July 12, 2015
Sunday

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.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” 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.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. Mark 6:22-29

“What was Herod’s fear all about? He could not have been happy with John’s judgment against his adultery. There is no evidence that Herod repented. Yet we are told that Herod knew John to be righteous and a holy man, and Herod liked to listen to him. Was he like we are sometimes, sensing a hard truth about our lives, uneasy but not ready to accept it? Why risk offending God by harming John; he could be a true prophet after all. Was that it? Or was it also fear, as the ancient historian, Josephus, claimed, that the power of John’s message might stir a rebellion.” Rev. James M. Childs, Ph.D. Mark 6:14-29: The Downfall of Giving Into Fear

I think everyone has some kind of fear — ranging from the irrational to the ridiculous to the very real. I do not like heights — it is not a true fear as much as an “uncomfortableness”. Others are plain afraid of heights. What are you afraid of? Some people will say they are not afraid of anything, but ask them to stand in front of a crowd and speak, 99% of the population will cringe if not fall away.

What was Herod afraid of? Was he afraid of John, afraid of looking weak in front of his guests, or afraid of his wife? Fear is a true human emotion. People can become so afraid in a situation that they will do things that seem out of character or even against their true nature, because they have gone into shock from the terror of the situation. You can see this in people who survive plane crashes or terrible car accidents — they can be found pacing in the middle of the road or looking for something unnecessary — all because the body and the mind have shut down from the trauma or fear.

Herod gave into his fear — and John the Baptist became a Martyr. The downfall to giving into fear is acting out or making a decision that is out of our character. Faith can help us all fight fear. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are greater than our fears — we just need to do like Jesus and pray to the Father to sustain us through the times where we are most afraid, trust Jesus to redeem us always, and know that the Holy Spirit can and will guide us through and out of any situation.

Pastor Dave