No Matter What, Christ is Yours

Introduction

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Did you ever have one of those things? Those pictures that are blurry when you hold them close to your eyes, but if you’re careful, as you pull it away, if your eyes don’t refocus, you can see a 3-D image? Sometimes, sometimes when you look close at something it’s hard to see, hard to understand what’s going on. Only when you step back, take a bigger look, do things start to make sense.

Our text today from Mark is such a picture. Mark paints his story in such away that sometimes, when you get in real close and start to examine the details, you can get confused. Only when you step back, see the big picture, can you really understand what’s going on. One caveat. That’s not to say don’t study closely, by all means study closely, examine, take notes, learn from the Holy Spirit the words of God. Nonetheless, Mark tells his story in such away that when you take that step back, when you draw the picture out a little, you can see the magic of the larger story.

Unfortunately for us, the lectionary isn’t designed to do something like that. The lectionary is designed to do a dive in, to get your nose into the book. It’s designed to keep preachers on task so over the course of 3 years, if you attended church regularly, you will make it through most of the Bible. This approach is wonderful but it doesn’t always lend to seeing the 3D image. Today is one such day. To get a better grasp of this gruesome account of the death of the Baptizer, we need to see that bigger picture.

Each gospel writer tells the story of Christ in a little different way with a little different flair. Mark likes to use sandwiches. And not fish sandwiches when Jesus feeds the five thousand. No. Mark likes to sandwich a story in between another story. Like, he tells a story and interrupts it with something else. For example, a couple weeks ago we had the account of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead and sandwiched in the middle of it we see Jesus heal the woman who had the flow of blood for 12 years. Right? Jairus comes to get Jesus to heal his baby girl, side story about the woman, Jesus raises the girl form the dead.

And this style of teaching, of storytelling taught us something. It taught us that Jesus comes to save everyone, not just the people who seem worthy.

So with our text today, we have the inner sandwich, the part that’s between one continued story. The outer part of the sandwich, the story is about the 12 disciples. You can open your bibles to take a look at this if you’d like. It’s on page _________ of the pew bibles in front of you. Jesus sends the disciples out, 2 by 2 into the world. He tells them to take nothing for their journey except literally the clothes on their back. He then gives them authority over unclean spirits, and to heal people and they do.

Then we have this story about the death of John. Then the disciples come back. Their trip was a smashing success, their exhausted, a crowd of thousands upon thousands gather, and Jesus then feeds the 5000.

Ok. So. Now that we have that background information out there what does this mean? What’s the big picture?

The key comes in first verses of our text, “ King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known."

The disciples were doing amazing things. John the baptist was doing amazing things. As was Jesus. And they attacked a lot of attention. And this attention was not always welcome, for their message, “Repent and believe the Gospel” is not a popular message. People come to see all the amazing miracles, to see the sick returned to health, to see the demons cast out, to see 5 fish and loaves become an abundance to feed thousands, but the message of Christ, will face resistance.

John the baptist was beheaded for it. Beheaded for standing up, remaining faithful to God, and calling sin a sin, saying, “repent and believe the Gospel” and he was killed for it. The disciples will face a similar fate. They will attract huge crowds. Thousands and thousands. People will line the streets to Peter’s shadow falls on them and they are healed. Yet their message, “repent and believe the Gospel, will cause them to be persecuted, tortured, executed. They will share the same fate as the baptizer. Paul was beheaded.

And Jesus? He draws the biggest crowds. Herod, the same from this text, wanted to see him and keep in in a cage to preform, like the baptizer. But Jesus refused. So he sent Jesus to Pilate to be executed. The message, “repent and believe the gospel” sends Jesus to his death. Where Christ goes to pay for the sins of the world, for your sins and my sins.

That’s the first connection. You will face persecution for your faith. Christ did, the apostles did, so will you. Standing for your faith is not an easy task, but it is the calling of those who follow Christ, like the baptizer, or the disciples, or you.

The second connection is the power of Christ, that no matter the situation, in life or in death, Jesus will not abandon you. Jesus will see you into his perfect kingdom.

Jesus sent his disciples out two by two, but they were not alone. Jesus ensured they were provided for. They didn’t need to bring anything, for God would take care of them. John was in prison, but he wasn’t alone. God was with him and taking care of him. You are not alone. No matter what your situation is, Jesus is with you and taking care of you. Jesus is preparing you for paradise and preparing paradise for you. In the same way that Jesus was with John, with his disciples to the very end, he is with you. Encouraging you, strengthening you, forgiving you, restoring you. Christ is with you in a very real way.

Finally, this text has one last message. Don’t try to save yourself, your reputation, your money, your family, or even your life by denying Christ and the Gospel. If you do, you’ll be sorry. But if you lose any or all of these things for Christ and his Gospel, then you will save your life. So take heart, no matter what you may face now or in the future. Just as Christ died but was raised, so also will you.