Promising Too Much
Sermon
Eyes of Faith
Cycle B Gospel Text Sermons for Pentecost First Third
Object:
There are some commercials on TV right now that trouble me. For starters, there are all of those commercials that promote medications. Like most advertisements, these commercials are targeted to a specific audience. There are cures for all kinds of symptoms and diseases from allergies to depression. The words and the pictures present an ideal picture of what it would be like if you happened to suffer from whatever illness compared to how life would be if you were to take their prescribed product. No doubt you would be happier and healthier in ways that you might never have imagined. Then there is the disclaimer, usually with printed words on the screen coupled with a voice-over and many times the side effects are the very kinds of problems that the medicine is designed to help. These side effects range from low blood pressure to thoughts of suicide and even death.
Are these commercials promising too much? Probably, but taken with the advice of the disclaimer, who knows for sure? Hopefully, your doctor knows.
On a less serious level are those commercials from the TV cable companies, each stumbling over the other vying for our business. There is one in particular that always catches my attention. This commercial promises nothing less than peace in the family. It turns out that the peace the cable company is talking about is four DVRs so each person in the family can watch their own program in their own room on their own personal TV in peace. There is no more fighting for channels. There is also no one watching the same program anymore. What the commercial is actually offering is separate but peaceful family interaction if you can call it interaction. Not my idea of a peaceful family at all. Promising too much? I guess you'd have to ask the family that literally buys into the commercial.
If commercials trouble me, real life events can take this turn also. While at an amusement park, I happened to observe a young father on vacation with his two children. Walking close by and slightly behind them, I was taken aback by what I heard and saw. Over and over, the father would say to his children as they passed by one playful opportunity after another, "You could do this. You could do that." At first, I didn't think much about it. Then it dawned on me that the father really didn't intend for them to do anything. It seemed that he just wanted to look good in front of all the onlookers, especially the adults standing around him. After a while, the children wanted to do something that they had seen. The father's reaction was, "Now, you know I never promised that you could do any of this." This father was promising too much by insinuation. From my standpoint, I could see that what he really accomplished was to leave his children disillusioned and discouraged not knowing what they could count on from their dad.
We can do much the same in the church and not even know it. Every church that I know is proud to announce on their outdoor signs: "All are welcome!" But once a person is inside a particular congregation, it becomes apparent that this is not necessarily so. In many churches, people are welcome if they are pretty much like those who make up the membership. And it's not only with issues having to do with race and economic income, though those may turn out to be ready and available demarcations. I'm thinking of a comment made about a congregation I served. This person knew our membership very well.
They knew how much we strove to be a successful and thriving church. So it caught me off guard when they said to me, "I wonder whether a person who was not as successful as your people are, would feel comfortable here." The comment struck straight into my heart, for I knew it was true. I had seen people who had lost their job drop out of the congregation as had several who had gone through divorce. They no longer felt welcome no matter how much we advertised that all are welcome. It made me recall an invitation made by a minister years ago when I was visiting a congregation one Sunday morning while I was in divinity school. I couldn't believe my ears. Far from exclaiming that all are welcome, this pastor had the brutal honesty to say, "If you are of like mind and heart, you might find yourself welcome here. Give us a try. In spite of all our shortcomings, we still try to be an outpost for the kingdom of God." At the time I was horrified but after all these years, I think all he was trying to do was not to promise too much. He knew that promising too much can lead to trouble.
It's not a far step from our gospel story about King Herod and John the Baptist. For in this story, we can readily see how an extravagant promise led to all kinds of trouble. The Herod in question is not Herod the Great, but his son, Herod Antipas. What's more, this Herod is not really a king, but a Tetrarch, Rome's puppet ruler in Galilee. Interestingly, Matthew and Luke get it right. For some reason, Mark is confused about Herod's title. It could be that when Mark was writing, the popular thinking about Herod was that he was a king. Actually, it was Herod's request for the title of king that led to the end of his administration.
The events narrated in the story lead up to John the Baptist's death. It's true that Herod held John prisoner east of the Dead Sea. The reason is not clear. The imprisonment was due to a comment John had made about the marriage of his wife, Herodias, who previously had been married to Herod's brother, Philip. There is even more confusion because verse 22 in many translations suggest that Herodias was his daughter. In actuality, Herodias' daughter was Salome, from a previous marriage. She may be the child of a union condemned by John. Some translations of Mark try to correct the confusion by having the passage read, "the daughter of Herodias herself." Whatever the case with the translations, the daughter in question was definitely Salome.
What's interesting is that even though Herod had imprisoned John, they were at one time on speaking terms and still may have been when all of these complicated events transpired. "For John had been telling Herod, 'It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife' " (Mark 6:18 NRSV). Mark's account assumes that Herodias' first husband, Herod's brother, had not divorced her. Since, at this time, no Jewish woman could divorce her husband, the matter would have been entirely up to him. The events are even more complex and confusing for Philip was actually married to Salome, not Herodias, her mother. However this all shakes down, the relationships of the Herod family were ambiguous to say the least, and at worst, there were even some incestuous encounters. No doubt John had some good reasons to question the goings-on in this so-called royal family, even if the account from Mark is rather hazy.
The real reason John was in prison probably had more to do with Herod's fear of the prophet stirring up a rebellion among the people than any upset-ness of his wife. This was just about the way Mark sized up the situation, for he tells us that Herodias had a grudge against John and even wanted to have him killed but somehow couldn't manage it. Mainly, because Herod knew that John was "a righteous and holy man." Still Herod thought it better to keep John under lock and key for fear of what the people might do if he were somehow found to be guilty of putting an end to John's life and ministry.
There might have been even more to it than this because Mark also tells us that Herod was fascinated by what this wild man preaching in the wilderness had to say. Even though Herod was troubled by John, he still found him interesting and intriguing. Mark tells us simply that Herod liked to listen to John. I once heard of an atheist who loved to listen to a certain evangelist on the radio even though the atheist didn't believe a word of what the preacher had to say. I personally had a Jewish friend who came to my congregation with his lady friend every Christmas Eve for in his words, "This is the best show in town." I suspect that there was something like that going on between Herod and John the Baptist.
Then the opportunity came to do something about all this when Herod's birthday rolled around. The celebration most likely took place at Herod's grand palace on the shores of Lake Tiberius. Herod gave a banquet for all the courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. The scene has been dramatized in opera and film. It was probably not as elaborate and impressive as the film tycoon, Cecil B. DeMille, presented it. But the party would have been lavish and extraordinary. Whether Salome danced with her seven veils or even danced at all is suspect. It would be surprising that she would dance in mixed company. But then again, the Herods felt themselves to be above the law and were not bound by local conventions. They were also quite aware of what went on in the great cities of the Roman empire. So dance she may well have and in mixed company. Apparently, it pleased Herod so much that he lost all reason. For the next words out of his mouth are the words that have continued to ring on down to the present: "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it" (Mark 6:22 NRSV). Would that Herod had stopped there! "He solemnly swore to her, 'Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom' " (Mark 6:23 NRSV). Talk about promising too much!
It reminds me of that horrible story in Judges 11. The story has come to be known simply as Jephthah's Vow. Jephthah is so bent on pleasing the Lord that he promises God that if he has success in a battle against the Ammonites, he will offer up as a burnt offering the first person who comes out of the doors of his house upon his return. The battle against the Ammonites is successful and when Jephthah gets home, who is the first person to greet him? None other than his only child, his daughter. Jephthah immediately explains to her his pressing vow, one that could not be taken back, especially since it was to the Lord. Like the obedient daughter she was, Jephthah's daughter dutifully understands. She asks only that her death be put off for two months so she can go into hiding to mourn her condition. In her memory, a custom grew up in Israel that for four days every year the daughters of Israel were to lament the daughter of Jephthah, the Gilead. Talk about promising too much! Well, when you do, you should expect that not only you, yourself, but most everyone else will get hurt.
That is certainly what transpired at this birthday banquet of Herod's. Herod's daughter asks her mother what to do. We can see that the real villain of the story is Herodias and without so much as a thought her mother says: "The head of John the Baptist." Immediately -- there's that favorite word of Mark's -- this is what Salome does. She rushes back and tells Herod of her request: "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter" (Mark 6:25 NRSV). Although Mark does not report it, I'm sure Herod thought, "This has to be the work of your mother." For we are told that Herod was deeply grieved. But like Jephthah of old, Herod knew that an oath was an oath, however recklessly made.
We are also told that Herod went along with the request out of regard for his guests. Like the young father at the amusement park, Herod wanted to look good in the eyes of his subjects. So immediately -- there's that word again -- Herod orders the soldier on duty to go and bring John's head. The guard carried out his mission with dispatch. He brought John's head to Salome, who in turn gave it to Herodias, her mother. Mark closes the story with these tender but disturbing words: "When his (John's) disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb" (Mark 6:29 NRSV).
Ironically, the death of John the Baptist foreshadows the death of Jesus. Both are put to death by political leaders: Herod, in the case of John, and Pilate, in Jesus' journey to the cross. Both leaders recognize the inherent goodness in these men. Herod considers John a righteous and holy man. Pilate can find no wrong in Jesus and yet they each give in to pressure and allow the deaths to take place; Herod by making a stupid promise, and Pilate's futile attempt to wash his hands of the matter. And then the manner in which the actual burials are conducted -- both of the bodies are placed in a tomb by devoted friends.
We know that Herod's promising too much led to the death of John the Baptist. But who promised too much in the passion of Jesus? Peter said, "Lord, I will never deny you, no matter what!" and before the cock crowed, Peter did just that, not once, but three times.
When you promise too much, beware, for terrible things can happen. Heads roll and your best friend gets crucified. Side effects of medicines, disclaimers to the contrary, are not pleasant and can even be fatal. Families that watch separate programs on separate TVs in their separate rooms may be peacefully torn apart. Even at an amusement park, children can learn that dad cannot always be trusted to do what he says he will. Churches each and every Sunday can hurt the very people they are trying to help when they trick themselves into thinking that all are welcome.
Yes, promising too much is a dangerous thing. It may even be more dangerous than promising too little. Amen.
Are these commercials promising too much? Probably, but taken with the advice of the disclaimer, who knows for sure? Hopefully, your doctor knows.
On a less serious level are those commercials from the TV cable companies, each stumbling over the other vying for our business. There is one in particular that always catches my attention. This commercial promises nothing less than peace in the family. It turns out that the peace the cable company is talking about is four DVRs so each person in the family can watch their own program in their own room on their own personal TV in peace. There is no more fighting for channels. There is also no one watching the same program anymore. What the commercial is actually offering is separate but peaceful family interaction if you can call it interaction. Not my idea of a peaceful family at all. Promising too much? I guess you'd have to ask the family that literally buys into the commercial.
If commercials trouble me, real life events can take this turn also. While at an amusement park, I happened to observe a young father on vacation with his two children. Walking close by and slightly behind them, I was taken aback by what I heard and saw. Over and over, the father would say to his children as they passed by one playful opportunity after another, "You could do this. You could do that." At first, I didn't think much about it. Then it dawned on me that the father really didn't intend for them to do anything. It seemed that he just wanted to look good in front of all the onlookers, especially the adults standing around him. After a while, the children wanted to do something that they had seen. The father's reaction was, "Now, you know I never promised that you could do any of this." This father was promising too much by insinuation. From my standpoint, I could see that what he really accomplished was to leave his children disillusioned and discouraged not knowing what they could count on from their dad.
We can do much the same in the church and not even know it. Every church that I know is proud to announce on their outdoor signs: "All are welcome!" But once a person is inside a particular congregation, it becomes apparent that this is not necessarily so. In many churches, people are welcome if they are pretty much like those who make up the membership. And it's not only with issues having to do with race and economic income, though those may turn out to be ready and available demarcations. I'm thinking of a comment made about a congregation I served. This person knew our membership very well.
They knew how much we strove to be a successful and thriving church. So it caught me off guard when they said to me, "I wonder whether a person who was not as successful as your people are, would feel comfortable here." The comment struck straight into my heart, for I knew it was true. I had seen people who had lost their job drop out of the congregation as had several who had gone through divorce. They no longer felt welcome no matter how much we advertised that all are welcome. It made me recall an invitation made by a minister years ago when I was visiting a congregation one Sunday morning while I was in divinity school. I couldn't believe my ears. Far from exclaiming that all are welcome, this pastor had the brutal honesty to say, "If you are of like mind and heart, you might find yourself welcome here. Give us a try. In spite of all our shortcomings, we still try to be an outpost for the kingdom of God." At the time I was horrified but after all these years, I think all he was trying to do was not to promise too much. He knew that promising too much can lead to trouble.
It's not a far step from our gospel story about King Herod and John the Baptist. For in this story, we can readily see how an extravagant promise led to all kinds of trouble. The Herod in question is not Herod the Great, but his son, Herod Antipas. What's more, this Herod is not really a king, but a Tetrarch, Rome's puppet ruler in Galilee. Interestingly, Matthew and Luke get it right. For some reason, Mark is confused about Herod's title. It could be that when Mark was writing, the popular thinking about Herod was that he was a king. Actually, it was Herod's request for the title of king that led to the end of his administration.
The events narrated in the story lead up to John the Baptist's death. It's true that Herod held John prisoner east of the Dead Sea. The reason is not clear. The imprisonment was due to a comment John had made about the marriage of his wife, Herodias, who previously had been married to Herod's brother, Philip. There is even more confusion because verse 22 in many translations suggest that Herodias was his daughter. In actuality, Herodias' daughter was Salome, from a previous marriage. She may be the child of a union condemned by John. Some translations of Mark try to correct the confusion by having the passage read, "the daughter of Herodias herself." Whatever the case with the translations, the daughter in question was definitely Salome.
What's interesting is that even though Herod had imprisoned John, they were at one time on speaking terms and still may have been when all of these complicated events transpired. "For John had been telling Herod, 'It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife' " (Mark 6:18 NRSV). Mark's account assumes that Herodias' first husband, Herod's brother, had not divorced her. Since, at this time, no Jewish woman could divorce her husband, the matter would have been entirely up to him. The events are even more complex and confusing for Philip was actually married to Salome, not Herodias, her mother. However this all shakes down, the relationships of the Herod family were ambiguous to say the least, and at worst, there were even some incestuous encounters. No doubt John had some good reasons to question the goings-on in this so-called royal family, even if the account from Mark is rather hazy.
The real reason John was in prison probably had more to do with Herod's fear of the prophet stirring up a rebellion among the people than any upset-ness of his wife. This was just about the way Mark sized up the situation, for he tells us that Herodias had a grudge against John and even wanted to have him killed but somehow couldn't manage it. Mainly, because Herod knew that John was "a righteous and holy man." Still Herod thought it better to keep John under lock and key for fear of what the people might do if he were somehow found to be guilty of putting an end to John's life and ministry.
There might have been even more to it than this because Mark also tells us that Herod was fascinated by what this wild man preaching in the wilderness had to say. Even though Herod was troubled by John, he still found him interesting and intriguing. Mark tells us simply that Herod liked to listen to John. I once heard of an atheist who loved to listen to a certain evangelist on the radio even though the atheist didn't believe a word of what the preacher had to say. I personally had a Jewish friend who came to my congregation with his lady friend every Christmas Eve for in his words, "This is the best show in town." I suspect that there was something like that going on between Herod and John the Baptist.
Then the opportunity came to do something about all this when Herod's birthday rolled around. The celebration most likely took place at Herod's grand palace on the shores of Lake Tiberius. Herod gave a banquet for all the courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. The scene has been dramatized in opera and film. It was probably not as elaborate and impressive as the film tycoon, Cecil B. DeMille, presented it. But the party would have been lavish and extraordinary. Whether Salome danced with her seven veils or even danced at all is suspect. It would be surprising that she would dance in mixed company. But then again, the Herods felt themselves to be above the law and were not bound by local conventions. They were also quite aware of what went on in the great cities of the Roman empire. So dance she may well have and in mixed company. Apparently, it pleased Herod so much that he lost all reason. For the next words out of his mouth are the words that have continued to ring on down to the present: "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it" (Mark 6:22 NRSV). Would that Herod had stopped there! "He solemnly swore to her, 'Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom' " (Mark 6:23 NRSV). Talk about promising too much!
It reminds me of that horrible story in Judges 11. The story has come to be known simply as Jephthah's Vow. Jephthah is so bent on pleasing the Lord that he promises God that if he has success in a battle against the Ammonites, he will offer up as a burnt offering the first person who comes out of the doors of his house upon his return. The battle against the Ammonites is successful and when Jephthah gets home, who is the first person to greet him? None other than his only child, his daughter. Jephthah immediately explains to her his pressing vow, one that could not be taken back, especially since it was to the Lord. Like the obedient daughter she was, Jephthah's daughter dutifully understands. She asks only that her death be put off for two months so she can go into hiding to mourn her condition. In her memory, a custom grew up in Israel that for four days every year the daughters of Israel were to lament the daughter of Jephthah, the Gilead. Talk about promising too much! Well, when you do, you should expect that not only you, yourself, but most everyone else will get hurt.
That is certainly what transpired at this birthday banquet of Herod's. Herod's daughter asks her mother what to do. We can see that the real villain of the story is Herodias and without so much as a thought her mother says: "The head of John the Baptist." Immediately -- there's that favorite word of Mark's -- this is what Salome does. She rushes back and tells Herod of her request: "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter" (Mark 6:25 NRSV). Although Mark does not report it, I'm sure Herod thought, "This has to be the work of your mother." For we are told that Herod was deeply grieved. But like Jephthah of old, Herod knew that an oath was an oath, however recklessly made.
We are also told that Herod went along with the request out of regard for his guests. Like the young father at the amusement park, Herod wanted to look good in the eyes of his subjects. So immediately -- there's that word again -- Herod orders the soldier on duty to go and bring John's head. The guard carried out his mission with dispatch. He brought John's head to Salome, who in turn gave it to Herodias, her mother. Mark closes the story with these tender but disturbing words: "When his (John's) disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb" (Mark 6:29 NRSV).
Ironically, the death of John the Baptist foreshadows the death of Jesus. Both are put to death by political leaders: Herod, in the case of John, and Pilate, in Jesus' journey to the cross. Both leaders recognize the inherent goodness in these men. Herod considers John a righteous and holy man. Pilate can find no wrong in Jesus and yet they each give in to pressure and allow the deaths to take place; Herod by making a stupid promise, and Pilate's futile attempt to wash his hands of the matter. And then the manner in which the actual burials are conducted -- both of the bodies are placed in a tomb by devoted friends.
We know that Herod's promising too much led to the death of John the Baptist. But who promised too much in the passion of Jesus? Peter said, "Lord, I will never deny you, no matter what!" and before the cock crowed, Peter did just that, not once, but three times.
When you promise too much, beware, for terrible things can happen. Heads roll and your best friend gets crucified. Side effects of medicines, disclaimers to the contrary, are not pleasant and can even be fatal. Families that watch separate programs on separate TVs in their separate rooms may be peacefully torn apart. Even at an amusement park, children can learn that dad cannot always be trusted to do what he says he will. Churches each and every Sunday can hurt the very people they are trying to help when they trick themselves into thinking that all are welcome.
Yes, promising too much is a dangerous thing. It may even be more dangerous than promising too little. Amen.
