For those of you who are science fiction nerds, you will know that when asked “What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?” the supercomputer in Douglas Adams' “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” answers, “42.” The computer is not able to elaborate; it just knows that the answer is 42. Why is 42 the answer? We do not know; it remains a secret.
Similarly, when I asked my high school pal, Joel, “What is the meaning of life?” he confidentially responded, “Bean burritos.”
“I hope not!” my mother quipped when I relayed the story.
Even though “the meaning of life” seems to be vague and allusive, God seems to like revealing truth more than remaining in the shadows. God seems to like coming down to us, rather than hiding far above. God does not keep “the meaning of life” a secret to those who follow.
In fact, it is revealed to us right in the letter to the Ephesians. Through the scriptures you are taught that, “With all wisdom and insight 9[God] has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (NRSV, Ephesians 1:9-10).
What is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of it all? It is for all things in creation to be gathered up together in God.
This should be no surprise to us! We see this clearly on the cross. Jesus extends his arms wide through suffering, to gather everything and everyone to him, through the love of the cross.
As followers of Jesus Christ, why are we here? To gather everything together in love.
Just think about it. Jesus’ healing ministry gathers people near him to be healed and made whole, just as God wanted them to be. Jesus’ forgiveness on the cross gets rid of the sin, the wrongs, and the divisions, that divide us. The forgiveness of the cross allows us to live together again with each other and with God. When Jesus fed the 5,000, it was a gathering of many, many people on the green pastures of God’s kingdom in order to be fed by the one who draws all creation together.
And, you have been gathered by Christ Jesus too. You have been drawn to Jesus and adopted into the eternal family of God. Ephesians continues,
“11In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory” (NRSV, Ephesians 9:11-12).
Would you like that in simpler terms? I have to admit, I need it in simpler terms. You might be smarter than me...actually I
know you are. I once thought of a smart…wait,
keep me on track.
For those of you who are like me, here it goes. The Bible teaches that we are adopted children of God, not because we earned it but because God wanted it that way.
Further, as adopted children, we do things together that eternal families do. If God wants to draw all creation together in love, then we desire that too. And doing that is what lifts Jesus up for all to see. We believe in Christ, so, we live like Christ.
Gathering all things together in love is the meaning of life for Christians.
Now, I wanted you to understand that clearly before we dug into this story from Mark about Herod and his family because it is easy to be distracted from our purpose when the powerful become involved.
Remember from last week that Jesus has just sent his disciples to minister to people in the same ways that he does…casting out demons, healing, and preaching the good news of God. In other words, they are sent to gather to God all who have been pushed away by illness, or evil. And, they will soon return to Jesus astounded that their ministry actually worked! People were healed and came to believe. People were gathered back together because of God’s love.
But, right in the middle of the disciples leaving to minister, and the fulfilling their purpose in life, you find the story of Herod; the story of how the forces of the world can make our ministry go all wrong.
You see, John the Baptist also taught the truth. He also desired everyone to repent…to think in a different way than the world thinks, and to be drawn back to God. But, sometimes this word of truth is too hard for the world to hear.
In Herod’s case, Herod had created a disjointed, family mess by marrying his brother’s wife (his brother was not dead by the way). His brother’s wife also happened to be Herod’s own niece.
That sounds more hillbilly to me than royal, but that is just me.
This arrangement broke at least 3 laws from God. The guy married someone who belonged to another, he married inappropriate kin, and his new wife, Herodias, wrote a certificate of divorce to make it all happen, which also is not allowed.
But, bigger than breaking laws, Herod had broken the spirit of the meaning of life: to draw all things together. Through his marital indiscretion everything and everyone in his family was being pushed apart.
You know how this works. You all have families. You all have the relative who either divorces a spouse who was beloved by all, and then asks you not to have any contact with them, or you have a relative who hates someone you love and the relative gives you an ultimatum that you either side with them or hit the road.
You have seen the numerous ways that sin pushes us all apart rather than drawing us together. I once had an aunt who…wait, keep me on track.
You did not need to know about my aunt. But, what you do need to know is that preaching this word of truth did not turn out too well for John the Baptist. There will always be people who call evil what is good, and make what is right look wrong.
Interestingly, if you read close you will see that Herod was not all that disturbed by John’s word of truth. It was Herodias, his new wife, who had the problem. In retribution, and through the manipulation of a young girl who is just trying to please everyone with her dancing and please her mother, Herodias convinces Herod to kill John the Baptist. John the Baptist ends up with his head on a platter and that is the end of his story.
But, it is not the end of “the story.”
Remember, the story of Herod was a disruption to the story of the disciples going out and ministering as Jesus instructed. The story of Herod and John the Baptist is an example of the dangers that come when fulfilling the purposes of God. Though the disciples are amazed at how great living out the purpose of God can be; healing many, many people and bringing them the good news; the story is a stark reminder that the world does not always like God’s purpose.
The world does not necessarily want all creation to be drawn together in love.
It might go against corporate interests to care too much.
It might go against individual vendettas to love too much.
It might go against political will to care for the wrong people.
Following God’s purpose, following Jesus Christ, doing the things that he did and caring about those that he cared about might land your head on a platter or your body on a cross. In the least it might land a pastor without a pulpit or a parishioner without a job or a friend.
The world likes its own purposes. The world thrives on pushing apart in order to gain success. The world does not want to know our not so secret, secret. The world does not care about the meaning of life. The world does not care about God’s “plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things…things in heaven and things on earth.” The world would rather that we just throw up our hands and nonsensically say that the meaning of life is “42” or “bean burritos.” I like burritos by the way, especially when you pour some red…wait keep me on track.
Actually, we ask Christ to keep us all on track; to remind us that we are not people of the world.
You are not of the world. You are in the world, but you are not of it. You are a people who know the truth as revealed by God in the scriptures. God intends to save. God intends for resurrection to disrupt the power of death. God intends that enemies be gathered as friends. God intends that those of you who are excluded be drawn into a heavenly family. God intends the poor and the rich to eat together at the same table. God intends for there to be no distinctions between people, rather, that we are all one in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God intends “to gather up all things in him.”
God intends to gather everything and everyone together in love.
Never forget, nothing in all creation stopped Jesus from gathering us all together through the power of his cross and resurrection. And, nothing in all creation can separate us from the purpose of gathering everything and everyone together in love through in Jesus Christ our Lord.
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