Pentecost 7 L15 B

One distinctive mark of Lutheran preaching is to separate God’s word into two functions: the Law and the Gospel; Bad news and good news; words which convict us, and words that forgive us. If you were to look at today’s Gospel lesson through that lens, you might wonder if it could be called Gospel at all. There are confusing rumors about Jesus, and Herod is afraid. Part of Herod’s fear stems from an event that we heard as a flashback: Herod throws a wild party for the upper crust of Galilee. Shamefully, he puts his own step-daughter’s body on display for everyone there, and in fact, is seduced by her dancing enough that he foolishly promises in front of everyone to give her whatever she wants. In consultation with her mother, who is Herod’s wife (although really shouldn’t be since she is technically married to Herod’s brother), the step-daughter asks for the execution of innocent John the Baptist. The story turns from exploitation to murder. Heard any good news, yet? (If the whole Bible were made into a movie — it would be rated R.)

Now, feeling trapped in the power that he had been abusing, Herod realizes he has to order John the Baptist’s death (even though a person as corrupt as Herod knows that John doesn’t deserve it). He sends a guard to do it, and then, probably the creepiest part of the whole story — John’s severed head is handed directly to Herodias, the girl. Now, I realize that she asked for it (on her mother’s orders) but it’s still terrible.

It’s true that today’s Gospel lesson is all bad news. It’s a testament to the corruption of power. It’s a cautionary tale of fear. It really has no good news to share.

I mean, seriously — in what kind of sick world is John’s head actually placed in a girl’s hands?

Well… in our world.

A quick survey of our world might very well reveal a similar diagnosis of no good news. Precious and ancient art and history is being destroyed in the Middle East by ISIS. Entire species of plants and animals are being lost at alarming rates. Politicians fight dirty on and on. Men, women, and even children are shot every single day. And all of it can be traced to the same impulse that drives Herod — fear of losing power.

Well, today’s Gospel is all bad news, and today’s newspapers are all bad news. Maybe some things never change. The story of Herod’s party might still be extremely relevant… but is it helpful?

The truth is that the Gospel of Mark was never meant to be read in just short snippets. So I’m going to cheat and fill you in on what happens right after this disgusting party that is recounted in the Gospel of Mark. It’s actually another party, but a very different one.

Jesus and the disciples try to sneak off to rest a little bit from all the healing and demon-out-casting they’ve been doing. But people from all over find them anyways and gather around Jesus and the disciples with the hope that they could improve their lives. This is a very different crowd than the one that attended Herod’s party. Where Herod surrounded himself with the wealthiest and most important people in Galilee, Jesus is surrounded by the least of these. They are like sheep without a shepherd. They are hungry; they are desperate.

Instead of merely entertaining the crowd, Jesus teaches them. He shares Good News with them. And it turns into a party.

Herod’s party was all about him. He threw it so that he could gain power. The better the party, the more highly he would be regarded. Jesus’ party on the other hand was all about the people that came to it. In fact, they’re the ones that threw the party — Jesus and the disciples were just trying to catch some rest, actually. But even in the midst of a deserted place, a place with no spread, no amenities, no glamour, no honor… Jesus presides over a feast. This is a party for those whom we might be tempted to say didn’t deserve one. They probably didn’t work. Or when they did, they often relied on socially unacceptable sources of income. These are folks who had no hope of ever attending a Herod-style party. They might have been people that had been pushed out because of a mental or physical disability. They might have been people that had certain stereotypes connected to them: weird, smelly, lazy, criminal.

But Jesus has no fear of them. Jesus has no fear of feasting with them. And it’s a party where everyone has enough. No one is left out. And it’s a big party, in fact, you may have heard about it: five thousand people feasted together at this party that started with just five loaves of bread and two fish. In the middle of nowhere. In Christ, there is always enough.

---

In one way or another, all of us hold some kind of power. Obviously there are people that have much more than others. But each of us here today has power, or else you wouldn’t be here. I recognize that I have a certain amount of power — you can tell because I have this large wooden platform, and a microphone, and you are more or less expected to be quiet while I talk — although, for the record, I certainly wouldn’t mind if you spoke back a little bit. But in my role alone, I hold power. And indeed, there are an atrocious number of examples of pastors who have abused their power.

And there are many kinds of power out there. If you arrived here today strapped to a gigantic metal engine with wheels (known as a car), you have power. If you get to choose where to have lunch after worship today, you have power. If your pastor starts speaking too boldly from the pulpit and you threaten to leave the church — that’s a kind of power, too.

The Bad News of today’s Text reminds us that power can and will be abused. Unfortunately, you didn’t even need to hear the Gospel to already know that’s true. But what’s more, it reminds us that no earthly power is great enough to protect us from fear. In fact, Herod, the most powerful person in the story, also seems to be the most afraid. You and I are probably not in a position like Herod’s. But maybe we are at his party. Or at least wish we could be invited to his party…

But the Good News — and there is Good News! — is that Jesus Christ frees us from the fear that comes from fighting for power. It assures us that there is always enough in Christ. Even if we are hungry now and worried about tomorrow, Christ beckons us to share. Just when we think the bad news has won the day, just when the Herods of the world seem to have a monopoly on power — Jesus offers himself to us as bread. So much bread that we not only eat forever, but we share with the rest of the world.