For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so
Mark 6:17-19
“It is not lawful for you to have her.” This is the very statement that cost John the Baptist his life. John performed no miracles, wrote no book of Scripture, held no official office, dressed in camels hair, ate locusts, honey, and cried out in the desert, “make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight” (Matt 3:3). He was regarded a lunatic by the religious elite, a prophet by others, yet Jesus elevated him higher still.
In stating “among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matt 11:11), Jesus marked John as perhaps the most noteworthy person, second to Himself, to grace the Earth. As a consequence, John’s martyrdom is arguably the most significant death following Christ’s, and therefore worthy of careful examination. For what supposed thought-crime was John, the greatest prophet, beheaded?
Marriage.
In preparing the way for the Lord, John was compelled by the Holy Spirit to “turn the hearts of the father’s to their children” (Luke 1:17) and ensure “marriage is held in honor by all” (Heb 13:4). His commitment to this message, to our sexual sanctification, was so unpalatable that he, like so many before him, was no longer considered fit to live. John’s merely rebuking an unlawful marriage separated his head from his body, and the greatest prophet went to glory.
As I write articles on the topic of Biblical Marriage, John’s life, and the events surrounding his death in particular, serve as a poignant reminder to us all that discussion of Biblical sex and marriage is not only difficult to receive, divisive, and emotionally charged, but potentially deadly. William Congreve’s famous proverb “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” resonates with John’s experience. When one challenges the unlawful marriage paradigm within our Greco-Roman matriarchal society, and adulterous lovers are denied their romance, murderous anger abounds.
Even Elijah was threatened with murder when he challenged Jezebel, the poster-child manipulative, authority usurping, royal adulteress. After Elijah had valiantly dispatched the Prophets of Baal, she furiously responded “may the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them” (1 Kings 19:2). Yet, here I am, doing precisely that. I am writing this article series to depose Jezebel and her prophets, upend sexual immorality in the West, and smash the Matriarchy in order to restore the original, patriarchal paradigm of the Bible. Late is the hour, the Lord’s return is imminent, and the time has come to rebuild the Patriarchy.
When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.
ISAIAH 4:4-5
The work of the Holy Spirit in us is to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:18). As Disciples of the Messiah, we are charged with the task of “teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you” (Matt 28:20) with the help of the Holy Spirit, no matter the message’s reception by the masses. If it is written, it is “useful for teaching” (2 Tim 3:16-17), and Scripture is hardly silent on sexuality. In fact, the first written commandment in Scripture from God to mankind pertains to a sexual matter, i.e. “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28).
Moreover, Jesus did not shy away from rebuking incorrect marriage doctrines held by His contemporaries. When the Sadducees attempted to discredit the belief in a resurrection by manipulating marriage law, Jesus did not mince words when He responded “you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt 22:29). Likewise, when Christ informed His disciples that essentially all of Jewish culture had misinterpreted and misapplied divorce law (Matt 19:9, Luke 16:18), they responded “if the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry” (Matt 19:10).
I fear that, after completing this article series (soon to be a published book), you may share the same sentiment as the Disciples. It is a difficult task to persuasively articulate to an entire society that their understanding of marriage is fatally flawed, and perhaps harder still for that society to accept the message. Nevertheless, both Jesus and John the Baptist demonstrate to us that the undertaking is well worth our time, even our life, to both discern and subsequently proclaim the truth on the matter.
Each of us are sexual beings by nature, God made male and female to procreate and be creators made in the Image of the Creator. As we walk through the Scriptures together, and the Spirit convicts us of sin, I want to affirm that the I am also guilty of sexual immorality and have needed to repent of my sins. In fact, it was my own immoralities that provoked me to study and be “cleansed by the washing of the Word” (Eph 5:26). My journey through the Word of God on the matter was discouraging at times, and yet, because of the grace of God given through Jesus Christ our Lord, the enlightenment has ultimately resulted in jubilation! Understanding God’s design for sexuality has brought about repentance, a renewed devotion to sexual purity, a passion for upholding proper marital Law, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring my children are spared the woes of engaging in promiscuity.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:3
I am overjoyed to consider the tremendously positive effect that a reformation of our present interpretation of marriage law would have not only upon the Church, but Western civilization as a whole. I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to share this revolutionary work with you, the reader. Whether you are delighted to receive this series, or intend to dismantle it upon completion, you’ve extended to me a great honor by affording me the opportunity to express this truth. Thank you for your prayerful reconsideration of God’s perfect design for marriage as revealed to us in Scripture.
But if I say, “I will not mention his word
Jeremiah 20:9
or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.
