That Party Got Out of Hand

Transcripts are auto-generated and may not be 100% accurate.

Katie Henry-Murad: I have to admit I'm a little, um, zoned out because Maggie, as you were trying to deliver announcements, my son was pretending to be a helicopter. And then, um, my husband just told me that our daughter threw up in the parking lot. So, um, they went home. So, hey, it's a good thing that we drove separately. So he just texted me and said, we're leaving. So in case you wanted to know what's happening in my family's life, that's what's going on in real time. Um, yeah, so I'm excited that I get to share tonight. 

I really do find this as such a gift to be able to be invited into this space and to do this to something that I love. And I have to say though, that this is a day that a lot of people dread daylight savings. Um, me being one of them, I love the one in October. I wish that that could be the, oh, I would just, I would be nocturnal if it meant that every time we did daylight savings, we just gained another hour instead of losing one. And especially after working in churches for the majority of my career, like this day, I hated this day 'cause this meant that no matter what rehearsal was still going to start at the same time, even if no one else showed up to church on time. I still had to be there on time. 

And so I was so relieved that I was like, our church home is The Table, we meet at night. This is going to be awesome. We have all morning to kind of recover from this. And so when Debbie asked me, I was like, of course, yes, I would love this. 

And then I read the scripture and um, just to let you know, many scholars have labeled this text a Text of Terror. So this is a story about a party that got a little outta hand and ended it in a beheading. So buckle up everybody, you didn't have to see me sleep deprived. But we are going to talk about an execution. So, um, and I don't want to make light of this, but this is a heavy text. Um, there is a lot going on in the scripture, and so I want to make sure that we give space for that. 

And then also understand that there is a lot of hope and promise expectation and the responsibility that we bear from the words in this text. And so, you know, this past week as I've been studying this scripture, um, I've got some time to spend in it and to really see, um, how this is a complex story of complex people who were fully human, who made mistakes. And I think that if we take some time to put ourselves in their shoes, that we could maybe understand their perspective. 

So let's just jump right in and we're going to read the text. And that is from Mark 6:13-30. So it says: But when Herod heard of it, he said to John, whom he beheaded, or excuse me, whom I beheaded has been raised for. Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him and put him in prison on account of his wife, Herod, his brother, Philip's wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to kill him.

Well things are heating up already. This is some dicey stuff, but she could not for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him when he heard him, he was greatly perplexed and yet still liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday, gave a banquet for all of his, how do you say this word? Courtier. Courtier, okay, thank you, I trust Maggie with pronunciations. And officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herod 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 swore to her, whatever you ask me, I will give you even half of my kingdom. So 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, and did not 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 the disciples heard about it, they came, it took his body and laid it in a tomb. The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and talked. 

So there's a lot going on in this scripture. It's interestingly enough, wedged right in between Jesus, uh, giving a mission to his disciples, his followers, and then feeding the 5,000. So Mark, for some reason, has placed this very, um, disturbing and odd story right in between these two very, uh, life altering stories as well. And so when I think of this story, some words that came to my mind were, uh, gruesome, vengeful, indulgent, violent, selfish, flashy, just to name a few. 

And just so you know, as I was researching this, this particular story, they said behind the passion of Christ is the most, um, utilized story when it comes to people using it for art. So if you ever want to take a deep dive, just Google the Beheading of John Art. And there's a lot of pictures that you're going to see throughout generations. People have depicted this particular moment. Um, Oscar Wilde even wrote a play about this that became popular. 

And so this like high stakes, tension filled experience makes me think of an environment that all or most, if not all of us will know. And that is the brutal, ruthless reality of high school. And I think of vividly watching Mean Girls. And I think it's Janice describing to Cady the analogy of high school being like the jungle and kind of these different species all vying for power and having to fight for your place. And then also it it being very treacherous at any step. You didn't know what was coming next.

And I say that because I think if we put ourselves back in that insecure place that we were in in high school, we maybe give a little more understanding to these characters. So I thought we could maybe use a little background about the characters.

So Herod, the guy in our story, his dad was Herod the great, one of the most prestigious leaders, um, in his time Caesar even gave him the title King. So he was a big deal. And then when his son Herod, the one in our story also came to Caesar Augustus and said, I would like to also have this title, he was denied. So already this guy feels like the world is against him. He was considered the weak child of Herod. The great Herod from our story today is so desperate to be accepted.

And I know I resonate with that in my 16-year-old self and hiding in the bathroom in chemistry because I was nervous about who I was going to sit with at the lunch table. And so he is this very human character that we have. He is trying to navigate acceptance and being understood.

And then we have John, one of our other main characters who is the quote unquote good guy. He's a holy man. And we know from reading other gospel accounts that he obviously has some charisma because even though he lived in the wilderness, people still came to him to hear his message. They followed him despite seeming like he looked a like a burly mountain man, you know, just I imagined lots of hair and on, on all parts, you know, including like the furs that he wore. And so people still saw something in him. There was something infectious about this man. They also think that he was probably someone who took a, a Nazarite vow. And that was someone who was incredibly committed to their faith, to the point where they wouldn't have wine, they wouldn't come in contact with a corpse, they wouldn't cut their hair. And so he was this devout, holy, charismatic, um, person who drew people to himself.

And then we have, Herodias the wife who is the current wife of Herod, but the former wife of his brother Philip. And this is the plot to a soap opera. Anytime someone says the Bible is boring, I'm like, you just need to read it. 'cause there's a lot of dicey stuff, some hot and heavy stuff that happens in there. And so she is, she's not a fan of John. She says that she's ready to kill him, but she knows that her husband won't let her. And not only that, she's the mother of an unnamed daughter that seems to be taken advantage of.

Sadly, the youngest person in this story, I believe is sexually exploited someone who is objectified and used this entertainment of the pleasure of grown men. And so this daughter also just wants to gain favor with her mom and show her mom that she loves her. And so that's why she's the one that she goes to when she says, what should I ask for?

And so, and all of these very complicated, messy at times seemingly horrible characters, I think that these are people that struggled with wanting to know what was right and yet wanting to be liked by others. And so I imagine like her we all have had times where we have been battling wanting to be well-liked by our peers versus fighting for what is right, what is just, and for serving the weakest or the forgotten among us. But I also wonder if there are times where it's hard to tell the difference.

You know, Herod had complicated feelings when it came to John. You know, in our text it says that, um, he was perplexed. He didn't understand that he like loved listening to this guy, even though he hated what this guy was saying about his wife. He wanted to have John near in a sense, you know, he didn't like that John was calling out his bad behavior, but he wanted still to listen to him. You know, our text says that Herod also feared him. He revered him because he knew that he was a holy and righteous man.

The Jewish historian Josephus also says that Herod killed John, stating that he did. So lest the great influence John had over the people might put into his hands power and the inclination to raise a rebellion for they seemed ready to do anything that John advised. So Herod thought it best to put him to death.

They further states that many Jews believed the military uprising that fell upon Herod at the hands of his father-in-law was actually God's punishment for his unrighteous behavior. So once again, Herod is nervous that this judgment is going to upend the reputation he has fought so hard to get. All of his popularity is in jeopardy if John gets a platform to share his judgment.

And then we come to the really awkward birthday party, there's this big banquet that Herod throws and he invites the who's who in Galilee. And an interesting detail about Herod that I found out this week, he was a staunch Hellenist. So scholars believe that he was someone that was committed to bringing the mindset of the empire to Galilee. And so he would rather choose to further the empire than to think of his Jewish subjects. And so he really wanted to gain favor with those who could wield power in Galilee. Uh, translation, he wanted to invite the cool kids to his party.

So things start to get a little rowdy. It's probably similar to the party that was thrown in the book of Esther by King Xerxes. And then after some, I'm assuming really good wine, um, they invite his stepdaughter to come in and dance for them. And it says that after this performance, they were pleased. And Herod promises his daughter anything she wants.

So I wonder in a way to kind of bring it back down to earth and to remember that Herod was a real person with real struggles and real insecurities. Was, was he nervous saying this? Was he trying to show off for these people of power? Was he trying to flaunt wealth? Was he trying to fit in as a young girl was objectified in their company?

And the daughter, after all of this goes to her mother and she says, I don't know what to do. What am I supposed to say? How should I respond? And her mother rightly so seizes this opportunity. She says, tell him that you want the head of the one who has been talking behind our, but not only behind our backs, but in front of everyone and airing our dirty laundry. That's what I want.

And once again, to humanize her, imagine what it was like once again in that brutal environment of high school. And when someone said something to discredit who you were, maybe you're better than I am. I don't know. But I did not have Christian-like thoughts about those individuals if I knew that they were coming for me. And so Harod can't refuse and he knows that he's been invited to the cool table in the cafeteria. He's in this relationship that everybody probably is jealous of. He wants to be the person that he has just presented himself as. So he executes John.

And I was, uh, looking into this and I was intrigued. A large portion of the Eastern Church celebrates a festival about this. Um, I I think it's an odd name. It's the First Finding of the Head of John, which is…that would be interesting to tell a neighbor. Like, here's what I'm celebrating today. But the way that some people celebrate this is that they either fast or they won't eat round food on a flat plate with a knife. So they, I mean they're, that's pretty spot on, on brand.

But uh, you know, I was also thinking about John in this moment. What was he thinking as he heard the footsteps coming to his door? You know, I don't, I don't know, but if there was a lock on the door, like what was he thinking as he heard that key release the lock and then watched a soldier enter? 'cause I imagine there were probably other times when John came in, or excuse me, when Herod came in because he wanted to listen to John's teaching, and now all of a sudden it's someone coming to to harm him. I wonder if he thought, man, I feel like Herod and I were, we were creating something good. I feel like there was hope for Herod. I felt like there was maybe an opportunity for him to turn over a new leaf.

And you know, our story kind of does a flashback at the beginning where all of a sudden, you know, someone is told Herod about Jesus and his first thought is, oh God, what if, what if this is John come back? And I wonder if initially though, I read that as paranoia. What if there was a piece of that insecure person saying, what if I got a second chance to not make the same choice? What if I got an opportunity to not care as much about pleasing those around me and instead stood up for the one who was forgotten, who was literally imprisoned in our presence? What if I took the road that was less traveled to do the right thing?

And once again, even that idea, I found this so interesting of, um, the idea of someone being resurrected and the Jews didn't believe that a prophet would be resurrected until the end days. And yet, uh, hellenized religions, hellenized cults, I read believe that heroes would come back with kind of, um, a more bold mission, a greater strength on display. And so already we're seeing this kind of take hold, um, knowing that that's kind of how Herod viewed this.

And so though we've all had experiences, I imagine, where we have felt either we wanted a second chance or we have felt that insecurity of knowing, I'm at a crossroads now of where I could choose something that is more favorable to me and my future and helping me climb whatever social ladder I'm on. Or I could do something that is better for the common good, but I may have to have a piece of humble pie. And I think that it is so much easier to choose ourselves. It is something that, um, I often do. A way that I fall short is I choose my own selfishness, overthinking about my neighbor. Um, you know, it, it's easy for some of us to, to feel like we're standing up for the right thing, even when maybe we're not. Maybe we're casting others aside.

And thinking about my high school days, I was called Bible Girl by my high school English teacher, when that was a title I wore with so much pride. I was like, yes sir, I am. And to the point where, um, some of the girls in my small group, uh, from youth group, we went down to Panama, Florida our senior year and were there. And it happened to be the same spring break as the University of Michigan. And I grew up very sheltered. And um, during the day we were either shopping or, um, down at the ocean.

So we'd always go to the pool or the hot tub at night. Well, there was always a lot of activity at the hot tub. And one night we see it and it's fair game, no one's in it. And so we put on our bathing suits and ran downstairs. And so we're sitting in the hot tub, all of us just having a good time laughing. There's one girl in our group who is funny. She is charismatic, she's drop dead gorgeous. And we see these two guys come downstairs, these college, college guys who had previously introduced themselves to us during the week and they get in the hot tub and, you know, they're just, they're working a game I guess, I don't know. And, um, they said at one point, uh, so what kind of girls are you? And I said, “You want to know what kind of girls we are? We're Bible study girls.” And instantly any hope for anyone to have a romantic evening, I shattered that proudly. Um, and so that was something where I felt like I was standing up for what was right.

And then I also know that there were times where I chose my reputation over being a good friend. Remember my mom, um, encouraged me to kind of take, uh, a younger girl under my wing as she was becoming a freshman. When I was a sophomore. We were on the same dance troupe. And I told my mom, I was like, I cannot talk to Krista in the hallway. Like, I can't do it. She's a freshman. And thinking back now how idiotic that is, but how this feels like it is life or death in high school. And thinking of what that did to her. Someone who just wanted to not feel alone the first day in high school.

And so I also know that it's very easy to choose your insecurity and make a power play that works for you, even if it hurts someone else. And so I feel like in that moment, I really was Cady from Mean Girls, the Lindsay Lohan character, that without her knowledge, she became one of the mean girls. Um, and that's a hard place to find ourselves.

And so I think that all of us, even now, even in adulthood face moments of insecurity, I think that there are times where maybe we're nervous that, uh, our coworkers might think that we're lame if we don't let one of our other coworkers be the butt of our joke. Maybe, you know, we take out our frustration on our spouse or our loved one knowing full well that they had nothing to do with why we're stressed out. But yet we just, we want someone to hurl insults at.

Or maybe it's as parents, us communicating by shouting and then having our children in the middle wondering literally about the future of our family. And it's so easy to do those things out of insecurity 'cause it makes us feel better. And yet we're not extending that grace and understanding. And so sometimes extending grace is messy. Uh, we might not be understood. We might be shunned by those that we admire, those that we want their approval when we strive to not only stand up for what is right, but also extend love to those that we not only enjoy, but those that we seem difficult or seem difficult to us, it can really drain us. I think about complicated relationships in my life, even in my family, that at times I think, well, I'm just never talking to them again. Just going to write it off. I don't need them.

And then I see the example of John here, and I see a man that was imprisoned by another. I see a man who still spoke truth, did not change his message, but yet did not abandon someone, even someone who was his enemy. And I see a man who once again, we don't know exactly what happened. It said that he was executed in the prison. But I doubt that John, in that those last few moments was hurling condemnation at Herod. Think if anything, he pitied Herod.

And so there is pain and promise in this story. And during Lent, just to wrap it up, this is an opportunity for us to enter into these complicated, confusing feelings too. Lent is hard. I I would say advent is beautiful, even though it's dark, we are awaiting this majestic, magical experience. And in Lent, it's like, let's get sad, you know? But yet I think there is an opportunity to be comfortable in the discomfort during the time of lt.

And I, I, I'm a chaplain as a, or excuse me, I'm a chaplain at a few senior living communities. And part of my job is throughout the week I lead different activities or worship services. And every week I always say just that, be comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's a time of repentance to realize our, our humanness and how there are times that we do choose our own selfishness, greed. We choose to exalt ourselves over helping out someone else.

And yet, I also, during that service, every week we've been reading that portion from Philippians two, that famous hymn where it said that Jesus did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself. It says he humbled himself, he chose obedience to, to elevate, to exalt the mission, the beautiful vision of God. And he did that over the acceptance from his peers, even his dearest friends. It's interesting to me that Herod wanted to be called king. And yet Jesus who never sought this title was freely given to him.

And I believe, you know, one of the reasons that I, I I love maintaining and seeking after this faith is that, Jesus, for me, and I hope for you too, speaks of a kingdom of goodness, of justice, of things being restored and made right. This abundant life that he says is not just far off, but here now. And I believe that this is also a messy life. This is time when we're going to have to make hard choices.

Yet I believe that our savior doesn't, um, reprimand us when we're fumbling and making repeated mistakes, but continues to have grace extended towards us and love and understanding. 'cause I believe this is ultimately where transformation begins. And that is what Lent invites us into, is a time to empty ourselves so we can be filled back up with the presence of God. So not only when others accept us, but when we accept that discomfort, that call, that gift that Christ extends to us to be the, the way we were intended to be. The way that God created us and looked at us and said, you are good. You are loved, you are beautiful. You are exactly as I want you to be.

And so I believe that becoming more like Jesus is lavishing that grace and love and understanding we've been given on people who we like, people who we don't understand, and even those who shout judgment at us. So Jesus invites us to do that during this time. So I invite us now to pray and to ask God that he would teach us how to do this.

God of hope, of peace, of presence. Lord, you have spoken to us in so many different ways. And God, one of those gifts is by seeing human experience through these stories. God, knowing that it is easier at times to, uh, bow to our own insecurities, yet knowing that you have called us to elevate the least of these and to take care of the forgotten and God to speak truth and God to do it all with the motivation of love and commitment to the vision that you have. So, Lord, we ask that you would continue to teach us God, that we may be people who extend hope, people who extend joy, even in the discomfort and the confusion. Lord, we trust that you will not leave us. We pray all of this in the strong and mighty name of our redeemer. Amen.