Presbyterian Devotions: Puzzling Preacher

Mark 6:20b         When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

There’s a story told about a Protestant pastor who was arrested by the Gestapo in Nazi Germany. As well as being tortured and interrogated, he was also summoned into the presence of Hitler to talk about faith and theology. On each occasion, the pastor was so terrified that he could hardly say anything. Years later, when the war ended, he regretted the fact that he didn’t use his faith to make the evil dictator change his course. Hitler had appeared ready to listen, but the pastor couldn’t get over his fear.

It appears that Herod, the cruel king of Judah, was also willing to listen to a preacher. From the Gospels we learn that Herod liked to listen to John the Baptist, but was greatly puzzled by what he had to say. John must have challenged Herod’s thinking and stirred his conscience in ways that other men could not. Herod was so used to having his own way on his own terms that John’s words were so different. The preacher was telling the king to repent and this puzzled Herod because he ruled absolutely and had no trouble with his decisions. But there was something in John’s preaching that left him troubled and unsettled, possibly because Herod came up against direct honesty for the first time in his life.

I read a survey this morning from the Pew Research Council which seems to reveal that young people between the ages of 18-29 believe in God, but that they have no need for institutionalized religion or preachers. It makes me wonder what kind of faith that they really have (or don’t have). I know that Christ, the Holy Son of God, still went to worship in traditional institutionalized faith gatherings each week. I also know that it was His preaching that changed the world and that after Pentecost, all the remaining disciples became preachers. They shook up the world and, I firmly believe, they are still capable of doing that today.

Prayer:                 Lord Jesus, we thank You for the gift of preaching and for the preachers who have influenced our lives, affected our ways, and challenged our ideas. We pray that You will raise up a new generation of young preachers who can relate to their peers in honest, direct, and challenging ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s drawing of a bluebird and is called “First of Spring.” It’s part of his bird series which you can view online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/sets/72157623366524553/detail/