By Susanne Maynes, Op-ed contributor
The Church faces a huge crisis today. More and more (mostly) female survivors are courageously speaking out about the sexual abuse they’ve endured from pastors and other spiritual leaders.
One deflection method used by guilty parties is pointing out the sin of other ministers so people won’t detect their own similar behavior. Another is crying, “I’m under demonic attack!” And within these deflections, an evil spirit named after a certain woman often comes up, a name which implies it’s the victim’s fault that she was groomed and manipulated by a man with power over her.
If you’re in Christian circles, you’ve probably heard “Jezebel,” the derogatory label often placed on women who break the spoken or unspoken rules about staying in their place. How did this name become an insult applied to any woman wrongly accused of transgressing a norm? Why is it still so popular? And how can we shift the paradigm away from prejudice against women in the Church?
Broadly speaking, over the last few decades, the term Jezebel could refer to anything, from a woman who wears visible makeup to a woman who is attempting to tear a church apart by morally destroying the pastor or another powerful member. Either way, no woman wants to bear a name with such hideous implications.
What I was taught about Jezebel many times over the years is loosely based on two scripture passages: the story of the actual Queen Jezebel in 1 Kings 18–21 and the false prophetess in the church of Thyatira with the same name in Revelation 2:20–23.
The idea goes something like this: Queen Jezebel, the pagan princess who brought her Baal worship to Israel, used her sexual allure to usurp her husband King Ahab’s authority so she could pursue and wipe out the true prophets of God in Israel: most notably, Elijah.
The false prophetess of the same name in Revelation misled the believers in Thyatira into sexual immorality, which she herself practiced. Blended together, the notion took root that women are susceptible to influence and/or possession by a spirit named Jezebel, which drives them to seek power, seduce men (especially spiritual leaders), and bring whole churches to ruin.
Of course, women can be guilty of the same things men can be, including grasping for control and making immoral choices. The problem of sin is a human problem. However, over the last few decades, a narrative has developed about this certain spirit which allegedly has been at work for thousands of years, driving women to grab at authority which doesn’t belong to them, prodding them to throw themselves at men sexually, and influencing them to rip apart churches with their power-hungry, seductive ways.
I accepted this narrative because I have heard it for years from teachers I trusted. Everyone in my circle accepted it too. Yet we made the mistake of accepting what we were told about the reasons for what we were experiencing without searching the Scriptures for ourselves to validate our conclusions. We also failed to think through the double standard between genders to which the lack of teaching on male spirits should have alerted us.
Why did we never hear of male rapists as having an “Amnon spirit,” or men who illegitimately seize authority as having an “Absolom spirit,” for example?
The Bible background
Let’s look at what Scripture tells us about the stories of the queen and the false prophetess who share the name Jezebel. 1 Kings 16:30–31 indicates King Ahab was already more wicked than any other king of Israel and that his marriage to an idol-worshipping foreigner, Jezebel, merely added to his list of evil deeds.
This queen not only worshiped Baal, she slaughtered God’s prophets (1 Kings 18:4). When she notices her husband sulking about a vineyard which the owner, Naboth, had refused to sell him, Jezebel tells Ahab she’ll take care of it (1 Kings 21:1–7).
She sends letters signed and sealed by Ahab to set up Naboth’s murder, then callously announces to Ahab the evil deed is done (1 Kings 21:8–16). When Ahab goes down to take possession of the vineyard, God sends the prophet Elijah to pronounce curses on both Ahab and Jezebel because Ahab committed murder, and she incited him to do it (1 Kings 21:17–25).
So, Queen Jezebel was a brutal, bloodthirsty, idol-worshipping ancient ruler. However, what’s lacking in this story is evidence of Jezebel using her sexuality to commit any of these sins. The story also says nothing of her usurping Ahab’s authority; she carried out her plan with his full knowledge, and God judged Ahab for murder as much as he judged Jezebel. There was no power struggle; just an unspoken agreement between a wicked king and queen that murder was the answer to the king’s foul mood.
Briefly, the other Jezebel found in Revelation 2:20–23 was guilty of false prophecy, prostitution, adultery and leading believers into sexual immorality.
Scholars debate whether this Jezebel was an individual or a metaphor for Queen Jezebel. John might have been connecting the dots for his readers between the historical queen and the problem of believers being led astray in Thyatira, since the historic Queen Jezebel was an idol worshipper and the sins of the Jezebel in Thyatira boiled down to idolatry as well. [1]
Moving away from the ‘Jezebel spirit’ narrative
How many women do you know who come anywhere near the composite Jezebel we’ve pieced together from these two scripture passages? How many women would you describe as promiscuous, idolatrous, violent, false prophets or teachers whose murderous hands drip with the blood of God’s prophets?
With these questions in mind, how can we shift the narrative on Christians using the “Jezebel spirit” as a way to invalidate and silence women in the Church who are speaking up against false teaching, unethical practices and immoral behavior?
First, we must encourage solid doctrine, critical thinking and rigorous biblical research instead of carte blanche acceptance of popular teachings.
Had I realized that the Bible never refers to a Jezebel spirit, and, in fact, never gives a demon a human name (and thereby a gender), I would have understood much sooner that this teaching is erroneous.
Second, let us consider how Jesus interacted with women and seek to be like Him. Jesus never belittled or blamed women for how others sinned against them. In our Christian communities, let us put aside prejudice and look at one another as the Lord does.
Finally, we must continue to speak out against misogynistic teachings that let one gender off the hook for egregious sin while dehumanizing the other. Continued courage and perseverance are required to shift the paradigm and the power differential from “women are to blame” to “those who sin must be held accountable.” Let’s support one another and not give up.
In these ways, we begin to shift the narrative. Let’s continue working to change the current pattern of church leaders in sin gaslighting courageous whistleblowers with the painfully predictable Jezebel trope. Let’s put a stop to the collateral damage of this false teaching, which has been catastrophic for women in the Church.
To those sisters who suffer unjustly from fear, anxiety, rejection, self-doubt, limitations and the full range of pain that comes from the false teachings about Jezebel, please hear this: You are not a tyrant for using your voice. You are not a seductress for wanting a place at the table. You are not rebellious for pursuing the call of God. You are not hurting the Church by serving with your God-given gifts.
Sister, you are not Jezebel. You are a precious image-bearer of God, you are His beloved daughter, and you are a gift to the Body of Christ.
Notes
[1] See “Dr. Dave Mathewson, Revelation, Lecture 6, Revelation 2 © 2024, Dave Mathewson and Ted Hildebrandt.
Originally published at CBE International.
Susanne Maynes is the author of Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church. She holds a Master of Theological Studies degree and served as director of prophetic ministry for six years at her former church (she currently co-leads a house church with her husband). Susanne offers an original, scholarly research-based workshop on prophetic development to churches and enjoys preaching as opportunities arise, as well as blogging regularly.