Why did John the Baptist say, "It is not lawful" to Herod? The Setting the Scene Matthew 14:3-4 explains, “Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been telling him, ‘It is not lawful for you to have her.’” Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, divorced his first wife and entered a relationship with Herodias, who had been married to Herod’s half-brother Philip. John publicly confronted this arrangement. Herod’s Illicit Union Why was the relationship wrong? Scripture identifies several overlapping violations: • Adultery – Herod and Herodias abandoned their covenant spouses (compare Matthew 19:6; Malachi 2:16). • Incestuous marriage – Under God’s law, marrying a brother’s wife while the brother still lived was forbidden. • Leviticus 18:16: “You must not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.” • Leviticus 20:21: “If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is impurity.” • Unlawful divorce – Herod dismissed his wife without biblical grounds, then “married” another (Matthew 19:9). The Divine Standard John Applied John’s rebuke flowed from an unwavering commitment to God’s revealed law: • God’s moral instructions apply to rulers and commoners alike (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). • Prophets historically called kings to account—think of Nathan with David (2 Samuel 12) or Elijah with Ahab (1 Kings 18). • John, “filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15), stood in that prophetic stream, measuring Herod by the Torah’s clear commands. John’s Bold Prophetic Role • He prepared the way for the Messiah by calling everyone, including political leaders, to repentance (Matthew 3:1-6). • His courage cost him earthly freedom and eventually his life (Matthew 14:10), yet his witness remained uncompromised. • Mark 6:18 echoes the continuous nature of his warning: “John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’” The verb tense shows a persistent, not a one-time, confrontation. Why “It Is Not Lawful” Matters Today • God’s standards for marriage are timeless; cultural power or popularity cannot redefine what He has set in place (Matthew 19:4-6). • Believers are called to speak truth in love, even when that truth challenges influential figures (Ephesians 4:15; Acts 5:29). • John’s example reminds us that fidelity to Scripture sometimes brings opposition, yet faithfulness honors God and points others to genuine repentance and life. |
    |