The Two Jezebels

3Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4they said to Him, “Teacher,this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5“Now Moses, in the law, commanded us dthat such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, fas though He did not hear. 7So when they continued asking Him, He graised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.10When Jesus had raised Himself up iand saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go kand sin no more.”
John 8: 3 - 11 NKJV


A friend brought a article to my attention this week which caught my interest.  This article was bemoaning the fact that our society as a whole had become more and more deprived of its morality over the years.  Tell me something I don't already know.  At the center of this article is the biblical personality of Jezebel, who in Revelation 2 is at the center of false teachings in the early church of Jesus.  Now, the symbolism of her name is not lost on most, as in the book of Kings, Jezebel was also the wife of king Ahab who encouraged him to abandon the peoples worship of the Lord and choose to worship baal instead.  So, here we have a tale of two Jezebels.  The similarity is that each of these false teachers chose to encourage others to abandon our Lord in some way.  Now, one of the main cruxes of this article was that a increasingly large number of our leaders had fallen into sin.  Not only our nations leaders, but our own christian leadership as well.  Again, tell me something I don't already know.  Just this past year we have been witness to numerous stories splashed across the headlines that tell of various prominent men behaving badly with women in the workplace.  Now, I'm not foolish enough to believe that this is something new we are experiencing.  No, I think we are only seeing the tip of that iceberg.  For we men have been doing many antics and monkey shines in the presence of women for our own enjoyment for generations.  It is only now that more than a few of our victims have risen up and said ENOUGH!  I say more power to them.  Our mantle of leadership as men does not guarantee us the right to abuse others for our own enjoyment.  Trust me, I've been in those shoes myself.  We live in a society where a simple click of a computer mouse will bring forth millions of images of women there for our pleasure.  So tell me, what does this ultimately do to those relationships with the real women in our lives?  Well, I can tell you from firsthand experience that it can be a ticking timebomb.  The statistics of our rampant divorce rates and single parent homes bear witness to this more than ever.  Oh Jezebel, what shall we do?

6If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1: 6 - 9 NKJV

So, what is it that the modern day Jezebel have us do about this lack of morals?  Well, according to this article she would give us a green light to do as we please.  Remember, the Jezebel of the new testament was into false teachings.  So much so that she was given a opportunity to repent of her teachings to the early church.  Want to look at that woman online, Jezebel would be ok with that.  Need a secret companion on the side?  Jezebel would encourage that.  Who wouldn't follow such a church leader?  Well, me for one.  See, people tend to take alot of time on the old testament teachings that God is a jealous God and that He has no place in His presence for sinners.  This, of course, is bull.  If my Lord indeed was a jealous and unforgiving God, then my fate would be sealed already.  Not only mine, but that of so many around me.  However, we are assured that not only is love His very nature, but that Christ Jesus took our sin penalty on Himself that we would be saved.  Despite the many efforts of the institutional church to combat this worldwide problem, it continues to grow.  There is no reminder of sin, public shaming or accountability that will ultimately cure us of this issue.  Believe me, I've tried.  I've found that what does work is realizing in our own hearts that if we have accepted Christ then we are no longer stained by our own sins.  In fact, we are now dead to them {Romans 6:11}.  It is Jesus who has whispered to us "Neither do I condemn you."

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.7For he who has died has been bfreed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

~Scott~