How to make decisions under pressure

Rev Gideon Lee

Our passage this morning is from

Mark 6:14-29. But let us look at a few verses before that. Let's read from verse 6 in the same chapter.

Mark 6:6-13

6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

6:7-11pp – Mt 10:1, 9-14; Lk 9:1, 3-5

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff–no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Mark 6:14-29

John the Baptist Beheaded

6:14-29pp – Mt 14:1-12 6:14-16pp - Lk 9:7-9

14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled;yet he liked to listen to him.

21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Who is Jesus to you? Some back then thought Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead.

We all know the story. We see Herod heard about all the great things Jesus has done. What Jesus had done was almost similar to what John the Baptist had done. That's why he thought Jesus was John the Baptist reincarnated. There are some things we can learn from this passage. I want to talk about how we can handle life's pressure. Or how to make decisions under pressure.

Some of us make decisions easily while some of us grapple with issues. All of us make a decision to come to church this morning. Maybe you feel pressured to come to church. I hope not.

Herod had to make a decision but he had to grapple with outside influence. Herodias's daughter danced before King Herod and Herod made a promise to give this girl up to half his kingdom.

Herodias held a grudge on John the Baptist  because he told Herod he cannot marry his brother's wife. That's why she bear a grudge against John. She tried so hard to get rid of John the Baptist but she couldn't do so. Why? Because King Herod protected him. We know he was a terrible king and not a believer but he knew John the Baptist was a holy man.

Herodias was cunning and devised this by asking the daughter to dance. So when the daughter asked the mother she wanted the head of John the Baptist. He made the promise in haste and because it was made in public he had to fulfill his promise.

This morning I want to talk about making decisions under pressure. I hope all of us can learn from someone's mistake.

1. Don't forget the real issue

There was once two brothers both Christians. One was a lawyer and the other younger brother was involved in civil rights. This was when the churches have opened up for the blacks. There was liberty and no more segregation. This brother was fighting for the rights for anyone to go to any church.

He wanted some legal help and asked his brother to help him. The brother was not concerned about all this. He says I will follow Jesus to the cross but it is his cross and he must carry it. The younger brother said you are an admirer of Jesus but not his disciples.

The real issue was that the younger brother was someone he could trust but his brother was just an admirer and not a disciple. We are not admirers. We are his disciples.

What was the real issue with King Herod? What was his problem?

He married his brother's wife. Instead of correcting the issue what did he do? The real issue was that Herodias held a grudge against John the Baptist. The real issue was his wife. An innocent man's life was lost. He was pressured into making a wrong decision.

He should have dealt with his wife and not about John the Baptist. We are talking about something called peer pressure.

What is peer pressure? Doing something you didn't want because of peer pressure. Like drinking when your friends pressure you.

2. Don't promise something you can't keep

King Herod made an oath. He didn't want John the Baptist dead. By putting him in prison, it was one of the ways to keep him alive. He doesn't want to kill him. Some scholars said she probably danced a very provocative dance. He may not even know this was his step daughter.

How many of you met a salesman that promises you heaven and earth? Only to find out he can't deliver heaven or earth.

In Malaysia we have what we call rubber time. Maybe because we produce rubber. If I tell Joshua I'll be there at 9, what do we say? I should be there by 9 right? We always say we're on the way. So now I always ask exactly where are you? Sometimes we over commit. This is a simple example.

Often we take the easy way out without thinking of the consequences. Like we sometimes ask what do you want for lunch, we often say anything. But we cannot do that with some important decisions.

3. Don't be pressured by others

There was once a pastor and someone was interviewing him. And he was asked how was his week. And he said in that week he heard these. A mother said his son put him under tremendous pressure because he cannot satisfy him. Really reminds me of a son who demands the latest smartphone, or playstation.

Or like a parent who pressured their child to take on their parent's business. Or this example I saw from an advertisement. A father asked her daughter why she dropped out of medical college because she wanted to pursue the arts. The father asked her he thought she wanted to pursue medicine. She said that’s not me, that's what you wanted. Or a college boy who wants his girlfriend to move in with him.

In a week this was what the pastor faced. All these people have one thing in common. They were all pressured by someone.

Certain amount of encouragement is good. But when encouragement becomes insist, it becomes negative pressure.

The word transform in the Bible is metamorphosis. When a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. Before we accepted Jesus, we're like that caterpillar, not beautiful. Allow God to shape us and be transformed into something beautiful.

There was this lady who has many beautiful garden. She cared for her garden and many creatures goes to the garden. Like butterflies and they lay some eggs and become caterpillars. And they only have two jobs. Eat and poop. They started to infest a pot of plants. And what did the lady did? We would have killed them. But she let the caterpillars grow because she knows they'll be beautiful one day.

The day came and they became butterflies. She watched the process. The shriveled wings took some time to open up. So she tried to help the butterfly and cut a slit so that the butterfly can come out but those she helped the wings remained shriveled up. She learnt an important lesson.

God intended the butterfly to struggle coming out so that blood will go into the wings and they open up. What I'm saying is that sometimes we go through struggles so that our faith is strengthened and our wings will open up.

So if you are under pressure in making decisions remember these few points.

1. Don't forget the real issue
2. Don't promise something you can't keep
3. Don't be pressured by others