like the kingdom of God it must

always be seasoned with grace

with endurance and patient love

towards those who oppose us

thirdly we are to love our

neighbors this may be inherent in

what we've already said so much

but I wanted to say it again we

are to engage in the world not

retreat out of fear so Jesus says

in Matthew 22 teacher what is the

greatest commandment in the law and

Jesus says to them you should love

the Lord to God with all your heart

and soul and all your mind this is

the greatest in the first commandment

and the second is like it you shall

love your neighbor as yourself so we

must continue to engage and not

retreat or to hide or protect

ourselves how might we do this so

many different ways we might do so

through politics to help shape the

laws of our land so that they would

be a blessing to human flourishing we

might engage in social justice to end

the work of sex trafficking in the world

we might engage in social service

becoming a mentor or serving in a soup

kitchen we might engage in the

intellectual life making kingdom economic

strategies and philosophies and thinking

about how we use biotechnology for

healing and for wholeness we might

engage in the creative life making art

and loving nature and stewarding animal

life and doing all sorts of creative and

wonderful wings so that we might taste

the aroma of Christ and if you're not in

any of these fields in our everyday life

how do we serve those who we live next to

in our apartment building in our dormitory

on the block that we live in our

workplace the person in the cubicle next

to us or the person that we never see in

person anymore because we all work

remotely but the person that we have to

interact with over zoom how do we love

them and serve them how do we raise our

families to love the world that we live in

in the name of Jesus and as we're doing

all of these good things to care let us

remember that the the very first priority

of God's people is to bear witness to

Jesus to tell the world about what God

has done for us an undeserving sinful

fallen world in the work of Jesus Christ

in his life and death and resurrection for

our salvation to tell the world about his

love for sinners like us and for you

so we're not to be surprised by the

opposition we're to love our enemies we're

to love our neighbors fourth we are to live

our lives for God and not for the approval

or acceptance of others friends you know

Nick talked about this more last week but I

wanted to reiterate it it's so easy isn't

it when you know that your friend is going

to reject you if you start saying I go to

church or to talk about your faith it's so

easy to be silent isn't it and it's so easy to

when you go out for you know go out for dinner

after after work together with your co-workers

it's so easy to somehow leave your Christian values

behind and just go with the flow and be with

your people it's easy to blend in with the crowd

friends John the Baptist gives us an example here

he cared more about God's favor than he did about

Herod's even though it led to his imprisonment and

ultimately his death so the apostle Peter urges us

first Peter to beloved I urge you as sojourners and

exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which

wage war against your soul keep your conduct among the

Gentiles that is people who know who don't know God

honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers

they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of

visitation do you hear that perplexity that we saw in

John the Baptist this is what God calls us to we will

never be like those around us who don't know God if we are

faithfully following Christ we are meant to be distinct not in

self-righteousness not in holier than thou not in look at how

great I am and golly your problems must be because you really

stink but in humility knowing that by God's grace he has saved

us out of sin and that as we pursue him we live lives that have

a kind of life from God that is distinctive and it has boundaries and

it has borders and it has commands for us to follow and we are called to

be distinct in how we live that out living for the approval of our Savior not

those around us

and friends you may feel like this is too much this is a high calling this is a

hard calling but the fifth thing that I want to tell you is where we go to

find the ability to do this and you know what it's not rock science friends we look to

Jesus we look to Jesus who has gone before and walked this very path for us he

suffered while on earth he was despised and rejected by humanity he was like a

sheep silent before its shearers before his executioners he was unjustly arrested

imprisoned and executed dying in shame upon a cross and all that suffering and

injustice all that evil and the crazy rejection and accusation God was working for us our redemption

our salvation when we look to Jesus when we see him

he is our model he is our example and he is our salvation

and so Peter writes in first Peter 2 20

if when you do good and suffer for it you endure this is a gracious thing in the sight of God

for to this you have been called because Christ also

suffered for you

leaving you an example that you might follow in his steps

he committed no sin neither was deceit found in his mouth

when he was reviled he did not revile in return

when he suffered he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself

to him who judges justly he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree

that we might die to sin and live to righteousness

by his wounds you have been healed

for you were straying like sheep

but now have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls

and friends what John the Baptist knew

and what the early apostles and the early church knew

and what the saints throughout history through across the world

have come to see

is that as we walk in this path

as we pursue God's mission

in the face of opposition

even unto death

in a world that rejects Jesus

not only by our words

but by our suffering

we proclaim Jesus Christ

and in our proclamation of him

we have fellowship with him

and this is the great hope

that we have in our

that as we do this

we know that not only will we have fellowship with him

in his suffering

being made like him in his death

but as the apostle says

we will also then be raised with him

to a new and indestructible

and eternal life with him

that outweighs all of it

and this is what God has called us to do

and so my prayer

is that the best of what evangelicalism has meant to me

and to us

will continue to be

the heartbeat

of who we are

as Christians

that we would hold to God's Bible

that we would see the centrality of the cross

that we would love our neighbors

for the sake of Jesus

in word and deed

and engage in this world

until he takes us home

knowing that it will cause opposition

not believing that we will be accepted

but knowing that

it is good and right

to walk in Jesus' footsteps

in these ways

let's pray

Lord Jesus

we are sobered by this message

and yet also

Lord there's a part of us

that is thrilled by it

because Lord

you call us to something

that is beyond us

and yet it is good

and it is great

to walk in your footsteps

to follow you

to hear your call

and to respond

by living for you in this world

Lord knowing that it may cost us many things

but knowing that you are of greater worth

than any of those

oh Lord Jesus

I pray for my brothers and sisters

as I pray for myself

Lord that we would have courage

that we would have humility

that we would have grace

that we would have strength to endure

to press on in this calling

that you've called us to

for your glory in this world

we pray in Jesus' name

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen