Jesus had some surprising things to say to his listeners.
Adultery of the heart
When your being lusts for a woman, your being in that period is what you think. In other words, if you would if you could, then, really, you did.
As James Boice observes, "According to Jesus, lust is the equivalent of adultery, just as anger is the equivalent of murder" [EY.r3].
In God's eyes, your being is doing the deed, regardless of the fact that you are physically and psychologically restrained. God sees you as doing and being what you desire to be: an adulterer.
The basic point is not about what kind of sex is not OK. The Lord is talking about you following through in your heart with someone you believe is off limits, something you have been taught is wrong. This doesn't mean there might not be exceptions to the rule against infidelity such as occur during war and natural catastrophes. The point is that you are what you think. As a man thinks, so is he. (Paraphrase of Proverb 23:7.)
So, don't think you don't need forgiveness. Haven't you sullied your spirit by aching to do something sexually illicit? If not, what about angry outbursts? Those stem from fear, which is to say, sin (Matthew 5:22-24).
When the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together in brotherly
love, that was God's decision. That blending was not a sexual thing at
all. But when you force your wife to commit adultery, your soul is
indecently mingled with that of another man. And, of course, in
today's world, a woman may easily initiate divorce and
prompt her husband to remarry, pushing him into adultery such that his
first wife's soul is mingled with that of his second wife.
An important observation is that in ancient Judea, a man who divorced his wife generally gave her no choice but to marry, or cohabit, with a man who would support her. She had few rights.
In any case, Jesus is saying that no one should think he or she has no sin and needs no forgiveness. We so often are so very blind to the impact of our misdeeds on others! Who among you had considered the possibility of obscene mingling of souls?
At this point, we remark that a born-again person is not only infused by the Spirit of Jesus but also cloaked in that Spirit. The spouse's soul – even if not born-again and even if not present under ideal circumstances – is made right, at least for the time being.
Pluck out your eye?
The composer of the Sermon on the Mount, where this saying is found, places Jesus' rather tough eye and hand teaching immediately after the counsel on adultery of the heart and immediately before Jesus' strong words against divorce, which he regards as likely to lead to adultery. So one might at first think Jesus is urging those who cast a lustful eye on a woman to gouge it out. Or maybe to chop off a hand before filing for divorce, Very possibly the sermon's composer placed verse 29 where it is because it seemed to fit with these seemingly draconian teachings.
In any case, Jesus is using traditional hyperbolic metaphor to get across a point: If you have a behavioral defect that you can't stand, DO something about it. Get radical, man! Go to any lengths to rid yourself of a character flaw that could drag you down to hell.
Notice that the metaphor covers eye and hand. In other words, something drastic must be done about your mind and your behavior.
Well, excellent advice – except that if people could do that, many would! So I again suggest that we read Jesus' words to mean, Don't say you don't sin. In God's eyes, you do. So you need to do something drastic to be delivered out of your bondage and peril. That something is: Trust Jesus.
Sure, we know that the full impact of Jesus' teachings would not become evident until after his resurrection. His teachings were time bombs set to go off once he had risen. But now that he is risen, let's get the grace that is implied in these teachings. Let's get a closer walk with him.
All through the gospel accounts, Jesus is imploring people to turn away from sin and sorrow and toward him, so that they may be saved. That could be a costly move. In fact, Jesus says, expect persecution. The world will hate you. Satan will sift you. Yet, verses 29 and 30 say to us:
Soul thrown in hell?
One would think that Jesus is urging you to be severely austere with yourself in order to avoid hellfire. Yet, I suggest, the import of the saying is that people should face the fact that, no matter how scrupulous they try to be, they have sinned and continue to sin.
That's why they need the Savior! No one can possibly meet God's perfect standard of purity – except Jesus who, after uttering these words, would go on to pay the penalty of our sin with his death on the cross.
Now that doesn't mean that the Law is void. Far from it! The Old Testament law is inferior to God's perfect, pure-hearted, sinless standard. Even if someone could keep the Jewish law in all its details, the Old Testament Scripture that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" would still hold – because God's standard is perfect love, not rough social "justice."
Jesus here is saying that God's high standard exceeds that of the Mosaic law as interpreted by the scribes. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 permits divorce if a man has found "some uncleanness" in his wife but requires him to safeguard her status by giving her a written notice of divorce. "Some uncleanness" was taken to mean almost any reason.
If Jesus' view of divorce seems a superhuman goal, it is. Only with supernatural, divine power can anyone begin to walk the path down which Jesus walks ahead of us.
The impossibility of such purity concerned his disciples, who responded to him by saying that it is not a good idea to marry. His answer: "All men cannot accept that idea, except those to whom it is given." (Matthew 19:10-11)
Yet, even in the case of adultery, we know that Jesus favors forgiveness. We must forgive our spouse, though it may be necessary to separate.
In any case, we see that God's standard of purity of heart is high. Divorcing
your wife, except perhaps for adultery, is a breach of faith – both with her
and with God. Your soul has been knit with hers, so that you are one
person with two sides. She is not meant to share her body with anyone
but you. And in those days, when women had few rights, you gave her no
choice but to defile herself by marrying another. And her new husband
is partaking in your soul through her – which is a defilement.
Think of how high a standard is embodied in this saying of Jesus: "The human must not divide what God has joined together" (Mark 10:9).
Please see
APPENDIX E: Jesus' purity vs. original sin
https://zioncallingyou.blogspot.com/2021/03/appendix-e-jesus-purity-versus-original.html
NEXT PAGE
Mt. 5:33-37. A simple yes or no
You have heard that in the old days people were told, Do not commit adultery.
But I tell you, Whoever looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
So, if your right eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it away. You are better off losing a body part than having your entire body thrown into hell.
And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and throw it away. You are better off losing a body part than having your entire body thrown into hell.
You have heard that anyone who wants to divorce his wife must put it in writing.
But here is what I say: Anyone who divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery. Anyone who marries the divorced woman also commits adultery.
Adultery of the heart
When your being lusts for a woman, your being in that period is what you think. In other words, if you would if you could, then, really, you did.
As James Boice observes, "According to Jesus, lust is the equivalent of adultery, just as anger is the equivalent of murder" [EY.r3].
In God's eyes, your being is doing the deed, regardless of the fact that you are physically and psychologically restrained. God sees you as doing and being what you desire to be: an adulterer.
The basic point is not about what kind of sex is not OK. The Lord is talking about you following through in your heart with someone you believe is off limits, something you have been taught is wrong. This doesn't mean there might not be exceptions to the rule against infidelity such as occur during war and natural catastrophes. The point is that you are what you think. As a man thinks, so is he. (Paraphrase of Proverb 23:7.)
So, don't think you don't need forgiveness. Haven't you sullied your spirit by aching to do something sexually illicit? If not, what about angry outbursts? Those stem from fear, which is to say, sin (Matthew 5:22-24).
Concerning soul
The belief among the Jews of the immortality of the human soul seems to have been imparted by the Greeks (with some influence from Persian Zoroastrianism). Jesus alludes to such a concept, particularly in the verses above, and mentions it in Matthew (though Matthew often uses soul in the generic sense of self).Matthew 10:28So here soul implies essential inner being, something that transcends the physical self – not that the Jews had the specific concept of physical self. But in any case, from the viewpoint of one's essential inner being, it doesn't matter much whether the physical, material body is reconstituted clone-like, or whether that inner man is transmigrated to a new destiny in which it is able to discern pleasure and-or pain.And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.Matthew 16:26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
An important observation is that in ancient Judea, a man who divorced his wife generally gave her no choice but to marry, or cohabit, with a man who would support her. She had few rights.
In any case, Jesus is saying that no one should think he or she has no sin and needs no forgiveness. We so often are so very blind to the impact of our misdeeds on others! Who among you had considered the possibility of obscene mingling of souls?
At this point, we remark that a born-again person is not only infused by the Spirit of Jesus but also cloaked in that Spirit. The spouse's soul – even if not born-again and even if not present under ideal circumstances – is made right, at least for the time being.
Pluck out your eye?
The composer of the Sermon on the Mount, where this saying is found, places Jesus' rather tough eye and hand teaching immediately after the counsel on adultery of the heart and immediately before Jesus' strong words against divorce, which he regards as likely to lead to adultery. So one might at first think Jesus is urging those who cast a lustful eye on a woman to gouge it out. Or maybe to chop off a hand before filing for divorce, Very possibly the sermon's composer placed verse 29 where it is because it seemed to fit with these seemingly draconian teachings.
In any case, Jesus is using traditional hyperbolic metaphor to get across a point: If you have a behavioral defect that you can't stand, DO something about it. Get radical, man! Go to any lengths to rid yourself of a character flaw that could drag you down to hell.
Notice that the metaphor covers eye and hand. In other words, something drastic must be done about your mind and your behavior.
Well, excellent advice – except that if people could do that, many would! So I again suggest that we read Jesus' words to mean, Don't say you don't sin. In God's eyes, you do. So you need to do something drastic to be delivered out of your bondage and peril. That something is: Trust Jesus.
Sure, we know that the full impact of Jesus' teachings would not become evident until after his resurrection. His teachings were time bombs set to go off once he had risen. But now that he is risen, let's get the grace that is implied in these teachings. Let's get a closer walk with him.
All through the gospel accounts, Jesus is imploring people to turn away from sin and sorrow and toward him, so that they may be saved. That could be a costly move. In fact, Jesus says, expect persecution. The world will hate you. Satan will sift you. Yet, verses 29 and 30 say to us:
Isn't it worthwhile to take the injury and lose something precious ("eye or hand") but stay out of hell? Isn't it worthwhile to trade anything in order to gain the pearl of great price: a free pass out of hell and a ticket to eternal life by putting your trust in Jesus?
One would think that Jesus is urging you to be severely austere with yourself in order to avoid hellfire. Yet, I suggest, the import of the saying is that people should face the fact that, no matter how scrupulous they try to be, they have sinned and continue to sin.
That's why they need the Savior! No one can possibly meet God's perfect standard of purity – except Jesus who, after uttering these words, would go on to pay the penalty of our sin with his death on the cross.
Now that doesn't mean that the Law is void. Far from it! The Old Testament law is inferior to God's perfect, pure-hearted, sinless standard. Even if someone could keep the Jewish law in all its details, the Old Testament Scripture that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" would still hold – because God's standard is perfect love, not rough social "justice."
Psalms 14:3
Paul pointed out that we need the grace of God, provided through Jesus
to those who trust him, because no one, in this fallen world, can
possibly live up to the Jewish law, let alone God's high standard.
They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.Romans 3:10
as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE..."Romans 3:23
...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...
Ephesians 2:8-9
Divorce is adultery?8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Jesus here is saying that God's high standard exceeds that of the Mosaic law as interpreted by the scribes. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 permits divorce if a man has found "some uncleanness" in his wife but requires him to safeguard her status by giving her a written notice of divorce. "Some uncleanness" was taken to mean almost any reason.
If Jesus' view of divorce seems a superhuman goal, it is. Only with supernatural, divine power can anyone begin to walk the path down which Jesus walks ahead of us.
The impossibility of such purity concerned his disciples, who responded to him by saying that it is not a good idea to marry. His answer: "All men cannot accept that idea, except those to whom it is given." (Matthew 19:10-11)
Yet, even in the case of adultery, we know that Jesus favors forgiveness. We must forgive our spouse, though it may be necessary to separate.
We know from examples in the Old Testament that God can forgive improper sexual behavior and can even make something right that began wrong. Surely Rahab the prostitute received her prophet's reward for turning to the Lord's people; her faith brought forgiveness for her sexual immorality (Joshua 2:1-22).
And once David greatly mourned before God the murder of his paramour's husband, God forgave him and regularized his relationship with the woman, Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1-26; 12:1-25).
And think of the time that God told his prophet Hosea to marry a harlot, Gomer (Hosea 1:1,2). After she had one or more children by another man, God told Hosea to buy her back from the man who stole her away. Keep Runaround Sue [EY.r4], God told Hosea (Hosea 3:1,2).
Think of how high a standard is embodied in this saying of Jesus: "The human must not divide what God has joined together" (Mark 10:9).
Please see
APPENDIX E: Jesus' purity vs. original sin
https://zioncallingyou.blogspot.com/2021/03/appendix-e-jesus-purity-versus-original.html
NEXT PAGE
Mt. 5:33-37. A simple yes or no
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