And Herodias had a grudge against [John the Baptist] and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. Mark 6:19-20a ESV1
Read Matthew 14:1-12 & Mark 6:14-29
I am a woman who is more than fifty years old. I am a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother, and a friend to other females. I have spent decades of my life ministering to women. In all these years of being a woman and interacting with women, I have discovered that we are powerful creatures.
God has given the woman a marked capability that has the potential of being used for good or for evil. This endowment can be used to tear down or build up. It can be used to give life or bring death. The women we will consider in today’s text used their God-given female power to destroy.
“Herod … sent and seized John [the Baptist] and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly” (Mark 6:17-20).
“But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.’ And he vowed to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.’ And she went out and said to her mother, ‘For what should I ask?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother” (Mark 6:21-28).
Herod, Herodias, and Salome are mentioned in the Bible because of their role in the death of John the Baptist. History provides other information about this messed-up family.
“Herod Antipas (the “King Herod” of Mark 6:14) had divorced his wife and married Herodias, who was the wife of his half-brother Philip (Mark 6:17). However, Herodias herself was the daughter of another of Herod’s half-brothers, Aristobulus, making her not only the wife but the niece of both Philip and Herod—and a sister-in-law of Herod. Salome was Herodias’s daughter through Philip. Thus, Salome was the daughter (and grandniece) of Philip and the step-daughter (and grandniece by marriage) of Herod; she was also both daughter and grandniece to her own mother. When Herodias came to live with Herod Antipas, Salome came with her … John the Baptist had publicly criticized King Herod for his divorce and remarriage to his niece/sister-in-law, and Herodias was enraged. Herod Antipas had John thrown into prison to placate his wife/niece/sister-in-law, Herodias … According to Josephus [the Jewish historian], the two fell in love and made plans to get married while Antipas was visiting with his brother Philip … Though Salome is not mentioned by name in the biblical record, the historian Josephus tells us her name.” 2
From this Biblical account and what is recorded in history about her, we can safely conclude that Herodias was a homewrecker and heart breaker. She was a manipulator and a controller. Herodias would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. She was vicious enough to put fear in the heart of a very mighty man, a king. Herodias had probably learned her behavior from observing and possibly being subject to the wrathful actions of another, perhaps her mother. Herodias passed on what she knew to her daughter, Salome.
The misuse of sex-specific strengths was never God’s intention. God gave man more physical power than He gave woman; the average man is physically stronger than the average woman. God gave man the physical endowment necessary to provide for, to care for, and protect His creation. When God made man, He saw what He had created and declared it very good. But man, by himself, was not complete. “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’” (Genesis 2:18). God then made woman and gave her everything man needed to make humankind whole together. Man and woman were designed to be mutually beneficial to one another, both using their God-given strength for the good of the other and, in turn, all of humanity.
To make mankind complete, God created the female with a power that is versatile and adaptable.
A woman’s strength includes verbal abilities a man does not possess.
You have probably heard the statistic claiming that women speak thousands of more words in a day than men. There have been several studies conducted trying to determine if this is indeed true. The findings of those studies have been published in scientific journals. An article published on Psychology Today’s website, www.psychologytoday.com, entitled “Sex Differences in Talkativeness,”3 gives an overview of many such studies. Though it seems that women on average speak an insignificant number more words than men, what is clear is that women’s words are far more relational than men’s language.
“Women talk differently than men, especially that women talk about different things, and in different ways than men do … Women … enjoy talking … Women are more verbally aggressive than men … Among friends, women tend to gossip more about physical appearance, whereas men gossip more about achievement … [When it comes to romantic relationships,] women’s satisfaction is more dependent on whether [her] mate withdraws from verbal interaction … Women have better verbal abilities in some domains … For instance, women tend to be better at spelling, language ability, grammatical usage, and verbal memory … Women [are] much more talkative than men, especially when physically close and in small groups … On average, girls were slightly more talkative than boys, … mothers talked more with their children than fathers, … women were much more talkative in studies of classmates …, and women were a tiny bit more talkative among friends … Women outnumber and are more socially active than men on social networking sites … [And] women talk more in the privacy of home.”3
In addition to verbal abilities, God gave women a unique strength in the area of endurance.
“A review of existing studies published … in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, … indicates that women are more resistant to muscle fatigue than men during long efforts … Women were able to perform a task until failure almost three times longer than men … This is due largely to two factors. The first is the difference in muscle properties between the sexes—women have a greater number of fatigue-resistant fibers, which are utilized during sustained low-intensity exercise, while men have faster-contracting fibers, which are better for powerful short movements. The second factor is blood flow: men have larger muscles that demand more blood, so their hearts have to work harder.
‘Women have smaller muscles, but their muscles don’t tire as quickly.’ … If a man and a woman put the same amount of effort into a long, slow physical task—one that mostly involves muscle endurance or is more skill-based—the woman will take longer to fatigue … Other research indicates that women are faster to recover from physical exertion than men, regardless of the intensity of the effort.
Female endurance athletes also have a metabolic edge, by deriving more of their energy from fat, compared with males, when performing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. This is a distinct advantage in longer events because fat is a slower-burning fuel than carbohydrates. While men must consume calories hourly, if not more frequently—an action that itself requires more energy than simply metabolizing available fat—women can keep trucking along.”4
We don’t need scientific studies to tell us that women possess an ability that stems from their beauty and sexuality.
Advertisers have been using the beauty of women to sell their products for years. Since nearly the beginning of time, others, in a far less dignified and sometimes illegal way, have been making money off of the desires of men as they pertain to the sexuality of women. Women have also been known to use their own sexuality to manipulate men. In the passage above, by her own decision or due to the pressure of others, I believe Salome used this power to mesmerize and entice her audience. I don’t imagine a group of ungodly, powerful, partying men would have been so pleased with a ballet performance. I doubt a king would have been so elated by the rhythmic clacking of a tap dancer to have offered half of his kingdom as payment.
I could also comment on specific female strengths in areas such as emotions, creativity, and nurturing, but this article is already getting long. Others have competently discussed these and other powers of womanhood. A poem entitled “What Rules the World,” by William Ross Wallace includes the often-quoted line, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” Wallace’s poem praises motherhood as the foremost power for changing the world. It was William Golding who said, “Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.”5
Women can use their incredible God-given power to make or break, particularly, their families. “The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down” (Proverbs 14:1). A woman can use her emotions and her words to understand and encourage, or she can use them to manipulate and berate others. She can use her creativity and endurance to add to the fortune of her family or to make a selfish gain. She can use her beauty and her sexuality to bless and give life or–through inappropriate sensuality–entice and destroy.
It is not surprising, with so much power available to be used for good or evil, that Satan searched for an opportunity to mess up God’s plan. In the Garden of Eden, Satan began manipulating the strengths of both the woman and the man using them to harm instead of complement. Even before sin entered the world, it seems that humans had the propensity to be self-focused. That was where Satan found his entrance and began to wreck the wonderful system God had established. The woman, wanting more control, believed the Devil when he said “‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:4b-5). And the man, abdicating his responsibility, though he was right there with the woman, didn’t protect her or stand up to her. Instead, he let the serpent talk his wife into disobeying God and then took the fruit and ate of it himself (see Genesis 3:6). Humanity has been suffering ever since.
If a man uses his physical strength to control a woman, we call it abuse, and we use the full extent of the Law to hold him accountable for it. And rightly so! But if a woman uses her feminine powers to manipulate and control, we, in our anything-a-man-can-do-a-woman-can-do-better society, are more likely to say, “You go, Girl!” That attitude is straight from the heart of the Devil. I believe women need to be held accountable for using their abilities to harm; their abuse of their power has left as many damaged souls as a man’s abuse of his strength has left damaged bodies, minds, property, etc.
Not all men appropriately use their God-given strength. I know that some of the women reading this have been victims of the misuse of a man’s power. This makes the proper use of feminine power even more difficult. But that is but one place where faith can bring healing. With God as a Heavenly Father and Jesus as a Heavenly Husband, all who have been hurt have the opportunity to experience perfect love. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18a).
But there are many good men. I believe if a woman loves a good man more than he deserves, he will become a great man. But if she loves him conditionally or less than he deserves, he is more apt to become either hard and angry or soft and useless. No one wins in either of those scenarios.
Salome impressed a king and was offered up to half of a kingdom. Because of vindictiveness, she ended up with a severed head on a platter. Think of the lost opportunity on her part. If she would have acted more wisely, what could she have acquired for herself?
Time and time again, I have seen a man, impressed with a woman, offer her dual rulership in his “kingdom” but, because of the improper use of power, he ends up being emasculated, and she ends up with dead dreams. He may physically have his head, but he is a shell of the man he could have been. She may wear the pants in the family, but she isn’t satisfied. Neither of them is happy. It is like my good friend has said, “You can’t have everything you want and end up having anything you really want.”
By default, of the sinful nature, women tend to try to get the upper hand, and men seem to settle for taking the easy way out. But it doesn’t have to be that way, especially for those of us who know Jesus as Savior. Jesus came and broke the power of sin and of the curse that was placed upon mankind. And the Holy Spirit is available to give Believers the ability to walk according to God’s original plan. Rightly applied, men need the power God gave women, and women benefit from the strength God gave men. May we, as Christians, take advantage of the help of God to use the power He has given each of us in the way He intended. And may we teach the next generation to do the same.
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.
2 https://www.gotquestions.org/Salome-in-the-Bible.html
3https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sexual-personalities/201603/sex-differences-in-talkativeness
4https://www.outsideonline.com/2169856/longer-race-stronger-we-get