I took a year of my life to read some biographies about and letters by John Calvin. I figured it would be educational in a number of ways, but one of the greatest benefits is simply learning and man’s heart and being challenged by him. And there were several times I found my heart gripped, moved, and challenged as I was reading – especially as I read his letters.
The letter that struck me the most was a letter Calvin wrote in May of 1553. Now, before hearing the letter, it is important to know the setting in which the letter was penned. Calvin was laboring to see the church reformed in Geneva, and he had faced a number of struggles. They had asked him to leave at one point only to invite him back at another. It was a challenging ministry. But, all in all, things were going well at this point, relatively speaking.
And the reason I can say that things were going well, relatively speaking, is because at the same time that Calvin was laboring in Geneva, there were five men who had been imprisoned in Lyon for preaching the gospel. They had been accused of preaching heresy by those who were against the gospel, and they were preaching the very same things that Calvin was preaching, namely, that we are justified by faith in the crucified and risen Christ alone.
During their imprisonment, there were many times that it looked like these men might be freed. And Calvin had corresponded with them much during this time, even working in whatever ways he could to see them released. However, it soon became apparent that they were going to be executed. Specifically, they were going to be burned at the stake.
So, Calvin wrote to them one last time. In May of 1553, knowing these men were about to be burned alive, Calvin wrote to them: “Now, at this present hour, necessity itself exhorts you more than ever to turn your whole mind heavenward. As yet, we know not what will be the event. But since it appears as though God would use your blood to sign his truth, there is nothing better than for you to prepare yourselves to that end, beseeching him so to subdue you to his good pleasure, that nothing may hinder you from following whithersoever he shall call. For you know, my brothers, that it [behooves] us to be thus mortified, in order to be offered to him in sacrifice. It cannot be but that you sustain hard conflicts, in order that what was declared to Peter may be accomplished in you, namely, that they shall carry you whither you would not. You know, however, in what strength you have to fight – a strength on which all those who trust, shall never be daunted, much less confounded. Even so, my brothers, be confident that you shall be strengthened, according to your need, by the Spirit of our Lord Jesus, so that you shall not faint under the load of temptations, however heavy it be, any more than he did who won so glorious a victory, that in the midst of our miseries it is an unfailing pledge of our triumph. Since it pleases him to employ you to the death in maintaining his quarrel, he will strengthen your hands in the fight, and will not suffer a single drop of your blood to be spent in vain.”1
It’s a powerful letter, and it’s one I’ve referenced a couple of times already in different teaching settings here (and one I’ll probably reference again!). But what struck me the first time is the contrast here between Calvin and these men. I mean, here you have six men laboring in Europe at the exact same time in the history of the church. All of them are preaching the same gospel. All of them have the same heart. Yet, Calvin is going to keep ministering in Geneva for another eleven years before he dies of natural causes. Six years later he’ll finish his final version of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. He’ll have biographies written about him, and five hundred years after his death, we’ll still be talking about him. In fact, the details of his life will be known so well that when Lili and I were sitting in a Russian orphanage, listening to a lady tell us that our youngest son was born on July 10th, I piped up, “Hey, that’s John Calvin’s birthday!”
Meanwhile, these other five men in Lyons were not allowed to live past 1553. They were burned at the stake. I don’t know their names. And we might not even know about them at all if Calvin hadn’t written letters to them. It’s hard to consider the roads of these six men – Calvin and the men from Lyons – without considering and being moved by the different paths the Lord called them to walk (the diverse works the Lord ordained for each of them to carry out for his glory).
Well, I think something of the tension I felt when I thought about Calvin and those men from Lyons is what Mark wanted his readers to feel in Mark 6:6b-30. After all, Mark records two stories that would seemingly have no reason to be considered together in such a way that you can’t help but think of them together. We saw it last week with the story of Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood – how Mark will begin a story, interrupt it with another story, and then come back to the original story. Well, that’s what he does here. In 6:6b-13, we read of Jesus sending out the twelve and giving them authority to cast out demons. Then, in 6:30 we read of the apostles returning and telling Jesus all that they had done and taught. But Mark sandwiches a story in the middle of that episode in Jesus’ ministry. In the midst of telling of the apostles being sent out, he tells us the story of John the Baptist being executed.
Now, the question is, “Why?” Why would John put these together? After all, the stories don’t seem to be greatly connected. The only connection may be given to us in verse 14, when we read that when Herod heard of “it,” it may be that “it” refers to the twelve going around, casting out demons, and healing many who were sick. But even then, Mark could have wrapped up his story with the apostles and then told the story of John. But he doesn’t. He sandwiches the John story right in the middle of the other as if to say, “Hey, think of these stories together.” And I think the reason why is because though the stories may seem so different, they actually provide for us two parties – the twelve and John the Baptist – doing the same thing. More than that, these men are doing the very things we’re called to do and walked down paths that many of us are likely to face.
Therefore, what I want to do this morning is point out what both the twelve and John were doing alike and then see how these things apply to us. The first thing I want to note is that . . .
Now, it’s not hard to see this with the twelve. We read specifically in verses 7-8 that Jesus sent them out, gave them authority, and charged them to follow his specific commands. So, the idea that the twelve are sent by the Lord is easily seen in the text. Also, they were proclaiming the message of the kingdom. We’ll remember that Jesus came saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Well, similarly, we are told that the twelve “went out and proclaimed that people should repent” (6:12). So, they’re preaching the same message Jesus preached. And finally, we see that they were demonstrating the kingdom of God as well.
When God’s kingdom comes in all its fullness, it will be a day when there is no more sickness, no more sin, no more death, no more Satan, etc. Well, the disciples go out with the authority of Christ, demonstrating what the kingdom will be like. Though we live in an age when there is sickness, death, and demon-possession, the twelve, we are told, are casting out demons and healing many who were sick. This is nothing less than a demonstration in this age of what life will look like in the next when sin and its effects will no longer be present. They were sent by the Lord to proclaim and demonstrate the good news of the kingdom of God.
Well, John is doing the same thing. Obviously we know that John was commissioned and sent by the Lord. Mark began his gospel quoting from the Old Testament where the Lord proclaimed that he was sending his messenger forth , and Mark rightly notes that John appeared as this messenger (Mark 1:2-4). He is sent out and commissioned by the Lord. And his message, too, is the same message that Jesus and the twelve were preaching. Jesus and the twelve were telling men to repent in light of the arrival of God’s King and God’s kingdom, and Mark tells us that this is why John had been put in prison earlier?
Mark tells us that as Herod hears of what the disciples are doing, Jesus’ name is gaining greater recognition. Some think is another prophet. Some think he’s Elijah. But Herod thinks that John the Baptist has been raised back to life. And the reason Herod thinks this is because his guilty conscience is controlling him because he had John beheaded earlier.
Now, after telling us that, Mark leaps back in time to walk us through the details of John’s death. And he begins by saying in verses 17-18, “For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’”
Do you see? John had been put in prison because he’d been preaching that Herod should obey God’s commands and needed to repent. It’s the same message as Jesus and the disciples. And I would even argue that John was demonstrating the kingdom of God as well in that John was living a righteous life. In fact, the reason that Herod had imprisoned John and not killed him is because he feared John, “knowing that he was a righteous and holy man” (v. 20). John was demonstrating in his obedience to God’s commands what life under God’s reign is going to look like – there will be holiness.
Now, what we need to realize, though, is that this is not just a neat parallel with them but that we’ve been given the same commands. We have been sent by the Lord to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and to demonstrate it. Many of us know what Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, namely, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And I don’t think that commission was given simply to the group that surrounded Jesus at the time, and here’s why. Notice how long Jesus says that he’ll be with them. He says he’s with them “to the end of the age.” At this point in history, this age has continued almost 2,000 years and counting. Now, even if those listening to Jesus on that day in which he spoke those words were to have lived another seventy years, does it make sense that he would say that he would be with them to the end of the age (which has lasted at this point almost 2,000 years)? I don’t think it does.
I think the reason Jesus said that he would be with his disciples to the end of the age is because he wants us to know that as we carry out this commission, he is with us. And he’ll be with all believers who will ever live as they carry out this mission to the end of the age.
So, if this applies to us – and I believe it does – then, we’ve been sent and commissioned by Christ to go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the gospel. We’re to proclaim the good news of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection and of men’s need to repent and believe. And we also, as we proclaim the gospel, demonstrate what life looks like under God’s reign – that is, we demonstrate the kingdom. This is the reason why, as we preach, we care for the sick, pray for those suffering, care for widows and orphans, and live holy lives. We’re recognizing that the effects of sin are all around us, but we are striving to provide a picture in our lives and actions of what will one day be so that others might get a glimpse of the beauty of the kingdom of God. Like the twelve and John, we too have been sent out by God to proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom of God.
Now, it seems fairly clear that Jesus wanted the twelve to go with a sense of urgency. He told them not to go with a number of things. They were to take relatively few items – and not even an extra tunic. Now, I think Jesus gives these specific instructions to help them feel the urgency of their task. And one reason is because he’s telling them to take the same items that the Lord told the Israelites to take the night of the Passover. In Exodus 12:11 we are told that they should have their sandals and staff and eat in haste. This is perhaps even the reason Jesus tells them that if they are received, they should just stay in that house the whole time they’re in the city. There’s no need to waste time going from house to house or giving the impression that they are just touring the city. There was an urgency to their work.
Similarly, there was an urgency that should be felt by those to whom the twelve went. They couldn’t have the disciples come to them and say, “Well, we’re just not sure what we think about Jesus, so give us a few days.” If they weren’t received, Jesus told them to shake the dust off of their feet – which was a sign of judgment. They did not receive the Lord’s representatives, so they are judged. That carries an idea of urgency.
And the same is true with John. Obviously John went about his life with urgency. We don’t read of him doing anything but preaching it seems. He was an odd guy who was focused. And there was a need for Herod to act urgently as well. In fact, he got himself in trouble because he didn’t act urgently.
He wasn’t sure what he thought of John. He didn’t like him. That’s why he imprisoned him. But he gladly heard him (v. 20). And he feared him (v. 20). That’s why he didn’t kill him. He couldn’t really decide what he thought of John. And it caused him problems.
As he was in limbo, it all came crashing down on him one day. He had a big birthday part with a number of nobles, military commanders, and leading men of Galilee. So, he was showing off. Well, his wife, Herodias, hated John and wanted him dead. So, she sent out her daughter from her first marriage to do a dance and perform for these men. Well, they were all consumed in their drunken lust when Herod blurted out that he’d give the girl whatever she wanted. And when she asked her mom what she should ask for, she said, “The head of John the Baptist” (v. 24).
And in that moment, Herod was trapped. If he didn’t give the girl her request, he’d look like he was a man who broke his word in front of these important people. So, he ordered John’s execution. It was too late. If he’d heeded John’s message, he could have made a stand, but his indecision cost him.
In each case, there is an urgency on the part of the one sent and the one to whom they go. And we should feel the same. We should live our lives with an urgency that keeps the need to proclaim and demonstrate the good news of the kingdom at the forefront of our lives. Now, I don’t mean that we should never sit and take in a basketball game on television or play one ourselves. These can be fine things. But there can be a tendency to lose sight of our mission. There can be a tendency to live with other things as our goals are priorities. We can set our sights on getting a certain house, or promotion, or degree, or spouse, or whatever, and we can make each or all of these things the urgent focus of our lives and lose sight of what Christ has commissioned us to be about. We must not do that. We must always keep the mission at the forefront of our minds in all things.
We must also ensure that those to whom we go feel urgency as well. Now, this doesn’t mean that we force people to make decisions. Sometimes we preach the gospel to individuals and they need to consider, count the cost, and make sure they understand the gospel. Moreover, we can do harm if we force a decision before someone is ready to believe. We’ve done great damage in the church by encouraging someone to pray and prayer and then ensuring them that they’re now saved from God’s wrath when they haven’t actually come to saving faith.
However, the answer is not to then allow them to think they have all the time in the world. Rather, we plead with them to recognize the weight of the situation and feel urgency, even as they count the cost. In fact, if you are an unbeliever today, I’m not going to force you to profess that you believe in Christ if you don’t. But I am going to make clear to you that that wrath of God is on you right now, and that Christ’s judgment is going to come crashing down on you forever in hell if you don’t repent and believe in him. You must feel urgency, even as you hear and count the cost.
And finally, we see that . . .
Some received the disciples and some rejected. I’m sure it was exciting and discouraging to them. And for John, the response he got for doing the exact same thing the twelve were doing is that he was executed. We find acceptance, rejection, and murder in these verses.
And I think that Mark brings these together to remind us, his readers, that we too will receive a variety of responses. We may preach the gospel and it be received warmly. We may preach and people simply reject. We may preach and suffer. We may face ridicule, persecution, or even death. If we were to take all the responses one might get when preaching the gospel and demonstrating the kingdom in our lives, we could find multitudes of examples where people have experienced each of these.
The thing we must see is that we shouldn’t be surprised at any of these responses. Mark’s showing us what it might look like. We might return, as the apostles did, and excitedly report to the church what happened as we proclaimed the truth to some. We might have our fellow believers come and take our body after we’ve been killed as John was. We might live a live similar to John Calvin, or we might face the fate of those five men in Lyons.
And it’s all okay. When people don’t hear the truth from you and reject it or hate you for it, don’t be surprised. Remember John. When even professing believers don’t want to hear the truth, don’t be crippled. This has been the case throughout history. The road we’ve been called to walk is a narrow one, and few walk on it.
Our task, however, is to obey Christ and not obsess with the road others are called to walk. Interestingly, the disciples could have sat back and been paralyzed, asking why they didn’t suffer the same fate as John. The reality, though, is that many of them would. Similarly, Jesus told Peter not to be caught up with what the Lord had ordained for John. Peter, Jesus told him, simply needed to follow Jesus.
So, as we walk, we can expect responses to the message of the kingdom to be good at times and terrible at others. It may even end up in our persecution, ridicule, or death. But if it does, that’s okay. Christ will raise us from the dead. And we might be tempted as we see others obeying Christ and yet facing more or less difficulty to get sidetracked and begin to ask why their calling is different. We might be tempted to ask, “Why haven’t you called them to face the difficulty I’m facing?” or “Why are you calling me to give up what it seems that you are letting them keep?” But the answer of our Lord was proclaimed years ago. What is that to you? You, follow me.
Let our response to that this morning be, “Yes, Lord, we will take up our cross and follow you.” Let us then recognize our calling to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel, let us live with a sense of urgency and communicate that urgency to others, and let us recognize that the responses may be joyous or murderous, but as long as we are united with Christ by faith we are okay. Let us then proclaim that we have heard and received this word as we come to the table this morning. Amen.