On Beheadings and Birthday Parties

A sermon on Herod, John the Baptist, and the shit we just don't need.

I preached last night at House for All Sinners & Saints for the first time since my departure 3 years ago.

(It is every founding pastor’s dream to be asked to come back and preach, and for the assigned text to be the beheading of John the Baptist.)

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I can only remember a few things that ever happened on my birthday

Like, I know that on my 20th birthday I illegally flew to Cuba with a bunch of leftists.

And that on my 40th birthday I rented out a skating rink and had a roller disco party.

And how 2 years later my Birthday fell on Good Friday and I joked all day about how no one really cares it’s your birthday when Jesus is dead.

I remember that on 2 birthdays in a row I got parking tickets.

But not one time on any of my birthdays did I have a prophet beheaded because I made some dumbass promise to a little girl.

Not once.

So if you’re keeping score, I might be self-involved, but at least I’m offically better than Herod.  This is a great comfort.

Here’s that story of Herod’s birthday and the beheading of John the Baptist (from Mark 6):

Herod is the ruler of the region, and while vacationing in Rome he schtoops his brother’s wife Heroditas and ends up just liking her better than the wife he had, so he gets a divorce and marries his brother’s wife.  

John the Baptist, then suggests that- you know - maybe that’s not so cool and also not so legal.  Saying this got John on the bad side of Herod’s ex sister in law/new wife. She did not like what John was laying down. Like Real Housewives of Galilee level didn't like him. 

So Herod, knowing John is a holy man and a prophet basically put John the Baptist in protective custody so Heroditas wouldn’t have the guy killed.

OK, so then Herod throws himself a big fancy birthday party, and his daughter in law Salome dances for him and all the other half-drunk generals and ceos and celebrities who were there.  We don’t know the exact nature of her dance but we do know that it “pleased” Herod and his guests enough that he offered to give her anything she wanted up to half his kingdom.  So, you know, as I like to say, I don’t think it was the Chicken dance. 

So, trying to figure out the best way to fill in the blank check Herod just gave her, Salome runs to her mom Heroditas and says “what should I ask for?” and did her mom say, “definitely a Ferrari”? No -  her mom says “definitely the head of John the Baptist”. 

And the text tells us that Herod found this disturbing.  Herod clearly didn’t want to do it, but he went through with it anyway -  why? 

It says “out of regard for his oath and his guests” he had john beheaded.

There is much to be disturbed by in this story. Wife swapping, the exploitation of a young girl, murderous resentment, beheading, abuses of power etc. But what really struck me this week were these 4 words: “out of regard for”

Because normally having regard for your oaths or for the guests in your home would be seen as a virtue. And yet here, it is a Godless disaster.  Herod KNEW better and yet he was so trapped in having to protect what other people thought of him, that “out of regard for” his reputation he had to go so far as to have a holy man killed during his own birthday party. 

It made me reflect on what I may claim to have regard for which on the surface, looks like a virtue but is really just camouflage for self-interest or insecurity.

I’ll tell you why this is what stood out for me.

Because it is in no way a mistake that the story of the beheading of John The Baptist comes right after the story of Jesus sending his disciples out in his name to heal the sick and cast out demons. Because if you remember, Jesus made a really big deal about not taking any of the trappings of their old selves when they went – no Visa Gold cards or iphones or proof of their advance degrees. 

Jesus told his followers to leave behind all the things the regarded as so important; all the vain things that charmed them most. Why? Jesus knew they didn't really need any of that.

Just to be clear, Jesus doesn't tell us to leave that stuff behind because he wants to test us to see if we love him enough to suffer. He tells us to leave that stuff behind because we don’t really need it.

There is so much we don't really need.

Like, all the poison we put our trust in as if it’s medicine.

You don’t need it.

And all that stuff you get defensive about. You can stop. None of it matters in any spiritually significant way.

You don’t really need the approval of your family. 

You don’t need that upgrade you think will make you happy.

Your feelings of superiority over others - you don't need it

Your victim story you tell and re-tell – you don't need it.

You don’t need to lose the 10 lbs you gained during COVID.

You don't need any of it. 

Not one thing that you regard more highly than it deserves.

I wish someone had told Herod this.

He didn't need his brother’s wife.  He didn't need to buy his friends.  He didn't need to have the prophet killed who he actually liked just to protect his damned pride.

Jesus talked about this kind of stuff all the time (but it’s so easy to miss):  

you must lose your life to find it

differentiate from your father and mother and brothers and sisters

unless a grain falls to the ground it will remain just a single grain

don’t take 2 cloaks with you

How many ways was he telling us that we already have everything we need?

Before Mark tells us about Herod killing John out of regard for his reputation, he tells us how Jesus reminds his followers that if people reject them, to just shake the dust from their feet – because they don’t need the approval of people who don't value love and mercy and forgiveness and liberation. 

Which means they can either have authority over unclean spirits or they can be people pleasers.  They can either be healers or they can be concerned about what people think of them.

I know that losing face can hurt,

it just can’t hurt what matters.

Because out of a sacred regard for you – God has placed within you that which cannot be harmed, cannot be rejected, cannot be demoted. And as citizens of the Kingdom of God, as those who are also send by Jesus as healers – sent by the Holy One of God to cast out the demons of oppression and exploitation and loneliness - in the end there really is nothing for us to protect or defend.  There is no ranking system to maintain, there’s no outside approval to clamor for.

And there’s another term for that you know – it’s called freedom. As Paul writes, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. 

So, my dear Christian people, you need not ever settle for less thinking it is more. Amen.

Here’s a FB video of the service (sermon starts at minute 35 or so)

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