Week 6 : Debauchery : A vice to avoid

Read: Matthew 14:1-27

Jesus didn't speak about debauchery, but he did long for some privacy in order to pray after debauchery led to the death of John the Baptist. This happened when the daughter of Herodias, the wife of Herod, danced at his birthday party. Mark said, "She pleased Herod and his dinner guests." As a reward, he offered the girl whatever she wanted. Prompted by her mother, she asked for the head of John, a man who was considered to be a prophet of God.

There can be no doubt that this barbaric beheading shocked Jesus to the core. He dearly wanted to mourn the loss of John, his own dear cousin, by praying in private. Unfortunately this proved to be impossible because when he went off by himself, according to Matthew, "crowds followed him on foot." Putting aside his own needs, he responded compassionately and began healing those who were ill. Then, as the day drew to a close, he miraculously fed all of them with the scant resources at hand.

So busy was Jesus, he had no opportunity to comment on the debauchery that had led to the death of John the Baptist. Yet his reaction suggests he was appalled that the execution resulted from the indulgence of sensual pleasures of Herod and his cronies, who were the living out totally wanton fantasies, which were pleasing yet offensive at the same time. He might have also been concerned that innocence of the young woman had been corrupted when her mother led her into debauchery.

In the same way, people today are offended when they hear about young women being forced into prostitution after being trafficked across international borders. This isn't a massive problem in Australia at the moment, but it does happen. There have been a score court cases in Australia were human trafficking has been alleged. As many as a thousand women may be working here as prostitutes under oppressive contracts. Women from Eastern Europe and Asia are the most likely victims.

Really the prepetrators of human trafficking need to realise that introducing someone to debauchery is just plain wrong. It seems as if those who do this have no morals at all. Take Herod and Herodias, for example. They wanted to kill John the Baptist because he condemned their marriage - Herodias had been married to Herod's brother and her daughter wasa product of that marriage. Whereas they were motivated by a lust for power, human traffickers are motivated by a lust for money.   

One blogger in the United States noted earlier this year, "There is a lot of money in human sex trafficking, which generates an estimated $32 billion dollars annually. It is the fastest-growing criminal activity in the world today. According to a 2005 International Labor Office (ILO) report, a single female held for sexual exploitation yields an average of $67,200 annually in Western Europe and North America." These figures are just shocking.

Pray: Jesus. Please help the victims debauchery and hinder the perpetrators of debauchery. Amen.