Should We Expect to Suffer as Christians?

Introduction

Ever since we started this preaching series through the gospel of Mark, last fall, we’ve been closely following a number of key events of Jesus’s life. Just about everything has been focused on him. And it makes sense why. (This is what we’d expect). As we’ve seen, this book is intended to convince of the fact that Jesus is the promised rescuer and representative of God’s people, and that he’s the divine Son of God. But in our text today, what might seem strange is that the focus isn’t really so much on Jesus. But instead, the events primarily deal with a man named John – often called John the Baptist, or John the Baptizer.

And this actually isn’t the first time we’ve seen this. You might remember, back in Mark Chapter 1, we were introduced to John. And Mark explained that he came as a forerunner to Jesus, to prepare the way for him. John was calling people to turn to the Lord, and he was announcing that someone would come after him who was greater, who should be respected and received. But then John was arrested, and for several chapters he’s disappeared from the story somewhat. But in in our text this morning, Mark returns to John the Baptist, very intentionally. And he shows us how John’s life and ministry end – how John is rejected and put to death.

A couple weeks ago, we began to see that this section in Mark deals with rejection. We parsed out how Jesus was rejected by people in his hometown. And last week, we saw how Jesus sent out his disciples with the expectation of possible rejection, as well. But here, in our text, we see rejection played out at a whole different level – and we’re forced to  grapple with the implications it has for you and I today. So if you haven’t done so already, please turn with me to Mark Chapter 6. (If you’re using one of our church Bibles, you can find our text on page 790. I’ll read verses 14 through 29. But before I do, please pray with me:

[Pray and Read Text]

Notice a Pattern?

At our house we have variety of different types of building blocks. Some magnetic blocks – magna-tiles – other basic wooden blocks. And they’re nice activities for kids and parents to do together, even when kids are pretty young. Of course, there’s a pattern I’ve noticed, though. Usually when my kids are about 18 months old – they haven’t been interested in seeing what they can build, or admiring whatever Daddy builds out of blocks. But instead, when they see that I have blocks stacked on top of each other, they simply want to knock it down. The response is very consistent. It doesn’t matter if it’s just an ugly little pile of three blocks, or if it’s an attractively crafted magnetic block castle with a vaulted cathedral ceiling. If it’s a tower of blocks, my toddler’s going to respond to it the same way, and knock it down. There’s a pattern.

And history shows us that there’s another pattern, that’s similarly consistent, in the way that the unbelieving world has reacted to God’s servants. There’s been a pattern of rejection. Many of the prophets God sent in Old Testament times ended up being knocked down by the nation of Israel. And here, in our text, John the Baptist is treated the same way. There’s a pattern here – and John isn’t going to be the last person who’s rejected and abused like this.

From our first impression of this story, it might seem like Mark is getting off topic, by side-stepping away from Jesus to this little episode about John the Baptist being killed. But it’s not off topic at all. Because Mark has already told us that John came to prepare the way for Jesus. Back in Chapter 1, we were told how John’s life and ministry prepared the way for Jesus. But now here in Chapter 6, we’re supposed to see that John’s rejection and death also prepares the way for Jesus. And the events here are also intended to shape our expectations, for what it might cost to be a follower of Christ.

There are three important expectations, in particular, that this text gives attention to – three expectations we should have, as Christians, so that we’re prepared to stand firm and suffer well in whatever hard days we might have to face. And here they are: first, expect persecution of God’s servants. Second, expect rejection to take different forms. And then third, expect vindication from God. These will be my three main points as we go through the text. [Expect persecution of God’s servants. Expect rejection to take different forms. And expect vindication from God.

Expect Persecution of God’s Servants

So first, from the events here in our text, we should expect persecution of God’s servants.

The very first thing we see in our text is that a man named Herod hears of what Jesus is doing. It’s not exactly clear if he’s been hearing about Jesus himself, or if he’s learned about Jesus because of the disciples who have been sent out two by two. But in any case, this man – Herod – hears about Jesus “because Jesus’ name had become known.”

Not much is said about Herod’s background, here – Herod Antipas. And that’s because for many people in Mark’s audience, an introduction would have been unnecessary. Herod was a powerful political figure in those days. The Roman emperor had appointed Herod Antipas to be kind of a local king or governor over the region of Galilee. And that region, Galilee, is where Jesus had been doing most of his teaching and traveling up to this point. So it makes sense that Herod was beginning to hear of him.

And yet even though Herod Antipas, here, was a part of the Roman government, he wasn’t ethnically or religiously Roman. Instead he was descended from one of Abraham’s grandsons – he was descended from Esau. And he actually professed the Jewish faith. He claimed to be a follower of the God of Israel.

Now, as the word about Jesus is getting out around the whole region of Galilee, people are spreading different rumors to explain who Jesus is, and where he’s come from. In the second half of verse 14, some people are saying that Jesus is able to do what he’s doing because he’s John the Baptist, who’s been raised from the dead. In the next verse, other people are saying that Elijah from the Old Testament has come back to Israel – that that’s who Jesus is. Others are claiming that Jesus is just a new prophet, who’s similar to the prophets who were sent long ago. But as Herod considers all these possibilities, he apparently determines that one of these options seems more likely than the others. In verse 16, he decides, “John, whom I have beheaded, has been raised.”

And from here, our text pivots. And there’s a brief flashback to explain what had recently happened to John the Baptist. We’re told about the events leading to John’s arrest, his imprisonment, and ultimately his execution. And the reason why these things happened is because of something John had been confronting Herod about.

Notice, verse 18: “For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’” So a bit of context here – Herod himself had been previously married. And Herodias had been, too. She had been married to Herod’s brother, Philip. But at some point, Herod and Herodias met, they started an affair, and they eventually divorced their former spouses in order to marry each other. Of course, the reason why this is especially grievous is because Herod and Herodias both claimed to be adherents to Judaism – they claimed to be followers of God. And so on account of this – since Herod has brazenly, unrepentantly violated God’s Word like this, John confronts Herod as a fellow Jew, to call him back to the faith.

And John does this by trying to remind Herod of the terms of God’s covenant – by reminding him of the law. Hundreds of years earlier, God sent prophets in the Old Testament to do the same thing. When the Jews turned away from God, these prophets would come and warn the people that they were violating the covenant and putting themselves in spiritual danger if they didn’t repent. And, here, John proves himself to be a faithful prophet just like this. He does the same sort of thing by explaining to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” You can just hear John insisting, here – Herod, you’re doing violence against your relationship with God. You’re violating His Word, to your own spiritual harm. Turn from your immorality. Align yourself with the Lord and his goodness. John speaks like the faithful prophets did.

But just as faithful prophets were often rejected in the Old Testament, John is rejected here. Even before we hear about the details, we learn what happened to John in verse 16. He ends up beheaded – killed.

And Mark draws our attention again to John, to Jesus’s forerunner, because we’re supposed to see here that John’s death foreshadows and prefigures what’ll soon happen to Jesus. Jesus is going to be put to death, too. He’ll be violently rejected and crucified – not because he failed somehow, or because he was a fraud. But he’ll persecuted because of his faithful witness. And for people who faithfully follow Jesus, we shouldn’t assume that the world will treat us any better.

Of course, I want to be clear here – I’m not claiming that every non-Christian is violently opposed to the Christian faith. In fact, you have to remember from last week – when Jesus sent out his disciples for a short-term mission, he didn’t just prepare them for being rejected. He also prepared them for being received. Jesus has many people out there – if you invite them to read the Bible, if you invite them to Church with you – they’ll say yes! They’ll be eager to hear about Jesus’s rescue plan, how he came to save us from corruption and death – how he makes us right with God, for free – we just need to receive his gift of salvation, by trusting in Jesus. The Mid-Michigan region around us is still full of opportunities for this. So it’s not right to assume that every conversation about Jesus will be resisted and retaliated against. God’s still in business, overcoming unbelief and saving people.

And yet we can’t assume that people will treat us better than they treated John, or Jesus, or Jesus’s disciples. If these godly men of the past were assaulted and opposed for their faithful witness, Christians today need to understand – it may just be a matter of time. At some point soon, the same kinds of persecution might come against us. It’s something we need to be ready for.

Because this may not even be as far out as we think. We live in a strange time. Society can be changed and manipulated very quickly. Social media and social outrage are unpredictable. A lot just depends on what the news headlines are, and who gets to write them. In many parts of America today, Christianity is still respected. But that may not last. At some point people may start riots against Christians and burn down churches left and right. And as Mark is writing, here – he’s already forcing people to wrestle with the question – if standing with God costs you your head, will you still be onboard?

It’s a tough question to wrestle with – but it’s an important one. Just think about your relationship with Christ right now. In your daily life, are you committed to Jesus in the small things? Is it worth it to you, to set aside quiet time to be with him every day, to read the Bible and pray? Because if that little commitment isn’t worth it, you probably won’t be ready to lay down your life for Jesus. If getting out of bed on Sunday morning for worship seems like too much – if honoring God with your money seems too costly – if serving others, and obeying God’s word seems too hard – then how will you stand firm when following Jesus reduces you to poverty, pain, and persecution? If you aren’t faithfully committed to Jesus in the small things now, you can’t expect to stand firm in the big trials later.

If you hold to a flimsy Christianity – if you only associate with Jesus when it’s convenient, or when it’s entertaining, you probably won’t ever encounter persecution like John did. But that’s because you won’t hold to your guns long enough to get there. It isn’t the flimsy, superficial people who will be persecuted – but it’s the faithful servants of God. We should expect that it will happen. Even right now, in many parts of the world, it is happening. We have brothers and sisters in China, India, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, Sudan, Nigeria – around the whole world – we have fellow believers who, in the face of death, are committed to meeting for worship, who are committed to prayer and the Word, who are committed to supporting missions work and their brothers and sisters in prison. And this is a lesson as Americans we need to learn. We need to be ready to suffer. We need to expect that faithful servants will be persecuted, and be prepared to face it with peace and hope.

Expect Rejection to Take Different Forms

But as we continue to work through our text, Mark also helps us to see that we should expect rejection to take different forms. This is my second main point this morning.

Even though both Herod and Herodias end up rejecting John, Mark helps us to see that their attitude of rejection toward John looks different. Very different, actually.

For Herodias, it turns out she was intensely hostile against John. She was offended that he would be so judgmental against her and Herod. And so in verse 19, because of this, we’re told that “Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death.” And that intense feeling of animosity doesn’t go away. In verses 21 through 28, we see that an opportunity comes up for Herodias to get her revenge. Herod has a big birthday party, and so there’s a lot of eating and drinking, and Herod asks Herodias’s daughter (from her first marriage) to come in and dance for the crowd. She comes and dances – and it’s so pleasing to Herod and his guests, that he pledges to give some sort of magnificent present to Herodias’s daughter – she just needs to ask for whatever she wants. And so this girl goes and asks her mother for an idea. And of course, Herodias uses this opportunity to ask for the death of John the Baptist. Daughter and mother could have asked for plenty of other things. They could have gotten jewels. They could have asked for perfumes or new changes of clothes. But the  intensity of Herodias’s hatred was so fixated against John, nothing else was pleasurable to her, until she could wipe John the Baptist off the face of the earth.

This is one form that rejection can take – grudges, hatred, hostility. And there can be different degrees of it. Although Herodias’s hatred was especially intense, there can be lesser degrees of hate and bitterness against God’s servants, too.

But Mark also shows us that rejection can take another form. We see this in Herod. Interestingly, Herod doesn’t seem offended like Herodias was. Even though Herodias wanted John put to death, Herod didn’t. Verse 20 says that this is because “… Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe.” The use of the word fear here doesn’t mean that Herod was afraid of John, but it means that Herod had a rather high regard for John’s authority. Herod had some level of awareness that John was legitimately a man of God.

And so instead of banishing John from his presence, and plugging his ears to what John had to say, Herod actually wanted to listen. You’ll see that in second half of verse 20: “When [Herod] heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.” Herod was a bit bothered by John’s words – there was maybe some guilt and conviction he felt when John spoke – and yet he found John’s words to be so truthful and so insightful, or something, that Herod was actually eager to hear John speak.

From a human vantage point, as John was being brought to Herod to speak to him – it probably would have looked like Herod was actually listening, that he was responding well. Some of the men who had been following John the Baptist – some of his disciples – would have maybe wondered if Herod would release John from prison at some point.

But in a short span of time, the real condition of Herod’s heart is exposed. Because when he’s at his birthday party, surrounded by nobles and guests – and when his step-daughter asks for John the Baptist’s head on a platter, verse 26 says that Herod was “exceedingly sorry,” but that because of oaths, and because of his guests, he orders the executioner to put John to death.

When Mark tells us that Herod was exceedingly sorry – it might sound like Mark is trying to convince us that Herod was actually a halfway decent guy. And that he was just put in a tough situation, and he was just doing the best he could. But that’s not the right way to read this. Because Herod was the man in authority. Nobody in that room was forcing him to do what he did. And even though he knew the right thing to do – even though he was exceedingly sorry to be killing this righteous and holy man from God – he went ahead and did it anyway!

And this form of rejection is actually worse in some ways than the first! To kill someone you hate – that almost makes sense, even though it’s still wrong. But to kill someone you respect? To give in to the mob mentality, and to kill someone who you know is a godly person, just to preserve your own reputation – that’s a different level of twisted and wicked.

And so I’m not exactly sure what you’d call this form of rejection. Disloyalty, maybe? Herod had an extreme version of this. But God’s servants are still rejected like this today. You might even know people like this. They might highly respect Christians like you, for having a close relationship with God. And when you speak about the Bible, they might even hear you gladly. And yet they don’t take any steps forward on their own – to turn from their sin – to trust in Christ – to take up their cross and follow Jesus with you. For as long as someone isn’t receiving Jesus, it necessarily means that they’re rejecting him. There’s no middle ground. There’s no way that someone can be half-rejecting, and half-receiving. Either you’re in with Jesus, or you’re out. Either you’re being renewed by Jesus, or you’re refusing him.

And as we consider these two forms of rejection that show up in our text – it’s worth checking ourselves to see – am I in either of these categories? Do I have bitterness in my heart against God’s people? And is it preventing me from loving and serving Christians and being committed to them like I should? Or if that’s not you, you can ask, “Am I really loyal to the Lord Jesus and his Word? Or am I more concerned about what people will think of me, or about living for earthly pleasure and self-advancement?”

Expect Vindication from God

But as we read this account, there’s one more thing that Mark wants us to expect, as Christians. He wants us to expect vindication from God. This is my third and final point.

In case you’re not really sure what vindication means – it’s when proof is given that someone is in the right. So for example, let’s saying that you’re trying to convince someone that you’re a good basketball player, but that other person says that you’re worthless as a shooter, and you can’t even run straight. Well, after that, if you were to dribble circles around that person, and then you leaped from the free throw line to slam dunk the ball over them – you’d have some vindication. You’d be proving to that person that you were in the right.

Well, here in our text, Mark drops a hint that there’s a way that God’s suffering servants will be vindicated, too. There will be powerful, public evidence that God’s servants were in the right. So if you’ve been rather depressed during this sermon so far, with all this talk about rejection and persecution – don’t worry – because that’s not where we’re going to end up. Mark is preparing his readers, not only for the suffering and death of Jesus – but he’s also preparing us for the promise and richness of resurrection.

Because look back again to verse 16. Remember, the word has been getting out about Jesus, and there are rumors that he’s Elijah or that he’s like a prophet from long ago. But what some people say – and what Herod himself decides – is that Jesus must be John the Baptist raised from the dead – that that explains Jesus’s miraculous power. Of course, that’s not who Jesus is. And when Herod talks about John being raised from death – it’s probably not motivated by rigorous theological convictions, but it was probably motivated, at least partially, from superstition and a guilty conscience.

But Mark includes this seemingly unnecessary detail – he includes this comment that Herod makes about resurrection – because when we’re pushed away and persecuted and experiencing pain of any kind, Mark wants us to set our minds on God’s power to raise the dead.

You may remember, just a few weeks ago, Jesus was called out to heal a girl who was on her deathbed. And before he could arrive, she died. But Jesus raised her from death. Mark has already been giving us evidence of Christ’s power over death. And here, again – in the context of beheadings and brutal imprisonments – Mark wants to make sure that Jesus’s followers don’t forget that freedom from pain, and fullness of eternal life are just around the corner for them. Jesus purchased this hope when he sacrificed himself for us on the cross. And he proved that this expectation is certain when he himself overpowered death and rose from the grave.

The path of a Bible-believing Christian through this world may come with unique attacks and afflictions. You may be despised. You may be looked down on. You might be mocked, or criticized. It’s even possible that some of that hurtful, hostile treatment will come from people who claim to be Christians – who claim to believe in God. And yet no matter how dark and awful life may feel for a faithful servant of God – the one who trusts in Jesus won’t be disappointed or embarrassed by the way things turn out.

When King Jesus appears, it’ll be immediately obvious to you that every millisecond of pain and persecution you endured was worth it. Christ will raise his servants into imperishable beauty and glory and happiness, while he raises his enemies to everlasting punishment and sorrow. Those who are saved by Jesus – who stand with Jesus – they’ll be vindicated. Because we serve a God who raises the dead. We have a God who has a great crown waiting for us at end of our earthly journey. And a day is coming when God will not only raise his people from death, but there’s even a mysterious way where the groaning world around us will be resurrected and remade. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. And death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore. For the former things will pass away.

Mark wants us to consider – even Herod – this evil unbelieving man who murders God’s servants – even he knows something of God’s power to raise the dead. So how much more should we? Shouldn’t we be even more confident of the life to come? Shouldn’t we be reminding each other of it, longing for it, and living in light of it?

Though Christians should expect to encounter opposition at some point – and though we should expect rejection to take different forms – we shouldn’t forget what God has waiting for us. Expect vindication. Expect resurrection. Don’t be disturbed if your life right now is hard, with various types of trials and heartaches. But find rest for your soul, by considering the promises and power of God. And be encouraged to keep walking in faith – to keep standing with Jesus. He won’t let you be put to shame. Let’s close in prayer: