Your First Love ~ Mark 6:14-29 ~ Seventh Sunday after Pentecost ~ July 15, 2012

It hardly seems appropriate that we refer to the story we heard from the sixth chapter of Mark as “Gospel.”

This story isn’t good news; it’s violent and disgusting.  Yet all four Gospels tell stories of cruelty and violence. 

And one name you’ll hear in these stories is ‘King Herod.’

It was King “Herod the Great” who massacred infant boys, when he learned from three wise men that the King of the Jews was born in Bethlehem.

It was another “King Herod,” “Herod Antipas” who interrogated Jesus before his crucifixion.

It is this “King Herod Antipas” who appears in our so-called “gospel” for today. 

Right off the bat, it comes as  somewhat of a surprise to hear that Herod believed John the Baptizer to be a man of God.  He actually enjoyed hearing John speak God’s Word.  We are told that he feared John.  And he protected John.

But Herod’s wife Herodias was no fan.  A while back, John had told Herod that it was unlawful for him to have taken his brother’s wife as his wife.  (Incidentally, Herodias was also his niece).

So to keep his wife happy, Herod has the man of God thrown into prison.  But he still protects him.  That is, until the night of his daughter’s birthday party.  That is when he carelessly swears an oath to give his daughter anything she wants, up to half of his kingdom.

The little girl asks her mother what she should ask him for, and we know what happens next...

Herod loved John—but not enough to be made a fool before his wife and his elite party guests.  Saving John’s life may have very well cost him his throne.  So he did what he had to do...to save himself.

Herod was a man who was used to getting everything he wanted.  And as a king, there was little that he couldn’t have—including his brother’s wife.   But this time, even he couldn’t have it all.  He had to decide who (or what) he loved more.  And he did.

So how much do we love Jesus?

On one hand, there is much about Jesus that makes him easy to love.  He gave his life for us on the cross.  He forgives us of our sins; he gives us salvation.  He loves us apart from our deserving.

A friend of mine used to wear a T-shirt that read “Jesus is my homeboy.”  It can be a lot of fun to love Jesus.

The trouble is that there are other things (and other people) that we love, too. And sooner or later, we’re going to find ourselves in a situation like Herod—when we’re going to have to decide what we love more. We will have to sacrifice other things that we love—for the sake of our first love.

This is what Jesus did for us on the cross.  He loved us more than all the glory and power that were rightfully his as the Son of God.  So he laid down his life.  And he didn’t do this just to be our homeboy.  He gave his life to be our Savior; to be our Lord—and our first love.

And Jesus becomes our Lord when we hear God’s Word spoken to us.  It is through God’s Word that the Holy Spirit draws us into the reality of Christ’s gracious love.  And this love has the power to transform all aspects of our being.  We go from being enemies of God to being righteous before God.  Our plans, our priorities, and our dreams are radically changed, because our Savior Jesus has become our greatest treasure. 

Everything about us changes when Jesus is our Lord.

But sometimes, we don’t want that change.  So we resist it—like Herod did. 

That is what “sin” fundamentally is.  It’s our resistance to God’s complete claim over us.  We love God, but not enough to live differently.  There’s time and money and plans and dreams that we want to keep for ourselves.  We are afraid to put God first—because if we do, we may just miss out on those good things we love.

One of the devil’s most powerful lies is that we can have it all.  We can live the life we want to live—while loving God all the way.  This lie has managed to infiltrate much of mainstream Christianity—especially in best-selling books and media.  Today, God’s Word makes it very clear that you cannot have it all and love Jesus.  There can be only one God in your life.

If we are to be born anew in Jesus Christ, we must die to ourselves and to the pursuits of this world.  This is what Jesus meant when he said “if you want to become my disciples, you must take up your cross and follow me.”

That is what it takes to put Christ first—and there is nothing more difficult in the Christian life than this.  And the truth is that we aren’t capable of loving Christ above all else. 

But the good news is that Christ will become your first love—as the Holy Spirit draws you into the reality of his gracious love for the world.  Neither the devil—or our disobedience—will stop the Holy Spirit from bringing you into that relationship. 

God is calling us to do something very simple today: to hear his Word of love again and again; to allow it to take root in us.  It is through God’s gracious Word that you will come into a relationship with the one who loved you above all else.  You don’t have to wait until heaven to live in the love of your Savior.  So don’t silence God’s Word like Herod did.  Don’t miss out on such great a love as that of Jesus Christ for you.  Don’t try and gain the world and lose your soul.  The life that you leave behind will be proven as worthless when compared with the life God gives you in Jesus Christ.  So hear the Word—believe the promises—and be transformed.