A Very Different Banquet (Mark 6:14-29)

Jesus decided that his disciples needed to do something.  After all, following the way of Christ is about doing stuff, bringing healing and wholeness to the world … not just talking about it.  So he sent them out on a mission.

He commissioned them, giving them power and authority to perform miracles, heal people, and cast out demons.  He told them – you may remember – to not worry about the equipment; they were the equipment.  All they needed were the clothes on their back, and a walking stick.

He told them to not worry about drawing attention to themselves.  When people start living as citizens of a kingdom other than the kingdom of Caesar, it’s hard not to draw attention.

King Herod heard of all this.  Folks said that what was happening reminded them of Elijah or one of the prophets, but Herod said it was evidence of John the Baptist having been raised from the dead.

I’m not sure whether Herod meant this literally or not, but I do know that all this activity that reminded him of John the Baptist made Herod very uncomfortable, since it was he who had put John the Baptist to death.

Herod did not like feeling uncomfortable or anxious.  He was, after all, the king, a man of power and authority. 

Well, he wasn’t technically a king; a king is subject to no one, but Herod was subject to Caesar.  But that’s the title he used for himself.  It was a way of letting people know that he was in charge, that power and authority belonged to him.  It was yet another way he intimidated and controlled the population, and just as he intended, the name “King Herod” brought shudders of trepidation to any Jew living under his rule.

We just heard how the death of John the Baptist took place.  John had been accusing Herod of wrongdoing.  John said that it was not right to do what Herod had done: to marry his brother’s wife.  So Herod had John thrown in prison.  He probably would have killed him, except that he feared John.

But Herod’s new wife was not satisfied.  And she looked for a more permanent solution regarding this annoying preacher man.

Her opportunity came on the occasion of Herod’s birthday.

Birthdays are not exactly happy events in scripture.  There are only two birthdays mentioned in scripture.  One is Pharaoh’s birthday; on Pharaoh’s birthday, Pharaoh hanged his chief baker, an event which was foretold by Joseph when he and the chief baker were imprisoned together.

And then there is Herod’s birthday, which ended with the death of John the Baptist.  No wonder some groups, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, refuse to celebrate birthdays.

Herod’s birthday started out quite festive.  A great party had been planned, and the crème de la crème of Galilee had been invited.  Everyone who had power and influence and money was there.  For them, the red carpet was rolled out … and for everyone else, guards were posted to keep them away. 

Herod was eager to show off his wealth and prosperity.  He was a “king,” after all.  The wine flowed freely, and the guests partied in the palace.

Herod’s daughter, Herodias, came into the banquet hall, and began a dance that, uh, would keep this scene from being included in a movie that we all could see.  The fact that Herod not only permitted but encouraged her dancing suggests that it was more important to him to entertain his guests and keep them happy than it was to do what was best for his daughter; or, maybe he had just had too much wine and didn’t really know what he was doing.

Which may explain what he did next.  At the end of the dance, during the wild and raucous applause, cheers, and catcalls of his guests, he told Herodias that whatever she asked for, he would give her – even half of his kingdom.

It was a pompous and preposterous promise!  It was arrogant and foolish!  The kingdom wasn’t even his to give away.  The kingdom belonged to Caesar. 

The guests cheered and laughed at this ridiculous promise.  Herod could get in trouble with Caesar for making a promise like that, and what fun it is to see someone in power get in trouble.

Well, Herodias didn’t ask for half the kingdom.  Instead, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

Herod wasn’t expecting that.  The crowd wasn’t expecting that.  The cheers and laughter ceased, and it got very quiet, except for some murmuring in the back, as everyone waited to see if Herod would actually follow through on his promise.

And when John’s head was brought in, well, you could say that the life had been taken out of the party.

Mark’s gospel is very deliberate in the way it describes this banquet.  It takes place in the midst of all the wealth and glamour that Galilee could muster.  It was an exclusive event – only those who had it made were invited.  Only those who had it all.  All the ingredients were there for a fun, happy time.   

And yet, in the end, there is violence and death.  In the end, Herod is exposed as having no real power, since he becomes powerless to prevent the tragic end, trapped as he was in his own foolish promise.

Mark’s gospel is also very deliberate and intentional in presenting an alternative to this awful spectacle, this banquet of the world. 

After Mark describes the story of Herod and his banquet, he returns our attention to Jesus and the disciples whom he has sent out on mission.  They report to Jesus about what happened while they were out doing the work he sent them to do, and then Jesus invites them to follow him out into the wilderness, to a place where they could rest.

But a great crowd of people followed them to the wilderness.  These were people who were emotionally and spiritually needy, and Jesus had compassion on them, so he welcomed them and began to teach them.

When it was late, the disciples said to Jesus: “Uh, Master, we’re out here in the middle of nowhere, and there isn’t even a McDonald’s or a Taco Bell in sight.  You should send the people away so that they can go and get something to eat.”

But Jesus said to them:  “You give them something to eat.”

They said, “Are we to go and spend a year’s worth of wages in order to buy enough food for all these people?”

Out there in the wilderness, there was nothing.  No palace.  No palace chefs.  No wealth or riches.  It was the complete opposite of the situation at Herod’s banquet. 

But there was an attitude of abundance.  At Herod’s party, those present were always looking to see what they could get for themselves:  wealth, power, authority.  There wasn’t enough of these things to go around, so they grabbed and hoarded as much as they could.  They believed in the myth of scarcity.

By contrast, out there in the wilderness, there was a teacher who had taught them that the world is a world of abundance, and that miracles happen when people are generous and share. 

Jesus asked the disciples:  “What do you have?”

The disciples took an inventory and reported back:  “Five loaves, and two fish.”

Jesus said, “It is enough.  Share it with all who are present.”

Now maybe the disciples thought to themselves, “If we share this food, what will be left for us to eat?”  Maybe they had some fear and some insecurity about their own welfare, and thus were hesitant to share what they had. 

But they had also learned to trust Jesus.  After all, he had just sent them out on a mission with nothing but a walking stick and the clothes they were wearing, and they had returned filled with joy at what they were able to accomplish. 

So after Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and gave it back to the disciples, they began distributing it – and the fish – to the thousands of people who were present.  And there was enough for all.

How did that happen?  Did the loaves and fish miraculously multiply as they were being distributed?  Did the people in the crowd see the generous sharing that was taking place, and – inspired by this – pull out from their own baskets the food that they had kept hidden for themselves, and begin sharing that? 

Who knows.  Who cares?  It doesn’t matter.  What matters is that even in a desolate wilderness where it appeared that there wasn’t enough to go around, once people started sharing generously and selflessly, the scarcity turned into abundance, and there ended up being more than enough.

Now, without knowing how these two stories end, most people would choose to be present at Herod’s banquet in the palace, rather than Jesus’s banquet in the wilderness.  Herod’s banquet appeared to have everything, while Jesus’s banquet appeared to have nothing.

But the one thing Jesus’ banquet had was an awareness of the abundance of God that is present even in the midst of poverty and oppression and desolation, the abundance that appears when people live in the kingdom of God (rather than the kingdom of Caesar) and learn to share and give and welcome…

This is why followers of Jesus are generous in their hospitality.  This is why followers of Jesus welcome all people.  This is why followers of Jesus live sacrificial lives, giving their life, their labor, their love, freely.  This is why they give their hard-earned money to ministries that help others.  This is why they support policies and programs that benefit “the least of these.”

In the kingdom of God, there are no palace banquet halls with guards at the door, letting some in and keeping others out. 

In the kingdom of God, it’s not about acquiring wealth and power for oneself, or schmoozing with the right people in the hopes of advancing your own position. 

In the kingdom of God, people don’t ask, “what’s in it for me?”  They ask, “What can I do for others?”

In the kingdom of God, people don’t worry about having enough for themselves; with everyone working together, there is always enough.

Those who seek power and wealth – like Herod – end up finding themselves powerless and insecure.  But those who empower others and share their wealth and live generously find themselves living with abundance.

You may or may not get an invitation to Herod’s party.  If you do get an invitation, odds are you will have to work very hard to prove that you are worthy of receiving it, and once you are there, it is highly unlikely that Herod or anyone else will be willing to share what they have with you unless it is to their advantage.

But you always have an open invitation to Jesus’s party.  No one is turned away or denied a place.  Come, bring what you have, share it with others, receive what they can share with you, and experience abundance in the kingdom of God.