“There are no new storylines.” This is what I tell my students. All storylines originate from two sources: The Bible and Greek Mythology. Authors will play “dress up” and outfit a story with new character names, or a new location, but the basic storyline is always there. We were studying “Pyramus and Thisbe” the other day, which was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. But I saw evidence of this truism - no new storylines - in Matthew, one of the books of the Bible, when Herod was manipulated/tempted by Herodias, the woman who ultimately requested John the Baptist’s head on a platter.
The first trope of the storyline is Adam and Eve, when Eve invited? tempted? convinced? - use the word you like - Adam to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. From there, we see the trope appear again and again - Judah and Tamar; Samson and Delilah, and of course, Herod and Mrs. Herod.
The difference between the Adam and Eve situation and Herod and Herodias’s is that sin hadn’t existed in the world yet. The impetus was still (which is a consistent element in the story) selfishness. In this case, the impetus was “I want to be like God.” It was still sin, but not horribly egregious yet because the desire was to be on an even plane with God, not to harm anyone else.
With all the other examples, they were fully saturated - marinated - in sin, meaning there was a slathering of other side sins fueling the action. For example, Herodias’s daughter, was the one providing entertainment for the men at the banquet. Herod was so pleased with her performance; he wanted to reward her. Her mom prompted her to request John the Baptist’s head. Let’s dial it back a bit.
Herodias’s first, real and true husband was Herod’s brother, Phillip. The details aren’t clear, but Herod and Herodias entered into a sinful relationship together. Was she forced? Was it consensual? While we might like to know the deets, it doesn’t matter to God. It’s just sin. Period. Whether voluntary or coerced, Herodias sacrificed everything - for sure her reputation, and possibly, her place in eternity to have earthly power, money and prestige. Could she have known how pivotal that sacrifice was? I believe the answer is yes. Whether they want to admit it or not, humans are made in God’s image, and as such, we are equipped with an innate sense of right and wrong.
In that line of thinking, John the Baptist was a pesky fruit fly at the dinner table of her life, annoying, relentless, and unwanted. His presence was a reminder of her sin, causing her conscience to be inflamed by his condemnation. If he was just gone, or would just shut up, she could ignore the inflammation and carry on.
Second, Herodias was more than likely, vain. I mean, two dudes had desired her. She knew she was a hot property. . .until she wasn’t. I’m sure it chapped her hide that her daughter had been invited to dance for the men, and not her. I think it’s safe to infer that her vanity and pride were both hurt. It was a reminder that she was getting old and no longer at the hot property level she once was. And on top it, that pest, John the Baptist, and. his message of sin and repentance, just added fuel to her already persistent internal inflammation. I imagine her thinking, “I sacrificed everything for it to end like THIS?!” A woman scorned is a dangerous women, as John the Baptist, sadly, found out.
I think the cautionary message here is that any one sin is NOT isolated. A sinful thought and/or action is usually “bundled” with other sin, thanks to the Fall. Selfishness was always a common theme; but after the Fall, it become a theme with multiple levels of complications called sin. This is what makes it all the more destructive and dangerous.
What’s the end game here? There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that this is a storyline that is going to continue until Christ returns. Mindlessly, blindly, inattentively following my impulses and emotions is going to get me in a heap of trouble very quickly. And I certainly do not want to become the new villain of an age-old, sin-infused storyline on repeat.
The good news is that there is a way keep the damage to a minimum, and that is to keep one’s relationship with Christ a top priority. If I keep Christ close - like, so close that I see only Him, I learn His heart to an exponential degree so that He is the filter through which all thoughts and decisions pass. Not only does this help me to be more mindful - paying attention to my impulses and drilling down to my real motivation; it also ensures that my decisions and action reflect a God-like focus, and not a selfish one. It’s not a perfect plan, because while I am on this earth, I will never be perfect, but it’s better than the alternative.
So back to the original statement: “There are no new storylines.” Praise God, there aren’t, because at the end of humanity’s earthly story, the ending is clear, certain, and happy. There is victory, eternity, and even a white horse. And in the end, the Good Guy wins.
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