“MISTAKEN IDENTITY!”

Mark 6:12-30

INTRODUCTION:

            The scene is a 4 engine jet liner.  The pilot’s voice comes on the intercom: “Those of you on the left side of the plane have probably noticed that one of our engines has failed.  Please do not be alarmed.  We can still fly on 3 engines, but we will probably arrive about 15 minutes late.” 

            A few minutes later, the pilot’s calm voice came on again: “Those of you on the right side of the plane are probably aware that a 2^nd engine has failed.  Please do not be alarmed.  We can make it on 2 engines, though we will probably be at least 30 minutes late now.”

            A few minutes later the pilot spoke to the passengers again: “It has just come to my attention that a 3^rd engine has failed.  Please do not be alarmed.  We can make it to the airport on only 1 engine.  However, we will arrive approximately 1 hour late.” 

            One passenger turned to another and said, “Boy, I hope the 4^th engine doesn’t fail.  We could be up here all night!”

            Well, that certainly is a story with a mistaken assumption, isn’t it?  The man in the airplane and Herod in our passage, today, were thinking pretty much on the same wave length.  Both, had mistaken assumptions.

COMPLICATION—Many people fail to recognize Jesus as the resurrected Christ:

            In our passage, today, Herod along with others, were scratching their heads.  Jesus had been out doing miraculous things.  He was starting to get a reputation.  Now, he had sent his students out for some OJT.  And, they too had some success in preaching and driving out demons and healing sick people. 

            Herod, who wasn’t really a king but a Roman puppet in the territory of Galilee and Borea, heard about these miraculous things.  “Who is this Jesus?” he asked.  Actually this had become a fairly common question in Mark’s Gospel.   Even Jesus’ disciples questioned his identity in Chapter 4 after he had calmed the raging storm.  According to V.41, “they were terrified and asked each other, ‘who is this?  Even the wind and the waves obey him.’”

            And, when Jesus was preaching in his hometown of Nazareth, they questioned who Jesus was: “Isn’t this the carpenter?  Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?  Aren’t his sisters here with us?  And they took offense at him.’”

And later in Chapter 8, Jesus asked his disciples “Who do people say I am?”  They replied the same as Herod and the folks in our story, today: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”  And Jesus pressed them, “But, what about you? Who do you say I am?”  Unlike Herod and the others, Peter got it right: “You are the Christ,” he said.               He was not John the Baptist; he was not Elijah or one of the prophets from old; he was the Christ—the Messiah who had come to save the world.

            Don’t many people have the same mistaken identity, today?  Many are still getting it wrong.  The Church is 2,000 years old and people are still denying he is the Christ—the Messiah—Lord and Savior.  They are thinking like the man on the airplane.  If the last engine on the plane goes out, somehow, miraculously, the plane will fly forever.  If they die, somehow, miraculously, they will just go to heaven.  They don’t realize the plane will crash.  And, they don’t realize they will crash in Hell if they deny who Christ is. 

            Jesus is not a fictional character—a story book character just written about in the Bible.  Jesus is not, as some believe, just a philosopher who had a good message.  Jesus is the Christ, God in the flesh, who lived, died, and was raised from the dead to save the world. 

RESOLUTION—We must submit totally to Jesus as the resurrected Christ:

            Is there anyone here this morning who really thinks this is a passage about John the Baptist or about cruel, confused kings?  It is not!  This is a passage about HOPE!  This is actually an Easter passage.  In fact, when I finally figured this passage out, I was going to wait to preach it on Easter morning.   Okay, you’re looking at the passage, and you’re thinking, “Where’s the hope he’s talking about?  Where does it talk about Easter in this passage?” 

Before I answer that question, let me point out a couple of things: The 1^st thing I want to point out is that all Scripture passages are relevant to us today.  The Bible is God’s living word to us.  He wants us to be effected by what is written in his word—He wants us to be transformed by it. 

The 2^nd thing is in order for us to know how a passage is supposed to effect us today, we 1^st have to figure out what the original author was trying to say to his original readers.  And, here comes the hard part for most Bible readers—“What was Mark trying to say to his original audience?”

You know, we have been studying in Mark’s Gospel for almost a year now.  And, the more I study it, the more I am amazed at Mark’s writing—Mark is a master storyteller.  In fact, I am convinced that if Mark were writing today, he would be a best-selling author or a major motion picture writer. 

Mark, once again, told us a story within a story.  Jesus had been doing miraculous things and then he sent his students out to do the same things.  This is what gets Herod all excited and confused about who Jesus really was.  And, then Mark includes a flashback—the story of how/why John the Baptist was beheaded.  Can’t you just see the movie version of this really remarkable story?—a lead in of Jesus sending out his students, then the plot trying to figure them out along with a flashback, and then the conclusion with the apostles returning to Jesus and reporting their accomplishments. 

Okay, it’s a great story, but you’re still wondering where the hope and the Easter story comes from, aren’t you?  Well, I’m getting close to the hope and the Easter story, but before you see it, we’ve got to review a couple more things: 1^st who Mark was writing to and 2^nd what was his purpose in writing to them? 

When we 1^st started studying Mark’s Gospel, I told you Mark was writing to the Gentile Christians in Rome.  Remember, this was the time of the Roman Emperor, Nero, who was crazy and hated Christians.  And these Christians were being badly persecuted.  

And, what was the reason Mark was sharing this amazing Gospel message with them?  The answer is: “To tell the story of God’s saving action in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  That is the theme of Mark’s entire Gospel.  He was telling people who daily feared for their lives that nothing could hurt them.  And why could nothing hurt them?  Because Jesus, the Messiah, had died on the cross, but he rose from the grave, defeating death for all time. 

That is the hope—that is the Easter message in our passage today.  And all they had to do was to submit totally to the belief of Jesus as the resurrected Christ.  That is how this passage is relevant to us, today.  It is what God wants us to know—that we too, must submit totally to Jesus as the resurrected Christ. 

Mark wrote this story about 35 years after Jesus died and rose again.  These Christians in Rome are looking back at the fact as we are, today.  They are saying that Herod had it partially right—there were certainly miraculous powers at work.  But, those powers were not at work in the resurrected John the Baptist.  They were at work in Jesus, the Messiah, Lord/Savior of the world who defeated death by being resurrected.  It was not a dead John the Baptist but a living Christ. 

A Muslim in Africa became a Christian and some of his friends asked him, “Why have you done such a thing?”  He answered, “Well, it is like this: suppose you were going down a road and suddenly the road forked in 2 directions.  You didn’t know which way to go; and there at the fork were 2 men—one dead, and one alive—which one would you ask to show you the way?”

RESULT—We will have hope in the miraculous powers Jesus brings from being the resurrected Christ:

            Those Christians in Rome—persecuted as they were—did put their hope in the one who was alive—the resurrected Christ.  And the Gospel spread.  And the Church grew.  And it grows, today, almost 2,000 years later. 

            I like the story of Linus and Lucy.  They were sitting in front of the TV when Lucy said to Linus, “Go get me a glass of water.”  Linus looked surprised, “Why should I do anything for you?  You never do anything for me.”  Lucy then promised, “On your 75^th birthday, I’ll bake you a cake.”  Linus got up, headed to the kitchen and said, “Life is more pleasant when you have something to look forward to.” 

            Yes, life is much more pleasant when you have something to look forward to, isn’t it?  Our world is not all that different than the world of Herod beheading John the Baptist.  Nor is it all that different than the world of Nero persecuting Christians in Rome.  Our world is a broken world—sin and suffering abounds. 

            But, just like Mark’s audience in Rome, we, his audience, today, can have hope in the miraculous powers Jesus brings from being the resurrected Christ. 

CONCLUSION:

            Belief in that resurrection brings us into God’s kingdom.  God’s kingdom is the presence of God in our lives and the promise of everlasting life. 

            Put your hope, today, in the resurrected Christ!