Seriously Dangerous - October 3, 2010

Daily Lectionary for October 3, 2010
Psalm 57
Hosea 5:8-6:6
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Matthew 14:1-12

Matthew 14:1-12
The strange tale of the demise of John the Baptist.  My hearing of this passage is always flavored by my memories of one of those biblical costume epics that portrays the sequence of events presented here.  It's a story that I find myself putting in a place separate from the mission and ministry of Jesus which misses a big point of this story - this is dangerous stuff.  John was out in the wilderness for a variety of reasons, but one of those reasons was it was safer for him out there.  He said things that put him at odds with the religious authorities and here he clearly got on the wrong side of Herod.  And clearly it doesn't take long for Jesus to hear about what has happened which means the consequences of being on the wrong side of the religious leaders and the secular leaders is strikingly obvious to him as well.  And to his disciples.

Preached today on...
Luke 17:5-10 and the disciples request to Jesus, "Increase our faith."  It's a stellar request on their part.  Coming on the heels of vs. 1-5 they might well have asked, "Decrease our responsibility", but rather than get cold feet or want to back out they seek what they know they will need - more faith.  When things are especially difficult "increase our faith" can make a great prayer for us as we try to find our way forward.