The term Gospel is from the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον (Euangelion), which means the announcement of good news. All three synoptic accounts, Mark, Matthew, and Luke, use this term to, in some way, describe the life of Jesus. Every time we read the Gospel in a liturgical setting, we introduce it by saying, “The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” The good news the authors of the Gospels are alluding to, and we are pronouncing each time we read the Gospel in church, is that God’s kingdom is at hand; the kingdom has arrived in the person of Jesus Christ.
If God’s kingdom is at hand, and all of this is good news, how does the story we read today fit into God’s kingdom? Today the good news we read about was the murder of the greatest prophet, the cousin of Jesus, and the person who announced that Jesus is the Messiah. How is the murder of John the Baptist by a corrupt political puppet-like Herod good news?
A little bit about Herod. The Herodian dynasty of Kings begins with Herod the Great, who reigned as a Roman vassal king from around 42 B.C. until his death around 4 B.C. This Herod is the one that massacred the holy innocence, causing the Holy family to flee to Egypt. Herod was an intelligent military leader and cunning politician. He befriended and partnered with historical figures such as Mark Antony and The Emperor of Rome Augustus.
After the death of Herod The Great, his kingdom was divided amongst his sons, Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip. The Herod we read about today is Herod Antipas. Antipas ruled over the regions of Galilee and Perea (pe re ah). He was married to his half-brother Philip’s former wife, Herodias. John The Baptist called out this relationship as incestuous based on prohibitions in Leviticus. (Lev 18:16; 20:21)
Antipas’s proclivity for excess and hedonism is made clear when his wife’s daughter, Salome, Antipas’s niece, came into the party and danced for him. This dance was so impressive to Antipas, and as an aside, I don’t think we are talking about Swan Lake or the Nutcracker here, that he announced out loud: “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it.” And “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” Once Antipas says this, Salome runs to her mother to ask her what she should do. Herodias tells her to have Antipas behead John the Baptist. Antipas, even though he values John, not as a person or a prophet, but as an asset, he can use to show off to his friends, begrudgingly beheads John and presents his head to Salome on a platter.
If Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the Kingdom of God, how can something like this happen? All of us have, at some point, or will at some point, wonder; if God is real, why does he allow so much evil to happen to his beloved creation and his beloved people. We proclaim the kingdom in all its power, yet the corruptible nature of our world is front-page news every day. The Christian hope is that we will all be made perfect when Jesus returns in the bodily resurrection. Until then, we are called to be a people who, despite all the evil of the world, live in peace, knowing that no matter what atrocities are committed against us or against those we love, Jesus has already won the ultimate victory.
Something we all need to remember is that Jesus is not a kingmaker; he is king. All the evil perpetrated in the world is by people like Antipas and people like you and me. None of it is the will of God. The beheading of John the Baptist was not the will of God; it was the will of an angry wife and a drunken husband. One of the major questions that came up during Jesus’s ministry and continues to come up regarding the church is; why didn’t Jesus, and why doesn’t the church stop all the horrible things from happening? This misunderstanding of our faith confuses the church militant with a military church. The role of the priests and leaders of the church is to administer the sacraments, defend the orthodox faith, evangelize, and reveal the love of Jesus. All so that people will move from a life of dependence on self to a life dependent on Jesus. When we expect the church to be the world’s problem-solvers or a superhero team of Avengers for Jesus, we fail to recognize our primary responsibility. That responsibility is through the sacraments and prayer life of the body of Christ to maintain a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, for the whole world. We are to worship God not only for ourselves, but for the world.
Many people think prayer is not action. “Sure, you pray for the peace of the world, but what are you doing;” is a question your priests hear regularly. My God, as if prayer is not the MOST important thing we do. Everything we accomplish at Redeemer begins and ends with prayer.
The Good news today is that Jesus has already won, and for us, just like John the Baptist, even in death, we have victory. In Jesus, no matter the struggle, no matter the oppression, no matter the horrible death we may die, our life of eternal peace and joy is secured. This is a matter of faith, and if eternal life with Our Lord is not enough for all of us, no matter our circumstance, then our focus has become too worldly.
The Christian life changed the world, not only and not primarily through the political activism of the church, but predominantly through the witness of Christians who went through Hell on Earth, knowing that heaven awaited. When we allow our ultimate destination to guide the peace for which we live, we become contagious witnesses to the Love of Jesus. As Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, Jesus’s will is that all things should be united to him, all things in heaven and on earth. If you need peace, if you cannot handle the state of the world we live in, check your prayer life. Where we lack peace, we so often lack communication with Our Lord. The good news is, prayer is our most powerful ally, our most powerful tool, to change the world. Unfortunately, it’s also all too often ridiculed by folks who don’t understand it, and the last tool utilized by so many of us. Again, as Paul says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Sermon preached by the Fr. Chris Wood
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota, Florida
The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 11, 2021