A sermon by the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, written for and delivered at All Saints' Episcopal Church, Tybee Island, GA, on Sunday, July 14, 2024, the 8th Sunday after Pentecost (RCL Proper 10, Year B).
Primary Bible Reading
Mark 6:14-29
14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’s name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. 22 When his daughter Herodias 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.” 23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” 25 Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 The king was deeply grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Greed, Fear, and Moral Courage
By the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, Program Manager for New Starts, ELCA
Note: I wrote this sermon before the attempted assassination of former President and current presidential candidate Donald J. Trump on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, PA. It is in no way a response to that incident. I pray for Mr. Trump's recovery, for the two people who were killed at the rally, and all of their loved ones.
Professor C. Clifton Black from Princeton Theological Seminary shared an insightful quotation from a wealthy political lobbyist, “There are only two engines that drive Washington: One is greed, and the other is fear” (Black, “Commentary on Mark 6:14-29”). Whether we are talking about the USA in 2024 or Jerusalem in the year 30, I think this maxim holds true. Politicians and others who hold powerful positions tend to be driven by greed and fear. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum today, I think it’s fair to say that greed and corruption are problems in all political systems. Weaponizing fear to rally support is a tactic used in nearly all political systems, including in the Democratic and Republican parties today. I won’t offer any examples at this time; you can probably figure them out on your own; but if you want to chat about it after worship, I’m happy to do so.
Why, you ask, is the preacher talking about greed, fear, and politics? Well, it’s because of this remarkable story from the Gospel of Mark about the death of John the Baptist. This is one of only a handful of stories in any of the four Gospels where Jesus does not appear as a character. If you’re reading through the Gospel of Mark straight through, this story interrupts the flow of the narrative. It’s a flashback to months or years before the events that surround it. (This story about John’s death is sandwiched between Jesus sending his disciples out to do ministry on their own [Mark 6:7-13] and their report back about how it went [Mark 6:30].) Here, we learn the tragic backstory of how the prophet John the Baptist, the Forerunner of the Messiah and Jesus’ cousin, was executed by his government.
But in this story, John isn't the main character either. Instead, we focus on Herod Antipas, a smarmy politician, governor (tetrarch) of Galilee and one of the sons of King Herod I who tried to kill baby Jesus by slaughtering all the baby boys in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13-18). Greed and fear are at the center of this political story. Herod Antipas was greedy for power and fearful of criticism. He made audacious, unwise oaths to his daughter because he was greedy for his guests’ admiration and respect. He agreed to behead John because of fear of how other powerful people would respond if he went back on his careless words. He wasn’t motivated by fear of God or a hunger/greed for righteousness, just fear of people and greed for power.
To me, this story is really a lesson about moral courage. Herod Antipas thought of himself as a good guy. He knew John was righteous and holy so he “protected him” (Mark 6:20) by imprisoning him but not killing him. When Herod finally agreed to behead his prisoner, Mark tells us that he “was deeply grieved” (6:26). Awww, do you think Herod deserved a cookie? A participation trophy? “Killed a man but felt sad about it.” What good did his feelings do when his actions were so selfish, brutal, and violent?
Herod was a moral coward. He was driven by his ego and his sentimentality. He failed to take responsibility for what he did. He blamed the women around him for choices that he made. He could have chosen not to make such a foolish oath to his daughter. He could have refused his daughter’s request. He could have owned up to talking a big game and suffered the embarrassment of “breaking an oath.” All of those choices would have been morally braver than what he did. Herod reminds us that it is so much harder to stand for what is right than to stoop down to one’s own greedy desires or social fears. Greed and fear can lead us to very sinister places. Throughout this story, Herod Antipas repeatedly shows us exactly what not to do in the face of a moral quandary.
On the other hand, John the Baptist showed extreme moral courage. He spoke the truth loudly and publicly. That truth (about Herod’s illegitimate, borderline incestuous marriage) put him at risk. John had a target on his back that led to Herodias resenting him and calling on her husband to kill him. Initially, Herod reluctantly arrested him, but eventually, he killed him. I bet that Herod gave John opportunities to recant what he said, to turn around the preach to his followers that he was wrong and Herod and Herodias’ marriage was actually okay. But in his godly, moral courage, John refused to lie, refused to back away from the truth, even when it cost him his life.
Without getting too deep in the weeds of another part of the Bible, we have a similar incident in our reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos (7:7-15). Amos spoke God’s truth to the king of Israel (the dynasty/house of Jeroboam), even though it endangered him. He criticized the king and prophesied that Israel would be defeated in war and taken into exile. (Unfortunately, all of that later came true.) But in the moment, the king’s messengers debated and attacked Amos. They tried to banish him from the kingdom for his “treasonous” words. But Amos did not back down from the truth.
What motivated John the Baptist and Amos to behave this way? What gave them that fierce moral courage? How can we become brave people who not only listen to God’s word, but learn to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)? I think we find some of that motivation in our reading from the Letter to the Ephesians (1:3-14). Christ Jesus has “lavished” the “riches of his grace” upon us, adopting us as beloved children, redeeming us from the forces of evil, and forgiving all our sins (Ephesians 1:5-8). We Christians are “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). We echo that same promise in the Episcopal Baptism service: the minister says to the newly baptized person, “you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own forever. Amen” (BCP, p. 308).
The Good News is that God loves us. We are covered with grace. We can rest assured in God’s love, liberation, and new life for us. We are not perfect, but we trust in God’s power to forgive and transform us. God is the plumb line, the measure of our worth. God shows us that we are more than the worst thing we have ever done, that we are created in God’s Image and Likeness (Genesis 1:27).
Like Amos, we don’t have to fear the opinions and criticisms of others. Our identity is not based on that. Like John and Jesus, we don’t even have to fear for our lives. Our identity is not based on that. We don’t have to be consumed by greed and ambition like Herod was. Our identity is not based on that. Our identity is based in God. Our identity is rooted in God’s love for us, in Christ’s redemption for us, in the Holy Spirit’s journeying with us. We trust that God’s truth, God’s welcome, and God’s love reign supreme. Nothing will ever “be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). That love is the fuel and foundation of our courage. If God is behind us, we can boldly speak to truth in the face of corruption, oppression, and even threats of violence. “I can do all things through [Jesus Christ] who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
What truth might God be revealing to you? What truth might God be revealing to All Saints’ Church? Let us pray for the courage to speak that truth. Let us pray for courage to be a community that stands up for what is right no matter the consequences. Let us pray for open hearts to receive God’s perfect love that drives out our fears (1 John 4:18). Amen.
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