Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Mark 6

Mark 6
January 14, 2013

What stuck out for me in this chapter?

Once again there’s so much in this chapter of Mark’s Gospel, but where my mind landed was on the account of Herod and John the Baptist. I find it interesting that Herod was both infuriated yet intrigued by Jesus’ cousin. John pointed out the immoral nature by which Herod ended up in the arms of his brother’s wife, and yet Herod pro...tected John. He really didn’t know what to do with him. In those days (and in our days) those who speak out against such tyrannical rulers usually cut down on their life expectancy, but Herod was hesitant to give the order. Why?

It seems that deep down in that darkened soul of his, he sensed that John was indeed a man of God. Even though he dared speak out against immorality of his relationship to Herodias, the king believed John to be a righteous man. Mark adds that John’s words puzzled him, but he liked to listen to him – and hence his refusal to remove him from the land of the living.

But his wife, Herodias, had no such hesitation. She’s holding a grudge (no comment from this guy about the ability of women to hold grudges) and seeks an opportunity to act upon it. She seen that opportunity when Herod throws a party with all his drinking buddies. Herodias young and beautiful daughter becomes the entertainment, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that her dancing was not of the square kind, but more of a sensual nature. That combination of being in a happy state of being (read aroused here), among a bunch of “happy” guys, who have all had far too much to drink, leads to a promise he will soon regret he made. Herod tells his step-daughter: “I’ll give you whatever you want. Just ask.” And with those words, Herod unbeknownst to him, has just written the execution order of the one called John the Baptizer.

What’s my take away? I wish that was the only time in history that a guy gets led astray under the influence of alcohol and his runaway hormones. But I know better. It’s a story written and rewritten millions of times over. If I am going to be a man of God, I need to be filled with the Spirit (which is what Paul will say in the letter to the Ephesians) instead of being drunk on wine. In a culture so sexually charged, it calls me to ask God to guard my heart and mind and not to be led down a path that will only get me into trouble. Now firmly planted in my middle ages, I don’t want to become yet another mid-life crisis stereotype. I want to be a man who continues to write a love story with my wife, and lives a God seeking kind of life.

What do you think?

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