"A Dangerous Commission" | Mark 6:7-32 | The Gospel of Mark Series | Hillside Baptist Church

Have you ever asked yourself, what did I sign up for?

Most of us have.

You agree to volunteer for something, and suddenly you find yourself in a situation that you didn't quite anticipate.

Maybe it was your first time serving in the nursery, and you realize just how loud toddlers can be.

Or maybe you signed up for a service project that ended up being a lot messier or more demanding than you expected.

Some of you might have even had that thought during the recent parsonage renovation.

We like to sign up for things that we think are a worthy cause.

We're sold on the idea or vision, and that motivates us to get involved.

It's not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes the reality doesn't quite live up to our expectations.

And the same thing is true about the assumptions that we bring into the Christian life.

We think if I'm faithful, God will bless me.

If I follow Jesus, he'll protect me from real suffering.

We assume that obedience to God leads to an easier life, that being on mission leads to success, and that faithfulness brings immediate gratification.

And we love the idea of being sent by Jesus.

Imagine being one of the twelve, handpicked, empowered to cast out demons, heal the sick, preach the gospel.

That's the kind of mission that we sign up for.

That's the kind of Christianity that we come to expect.

But what if God sends us into suffering rather than around it?

What if faithfulness includes pain, rejection, or even martyrdom?

What if instead of applause, there's silence.

Instead of acceptance, hostility.

And instead of a reward, news that a faithful forerunner has been executed.

Sometimes following Jesus doesn't look like victory.

It looks like failure.

But the fruit of faithfulness is the advancement of God's kingdom.

That tension between faithfulness and suffering, being sent and being rejected, is exactly what we find in our passage today.

We begin to see that following Jesus comes with a real cost.

It's flat out dangerous.

It can even cost us our own heads.

But before we get started, let's take a moment to go before the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father, apart from the work of your Holy Spirit, we could not pursue any good thing.

At least not truly good.

Our motivation is often selfish, and our expectations are often not realistic.

We often get frustrated, even as Christians, as we seek to be obedient unto your call for our lives, as we seek to be faithful.

And so, God, would you give us boldness?

Would you give us courage?

Would you give us hearts that are aligned with yours?

And as we open up your word this morning, would you use it to transform us, that we may apply it in our lives, that we may be more effective as your disciples with a bold message.

We ask for your help in Jesus' name.

Amen.

We pick up today in Mark chapter 6, beginning in verse 7.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

If you remember from last week, Jesus had returned to his hometown of Nazareth, where he was met with fierce unbelief.

The hardened hearts of his own people became a barrier to his ministry there.

And our gospel writer Mark left us with Jesus moving on, teaching in the surrounding villages.

Continuing on with verse 7.

And he summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and was giving them authority over the unclean spirits, and he instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only, no bread, no bag, no money in their belt, but to wear sandals.

And he added, Do not put on two tunics.

And he was saying to them, Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town.

And any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.

And they went out and preached that men should repent.

And they were casting out many demons, and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

If you remember all the way back to chapter three of Mark, Jesus appointed the twelve as his disciples.

A lot has happened in that time, including a surprising commissioning of an ex-demoniac to the land of Gentiles before Jesus even bothers to commission his own disciples.

And now we finally see the fulfillment of their appointment as they are finally commissioned out.

We often think about graduation ceremonies as the finish line for education and academic achievement, a celebration of all that has been done up to this point in recognition of completed training.

Anyone who has gone to a graduation ceremony is familiar with the fact that graduates are about to embark in the real world and begin a whole new journey.

In this case, we have 12 disciples of Jesus who are still very much in the middle of their training, and yet they are now being commissioned to go into the real world and follow in the way of their teacher.

While many graduates are ill-prepared to take on everyday challenges of the real world, and they soon find themselves thrown into the wolves to eventually figure it out.

That's not quite the case as we see Jesus commissioning the twelve.

He genuinely sets them up for success while acknowledging and setting realistic expectations for opposition and challenges ahead.

First, Jesus begins by sending them out two by two.

Not only does this give them strength in numbers, but it also follows Old Testament requirements for legal witnesses, which required more than one person's testimony.

We see this pattern in the early church as missionaries are sent out in pairs, such as Paul and Barnabas.

This should cause us to consider our own methods for evangelism.

We often think about evangelism as something that we do individually, or sometimes in large groups for a special occasion.

But here we are reminded that God's people are to routinely come together for the purposes of evangelism.

We don't need any more lone rangers.

Another striking feature of this passage is what Jesus commands them not to do.

He tells the disciples not to take anything with them on their journey.

No bread, no money, not even extra clothes, just the sandals on their feet and a staff in their hand.

That's it.

Have you ever left the house and later realized that you forgot your wallet?

Or even your phone?

Or for you ladies, your purse, which seems to have everything that you need and more, it's unsettling.

It feels like a part of you is missing or even exposed.

Now imagine being told to go on a road trip, a long road trip, without any of these things.

That's the kind of situation that the disciples find themselves.

And while the most obvious reason for Jesus' instructions is to teach the disciples to depend entirely on God's provision, there's more going on here than just radical trust.

This seemingly odd dress code is also a deliberate echo of the Exodus generation.

Like the Israelites who left Egypt in haste with just sandals on their feet and staffs in their hand, the disciples were to go out ready, minimally supplied, and fully dependent on God.

Their footwear symbolized readiness, and the staff represented divine authority and calling.

This was no accident, it was a visible, symbolic way of saying to their hearers, God is on the move again.

Receive this message.

Even the detail about not bringing an extra tunic served a purpose.

In that culture, men of wealth would wear two tunics.

By traveling simply, Jesus' disciples were identifying with ordinary people, not as privileged messengers, but as humble representatives.

Representatives of a kingdom that turns the world upside down.

And what makes that kingdom so provocative is the message being proclaimed.

The message of the disciples called for repentance.

And like their teacher, and even John the Baptist, they proclaimed the good news of God's kingdom by calling people to repentance.

And as we see later, there is a cost to proclaiming a message of repentance, especially to sinners who oppose God's kingdom and refuse to repent.

Jesus warns them that their message will not be received well by everyone.

In fact, such people will not only refuse to listen to them, but also refuse to welcome them at all.

There will be hostility.

That's why Jesus instructs them to be discerning about where they are to stay.

If they're welcomed and the message is being received, they are to remain there with those hosts.

But where they are rejected, they're not to linger or to argue, they are to move on.

And this shaking off the dust from their feet serves as a curse to those who reject them.

The word used here means to shake violently.

Those who have ears to hear will receive the gospel for the good news that it is, and will respond with repentance.

But to those who prove to be enemies of the kingdom of God, the judgment and wrath of God remains upon them.

Most people consider themselves to be good people.

They say things like, I'm not perfect, but I treat people well, I don't hurt anyone, and I try to do the right thing.

And that might seem humble on the surface.

Many people think that if they just do enough good deeds, that will somehow get them some points with the big guy upstairs.

It's a hope for the best kind of mentality that doesn't think much about God's holiness or his own standards of righteousness and justice.

But the Bible is clear on this.

No one is good, not even one.

You might give to charity, volunteer at shelters, work hard, pay taxes, and while all those things aren't bad in themselves, they don't make you right with God.

Why?

Because all have sinned and fall short to the glory of God.

You may not have cheated on your spouse, but have you even entertained lust?

You might not have murdered anyone, but have you ever hated someone?

Jesus says our thoughts can condemn us before a holy and righteous God.

Our sin runs deeper than actions.

It's in our nature.

Whether you stole candy as a child or committed fraud as an adult, we all stand guilty.

And that guilt separates us from God, making us his enemies by nature.

We tend to downplace sin, but God doesn't.

What we excuse or ignore, he judges justly.

That's why our sin deserves eternal punishment under his wrath, and no amount of good deeds can erase that debt.

But here's the good news: Jesus came into the world to deal with that very problem.

Fully God and fully man, he lived a sinless life, blameless in every way.

He preached repentance and called people to obey God's commands.

But most didn't want to repent.

They loved their sin more than the truth.

And so Jesus was rejected.

He suffered and died, not for his own sins, but for ours.

At the cross, he bore the wrath of God, paying the debt we could never pay.

He took our place, dying the death that we deserve, not only physically, but also bearing spiritual judgment in our stead.

But God raised him from the dead, proving his victory over sin, death, and hell.

Now Jesus reigns at the right hand of the Father, King of an everlasting kingdom, and he will return again to judge the living and the dead.

Those who trust in him will be raised to everlasting life.

Those who reject him will face eternal judgment.

Now you may wonder why I'm taking all this time to say all of this, especially if you already know the gospel.

It's because this is the message that the disciples were sent to proclaim, a message of repentance.

They may not have had the full picture yet, but their commission was clear.

Call people to turn from their sin because the kingdom of God has arrived.

And that message hasn't changed.

So whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, repentance is for all of us.

Confess your sins to God.

Today, while today is still today.

Turn away from what he hates and resolve to walk in obedience.

If you've wronged someone, go and make it right.

Especially as we come to the Lord's table this morning, we must not take lightly what Christ has done.

To eat the bread and drink the cup without repentance is to take it in an unworthy manner.

It mocks the sacrifice of Christ.

Think of that bloody cross.

Think of what it cost the wrath of God poured out so that you and I could have peace with him.

So I ask you, do you have peace with God this morning?

If not, you need to bring your sin to him.

Today is the day.

As Jonathan Edwards once warned, it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But the arms of Jesus are open to all who would turn to him in faith.

Don't be like those in Nazareth who are familiar with Jesus but faithless.

Don't be like those who refuse to welcome the message of repentance.

Repent and believe.

The kingdom is here, and the king is calling.

Proclaiming this message comes at a cost.

I realize that in a room like this, I'm unlikely to ruffle too many feathers by calling you to repentance.

But to an unbelieving world that does not fear God, does not know his word, and is still in bondage to their sin, the gospel is offensive, and opposition is to be expected.

It's no surprise that each time in Mark's gospel the disciples were called, it was immediately followed by controversy or a negative response to the ministry of Jesus.

Take, for example, the very beginning of Mark, after Jesus first called his disciples, right?

The very beginning, the very first disciples.

Immediately following that was an exorcism in a synagogue and some religious leaders who opposed him.

Then later in chapter 3, where Jesus officially appoints the twelve, it follows that Jesus is accused of being out of his mind and in league with Satan.

And now, as Jesus officially commissions the twelve and sends them out, he prepares them for persecution.

And Mark highlights the cost of calling others to repentance.

Let's look at verses fourteen through three.

twenty nine.

And King Herod heard it, for his name had become well known, and people were saying, John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.

But others were saying, He is Elijah, and others were saying, He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.

But when Herod heard it, he kept saying, John, whom I beheaded, has risen.

For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.

For John had been saying to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.

Now Herodias was holding a grudge against him, and was wanting to put him to death, and was not able.

And when he heard him, he was very perplexed, but he used to enjoy listening to him.

And a strategic day came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his great men and military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.

And when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests, and the king said to the girl, Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it to you.

And he swore to her, Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you, up to half of my kingdom.

And she went out and said to her mother, What shall I ask for?

And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

And immediately she came in in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.

And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his 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.

And when his disciples heard this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.

Here we have a contrast between two kings, Herod and Jesus.

And while our gospel writer Mark insists on calling Herod a king, that label is technically imprecise.

Matthew and Luke refer to Herod as a Tetrarch, a more accurate and fitting title, since his rulership is only a fourth of the kingdom of his father.

In fact, according to the historian Josephus, the title of king was explicitly refused to Herod Antipas by the Roman Emperor Augustus.

Mark's use of the term king is more ironic than anything else.

And I think he does this intentionally to prove a point.

Mark almost exclusively uses the term king to refer to either Herod or Jesus.

It's likely that he wanted his readers to see a contrast between the true king, Jesus, and the so-called king, Herod, an enemy of the real one.

Mark places this story of John the Baptist's execution sandwiched between Jesus' commissioning of his disciples.

There is an intentional correlation between these two stories, and it's to show the contrast between Herod and Jesus, along with the cost of faithful gospel proclamation.

We see in this narrative that enemies of the true king bring danger to the disciples in opposition to their mission.

Herod represents an evil king under the manipulative influence of an evil queen.

The account of John the Baptist's execution resembles the story of the evil king Ahab and Jezebel, with Elijah, John's predecessor, as the victim.

In this case, Herodias is seeking the life of John the Baptist for calling her and Herod to repent for their incestuous relationship.

Herodias was married to Herod's brother Philip.

Since Philip was still alive, not only was this adulterous, but the family dynamic also made it incestuous.

Herodias was also Herod's niece.

That made Herodias' daughter in this story Herod's niece on her father's side, his grandniece on her mother's side, and his own stepdaughter.

Sounds like a Jerry Springer episode.

Their whole family dynamic was dysfunctional and it was fueled by sin.

To further add to the depravity of this scene, we see Herodias's young daughter dancing erotically for Herod's birthday banquet in front of his leading men.

And we know that she's young because the word used here is the same word used for the 12-year-old girl in the previous episode.

And to make matters worse, she's being weaponized by her evil mother to manipulate Herod into getting what she wanted, the head of John the Baptist.

Though Herod had imprisoned John, he actually sought to protect him from Herodias's murderous intent.

Mark tells us Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and he even enjoyed listening to him, though he remained perplexed.

When Herod later heard reports of miraculous works, his guilty conscience led him to believe that John had risen from the dead.

It's clear that John's execution wasn't what Herod wanted.

In fact, had it not been for Herodias and her scheming manipulation, he might never have carried it out.

Herod was a weak man, trapped by his desire to save face.

But Herodias was determined, and it was her calculated plot that ultimately led to the death of the prophet, along with the seared conscience of Herodias' daughter, who had become so desensitized, she had no problem calling for John's head.

And yet, we can't let Herod off the hook.

It was very much in his power to set John free and to spare his life.

And even after making such an oath to Herodias' daughter, he still could have denied her request at the expense of his reputation.

But Herod is a coward.

He falls prey to his own foolishness.

In a pivotal moment of this narrative, Herod is caught in a real dilemma.

Here he is in front of his most prominent men, the base of his political power.

At a banquet that was intended to display his honor and reinforce those relationships.

In a moment of vulnerability, Herod makes an oath to try and impress his men.

God commands us not to swear and to make such oaths.

And as we see here, it becomes Herod's downfall.

To break an oath would cause Herod to lose face and credibility, putting his already fragile power at risk.

And so ironically, it is his virtue as a ruler and commitment to a system of values that sustains his power that causes him to make the decision to take the life of John the Baptist, an innocent man.

As one commentator puts it, Mark presents a king trapped by the web of power over which he reigns.

And this irony becomes even more profound later in Mark's gospel when we see the sacrifice of another king, the most powerful of all, not to preserve his power, but to lay it down willingly for the ones he loves.

And so we see the contrast between two kings, King Herod, the life taker, and King Jesus, the true and better king, the life giver.

King Jesus brings life and peace, something no king of this earth can truly accomplish.

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and a direct threat to every kingdom on this earth.

Whether that be an empire like Rome or the fourth of a kingdom under the reign of Herod, Jesus is the sovereign ruler of them all, and he is making his enemies his footstool.

Let's close out with verses thirty through thirty-two.

And the apostles gathered together with Jesus, and they reported to him all that they had done and taught.

And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest for a while, for there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

The ones who are sent earlier in our passage today have now returned.

The sent ones become gathered ones.

They report to Jesus all that had been done and taught, and that work is miraculous.

Just like their teacher, they preached the message of repentance, they had cast out many demons, and were able to heal many sick people by anointing them with oil.

While remarkable, it is also important to realize that everything they did was in the power and authority of Jesus, not in themselves.

They operated as extensions of Jesus' unique, direct, and divine authority.

And as they returned, Jesus recognized their need for rest and took them away in a boat to a quiet place just for themselves, a much needed retreat.

Ministry is hard work.

Putting the needs of others above your own needs can take a toll after a while.

But ministry is not perpetual motion.

It's a rhythm of being sent and returning to rest.

God does not call us to burn out.

He cares for our well-being too, and he knows our limits.

We often need that reminder, as we think that doing more all the time is what is most pleasing to God, when in reality, he prioritizes timely rest as well.

Faithfulness sometimes means stopping and listening to Him again.

The disciples learn to trust in God's provision, and now that provision includes a time of rest.

They returned to Jesus, the source of their strength.

No doubt they would have likely learned about the fate of John the Baptist.

It's a reminder that God's mission makes for dangerous work.

Persecution is not just a byproduct, but to be expected.

What happened to John the Baptist foreshadows what will happen to Jesus later in Mark's gospel.

And what happens to Jesus will happen to many of Jesus' disciples as well.

Mark structures this whole passage and places the inner story of John the Baptist's execution between the outer story of Jesus commissioning his disciples.

They are interrelated and reflect the cost of discipleship.

This whole narrative serves as a forewarning for all who would follow Jesus on the way.

Discipleship is costly, and being sent out by Jesus is a dangerous commission.

But that should not deter us from following Jesus and boldly proclaiming his gospel even to a hostile world.

To be with Jesus is to be sent by Jesus.

They go hand in hand.

What he requires, he supplies.

His grace is sufficient in all of our weaknesses.

Greater is he who is in us than he that is in the world.

Jesus has already overcome the world in victory.

He calls us to walk in that victory and proclaim his victory in boldness.

God provides the needs of his people, even in the face of dangerous opposition.

True disciples trust God's care and concern for them in the lifelong journey of following Jesus.

We're not promised ease, but we are promised Christ.

And that's enough.

Amen.

If you belong to Christ and the road has been long and heavy, then take comfort this morning.

Maybe it's more than you thought you were signing up for.

And though this life may feel like the wilderness, the mission will not die there.

Christ's kingdom is growing, and one day it will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Let's pray.

Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for your gospel.

We thank you that you love us so much.

You gave your Son Jesus to die for us, that all who believe in Him will not perish, will not fall under your wrath or judgment, but have everlasting life, complete forgiveness of sin.

And God, I pray for our church, I pray that we would be bold with the gospel, that we would uphold it not only in our personal lives, but be willing to share it with our neighbors around us.

We already know we live in a hostile world.

We often find ourselves in difficult conversations, perhaps the most difficult being the ones we love most who don't know you.

So, God, we pray that your Holy Spirit would lead us in those conversations, would go before us and be at work in the hearts and minds of those we love who don't know you.

Give us a heart for our community.

Let it be a burden that you bear for us and equip us for.

We ask all these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.