|
|
 |
Mark 6:14-29
| | |
King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him." But others said, "He is Elijah." And others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised." For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias's daughter 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 to you." And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom." And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. (ESV)
|
|
|
Listen to Him
The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptizer
29 August 2013
|
|
|
Today is the day of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptizer. John is the archetypal Christian believer. He listens only to the Word of God so that He might see the incarnate Word of God. Only when God spoke identifying Jesus as His beloved Son, did John recognize and listen to Him. There is no other way to God than through this One that has come down from heaven. There is no other Christianity than the one in which Christ is center and substance of the preaching. All other teaching speaks with the voice of the Dragon, and leads not to God's mercy but His wrath.
No matter how pious such teaching may appear, no matter what earthly authority endorses it, no matter how worshipful it may seem, if such piety, authority, and worship are not from Christ Himself, they can bring only God's wrath and damnation upon us. No matter how much this false piety mews about love, love has no meaning apart from Christ who is God's love in the flesh. We must never be led astray into a love that is disconnected from Christ. For it would be nothing but the devil's love. There is no middle ground. There is only heaven and earth. What comes from heaven is God's beloved Son, who gives us God's love and makes us beloved. What comes from earth is a counterfeit and self-generated love. The Baptizer only recognized God's love in Christ, because only that love recognizes us as sons of God.
|
|
|
Martin Luther
"St. John, the evangelist, repeatedly stresses this thought from John the Baptist's sermon: that we should give ear to no other and turn to no other than [Christ]. He wishes to say: 'He is above all, for He comes from heaven and utters the Word of God and gives the Holy Spirit without measure.' Now John the Baptist adds the reason for the preceding statements. He says: 'The Father loves the Son.' This explains why He came from heaven and is above all. He is the beloved Son, and whoever has the Son also has the Father. At Christ's Baptism the Father Himself said: 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him' (Mt 3:17; Mt 17:5).
"Here we must distinguish between those who are from heaven and those who are down below on earth. For it has been decreed that all else, no matter what it is called, is under the wrath of God. No love and no mercy are to be found, nothing but wrath, if you are without this Man; for God the Father bestowed His love on none but the Son. Now He also wants to gather us under this clucking hen, lest we go astray and fall prey to the hawk; only here may we look for grace.
"People torture themselves for no reason. For no love is to be found anywhere else, only in and under the Son. Without Him there is nothing but wrath, disfavor, and displeasure. St. Paul says to the Philippians that He has called and sanctified us in His Beloved (Eph 1:6). Why does He not say: 'In the beloved Son'? He wants to convey the thought that there is no love and no friendship other than in the beloved Son; all else lies under wrath. And now when I say that He loved us in the Beloved, I think of His Son, since there is nothing but disfavor without Him.
"It is useless to say: 'I mean well; I am surely serving God; I call upon the Creator of heaven and earth.' Listen and learn that it is sheer disfavor and wrath until you take hold of Christ. God wants to assemble the Christian Church under one Head, which is Christ. Then it will also be 'beloved.' This was not recorded for the sake of the Lord Christ but for our sakes, that we might learn that God's love rests nowhere else than in this person, and that we might remain united and beware of those who seek other mediators and helpers than Christ. The devil is very diligent in trying to divert us from Christ.
"Without Him you will never penetrate to the love of God. In order to remove all your doubt you must realize that God loved Him so much that He placed everything into His hands; that is, He made Him almighty. St. Paul confirms this, saying that all the treasures of wisdom repose in Him ( Col 2:3); that is, God's highest wisdom, righteousness, and truth have been deposited in the Son, and all has been given to Him. Whoever aspires to be a Christian, dare take no other way, follow no wrong scent, or be misled by a will-o'-the-wisp. No, salvation, death, and sin are all collected on one heap and placed on this person. If you wish to have God and be saved, you must take refuge under this Head, as we read in Psalm 8: 'You have put all things under His feet' ( Ps 8:6), nothing is excepted in heaven or earth. He holds all angels, all men, leaves, fruits in His hand; He is the almighty God....Therefore since God gave Him all, He also placed Him on His throne and invested Him with His majesty."
Martin Luther,
Sermons on the Gospel of John, 3.35
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prayer
Almighty God, You gave Your servant John the Baptist to be the forerunner of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in both his preaching of repentance and his innocent death. Grant that we, who have died and risen with Christ in Holy Baptism, may daily repent of our sins, patiently suffer for the sake of the truth, and fearlessly bear witness to His victory over death; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
For Headmaster Pr. William Heine and all the faculty and staff at Memorial Lutheran School, that God our heavenly Father would keep them focused on Christ who alone gives true rest
For all deployed military personnel, that they would be faithful to their callings and kept in the care of Christ
For all those who are caught in the slavery of substance abuse, that God the Lord would use those who love them to call them out of slavery to freedom
|
|
Art: David, Gerard Triptych of Jean Trompes (1505)
|
|
 © Scott R. Murray, 2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
