Mark 6:7-30 Good and Evil

First Things: Devotions in Mark’s Gospel

Mark 6:7-30 Good and Evil

In this passage, which begins and ends with the apostles’ mission, we find two things: that Jesus intends that His mission be extended through His followers; and that this mission, by Jesus Himself, and by His followers, will be opposed by evil in this world.

Jesus sends out his twelve disciples on a limited and unique mission. Their authority was unique, and is not a template for the future work of missions. And yet it does make clear that the mission of Jesus would continue on after the earthly life of Jesus, as made clear in the book of Acts. 

But it is the action of Herod that draws our attention. He is caught off guard by the multiplication of stories that he is hearing, about amazing, supernatural events taking place around his region. He has already put John the Baptist to death, and wonders aloud if perhaps John the Baptist has come back from the dead. There is a note of irony here, in that few contemplate even the possibility of such an event, and that event did in fact eventually happen, not with the resurrection of John the Baptist, but rather with Jesus.

“Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man,” (Mark 6:19–20 NAS95)

In this “sandwich” section then, with the apostles’ mission being the “bread,” and the death of John the Baptist being the “meat,” we are “treated” to the details of his execution. The details are provided not for our entertainment, but so that we can see wanton and gratuitous evil at work. This action just doesn’t make sense, and yet, due to Herod’s capricious evil, it actually happened.

The question is, “Why?” It seems that righteousness is always a threat to evil, and that evil people will respond with aggressive initiative against the righteous. The righteous, on the other hand, are to be meek, and so their aggression is not manifested in cruel attacks, but rather in truthful mission.

Is that how it is working out today? Are righteous people marked by meekness, and are they more interested in service and mission than in making arguments against those who oppose them. We are to be “ready to give an answer to those who ask about the hope that we have,” but that is different than trying to out-slander our opponents. Let’s be sure to follow the Jesus-pattern, the New Testament pattern.