The Price of Truth

 A lady went to her butcher to buy a chicken. He put one on the scale for her. But she said, "That's a little small. Do you have another?" He went back to the cooler. But that was the only one. He didn't want to lose the sale, so, he took it back, put it on the scale, & pressed on it with his thumb. She saw the "new" weight & said, "That's great. I'll take them both." There's a price for failing to tell the truth. But as we'll see, there can also be a price for telling the truth. Just before our verses, the 12 disciples went on their 1st mission trip. Jesus sent them everywhere in Galilee He intended to go. Mk 6:12-13 summarizes. 12bThey preached that people should repent. 13They drove out many demons & healed many sick people. Mk 6:14-29 picks up the story. 14aKing Herod heard about it. 1st, Jesus' miraculous healings. And now, His disciples! 14bJesus' name is well known. But who is He? What's the source of His miraculous powers? 14cSome were saying, "John the Baptist was raised from the dead. John's miraculous powers are at work in him." Though John hadn't done miracles, people knew he was a powerful prophet. Could his spirit be the power behind Jesus' miracles? 15aOthers said, "He's Elijah." Ever since rumors about the Messiah's birth started 30 years ago, they've been expecting Elijah. 15bStill others claimed, "He's a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago." Those prophets did miracles. Maybe Jesus is like them. 16aWhen Herod heard all those theories, his conscience began to stir. Superstition fueled his guilt & imagination. He concluded, 16b"John, the man I (in Greek; I alone) beheaded, has been raised from the dead!" 17aHerod had ordered John to be arrested, bound, & put in prison. Why? 17bHerodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he'd married. She was the daughter of Herod's half-brother, Aristobulus. Marrying a niece was incestuous. But it wasn't forbidden. Herod met her in Rome when she was wife to Herod Philip, another half-brother. Herodias is Herod's niece & his sister-in-law! And Herod Philip is still living. Jewish law says marrying his brother's wife is forbidden. But when Herod saw her, he had to have her. Rarely did he deny himself. Why'd Herod arrest John? In Mt 3:7, John had called the Pharisees & Sadducees a brood of vipers. That got Herod's attention. Herod admired John's boldness. But he feared John's influence. The bolder John got, the more afraid Herod got. Josephus says Herod feared that John's influence would lead to rebellion. And when Herod was afraid, heads usually rolled. Still, he respected John. So, he had John arrested & tossed into the dungeon at his desert fortress-palace of Machaerus. Herod 20bknew John to be righteous & holy. That fascinated him. So, Herod visited John often when he was at Machaerus.20cWhenever Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled. John told the truth straight up. Yet Herod liked to listen to him. What pleasure could there be for Herod in listening to John's straight-talk? Why would bologna like a meat grinder? Herod is a moth to John's flame. The 2 couldn't be more different. John is austere & simple. Herod is flamboyant & ornate. John is righteous. Herod indulges every sensual, decadent pleasure. John has great moral courage. Herod is spineless & lives in shades of gray. 18John kept saying to Herod, "It isn't lawful for you to have your brother's wife." But Herod does whatever feels good. He doesn't care what anyone thinks. Not so his wife. 19Herodias nursed a grudge against John & wanted to kill him. But she couldn't. Herod wouldn't let her. 20aHerod feared John & protected him. Herodias bided her time. 21Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials & military commanders & the leading men of Galilee. Herodias knew what to expect. A stag birthday party. Drinking. The later it gets, the more they'll drink. The more they drink, the more "male entertainment they want. What is it? Dancers (strip tease). Hetarai, the pro court dancers & prostitutes, are the usual dancers. Instead, 22aHerodias sent her daughter (Salome) to dance for them. To involve a daughter is wrong! It's also outrageous! Women of rank don't do that! (Remember Vashti in Esther, who refused to "display her beauty" at Xerxes' stag party?) But Salome is as bad as her mom. 22bShe pleased Herod & his dinner guests. A lot! 22cThe tipsy king said to Salome, "Ask me for anything you want. I'll give it to you." A blank check! 23And he promised her with an oath, "Whatever you ask I'll give you, up to half my kingdom." With this rash public vow, Herod falls into Herodias' trap. 24aSalome went to her mother. "What shall I ask for?" Herodias seizes her chance. 24b"The head of John the Baptist." 25 Salome hurried back to Herod. "Give me John the Baptist's head on a platter. Now." 26aHerod was greatly distressed. So far, he's protected John. 26bBut because of his oaths & his dinner guests, he didn't want to refuse Salome. If he refuses, he'll lose face. Herod sees no choice. His self-interest wins over what's right, every time. 27aAt once he sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. 27bThe man 28brought John's head back on a platter. 27cHerod presented it to Salome. And she gave it to her mother. Revenge, complete. 29When John's disciples heard, they came & took his body & laid it in a tomb. What's our lesson in this gruesome story? 1st, look where Mark positions it. It's just after Jesus sent the 12 disciples on their 1st mission. It's a sober reminder of discipleship's cost. Jesus, & the KoG are the pearl of great price. John was killed for His faithfulness-for telling the truth. Jesus too will be killed. All who are faithful & carry the gospel message will pay a cost. And that cost may include giving one's life for Jesus. But don't forget: the rewards are out of this world. All through his gospel, Mark shows us the confrontation between Light & dark. Those who bear the good news need to know it won't be easy to be a truth-teller. There's a price for telling people they need to repent & ask God for forgiveness. We don't want to hear that. But that's what it means to proclaim God's reign. It won't always be easy or safe to speak the truth. Old Bob went drinking. All night. When the bartender announced closing time, Old Bob stood up to leave. He promptly fell flat on his face. He tried again. Same result. So, he decided to crawl outside for fresh air. Once outside, he stood up. Again, flat on his face. So, he decided to crawl the 4 blocks home. At his front door, he stood up again. Again, flat on his face. He crawled all the way to his bedroom. There, he managed pull himself up & fall into bed. He was sound asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The next morning, he woke up with his wife standing over him, shouting. "You've been out drinking again!" He tried to look innocent. "What makes you say that?" "The pub called. You left your wheelchair there. Again!" Old Bob didn't feel safe telling the truth, either. He tried to rationalize & cover-up his sin. When we try to do that, we make as much sense as Old Bob. There's a price when we confess & repent. That's also the price of truth. (Jesus paid that one for us.) There's also a price for telling someone to repent when they don't want to hear it. The price may even make us a martyr, the ultimate price. But there's also a price for not telling the truth. In Acts 12:19-22, Herod made the down payment on his price for failing to tell the truth. He didn't give God the glory when people praised Him. 22"This is the voice of a god, not a man!" Immediately, an angel struck him down. That's the down payment. Full payment takes eternity. Here's our lesson. The price of truth can be steep: the cost of our lives. But the reward? It's eternal. The price of failure to tell the truth may seem small. Avoiding consequences. Not having to deal with sin. A live of ease instead of a struggle to tell the gospel to a world that doesn't want to hear it. But the true cost of failure to tell the truth? It too is eternal. Jesus commissioned us to be truth tellers. Where? Mt 28:18-20. We have a mission. We have His Spirit to empower us. What will we choose? It matters! The Price of Truth - Mark 6:14-29 Page 1 of 1