THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (part nine)
Matthew 5:27-30
Back in the days before automobiles, two preachers met in a certain town. The first asked the second how he was doing. “Furious!” replied the second. “Someone stole my bike and I think it’s one of my church members! I don’t know what to do.” The first preacher said, “Here’s what I’d do. I’d preach on the Ten Commandments this Sunday and when I got to ‘Thou shalt not steal’ I’d really hammer it home.” The second preacher said, “I think I’ll take your advice.” The next Monday, the first preacher ran into the second one and saw that he was riding the bicycle. He said, “I see my advice worked.” The second replied, “Not really. When I got to ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery', I remembered where I left my bike."
1) Adultery of the heart.
Matt. 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Here we see Jesus stressing the same point he made earlier regarding murder. As murder isn't just the act but the heart condition as well, so it is with adultery. There's the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. There's the literal statement and the broader context.
Jesus highlights that the act by itself isn't the only sin but it's also what takes place before the act that is of great concern also. Jesus' listeners would think that as long as I don't act on my desires it's okay. But Jesus is saying you've already acted on your desires in your heart, and that's not okay.
We can't control what pops in our mind; we can only control whether or not we entertain it. When a lustful thought happens we have to choose to dismiss it. If we entertain it, we're asking for trouble. Before it's an act; it's a thought. Before an affair happens you have the desire of the heart at work. That desire is fed and if it's not controlled it develops into action.
In Jesus addressing our state of mind he's also addressing our intentions. Sometimes we don't commit the act because the opportunity isn't there, and we think we're okay because of it. But Jesus would say, "If you did have the chance, you would. Therefore, the desire of your heart is to commit the act; there's just something circumstantial preventing you from doing so".
It's not like we have these thoughts but we dismiss them saying, 'what am I thinking? It would be stupid to act on this; I have way too much to lose." That's different. It's when our lustful thoughts communicate, "If only I had the chance, I wouldn't hesitate in carrying it out", is when we're in deep trouble because what happens if the opportunity does present itself?
There's something else we need to consider. We see the word lust and we typically think of it in a sexual way. However, I can lust after someone in a nonsexual way too. We might lust after someone else's wife or husband in a way that we just want to be with them; in a covetous way. "I wish she was my wife instead of his."
And I think this is especially important for women to consider. The ladies might hear these verses and dismiss them because they aren't typically given over to sexual lusting like men are. However, when I look at it in its fullness, I realize how it applies to a woman.
A woman may lust after a man for qualities beyond the physical: his intelligence, his sense of humor, his maturity, stability, etc. So when you see these qualities in someone's husband, this will become problematic if it isn't reigned in. I could begin to fantasize and obsess about it. I may even begin to act on it.
This is how affairs happen. For a man it's primarily the physical attraction but for the woman it's more of an emotional one. So we all can fall into the trap of lust. As Jesus wanted us to look beyond the physical act of adultery and see it in a deeper sense, he also wants us to look at lust as more than just a sexual desire.
"Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully". Notice Jesus says woman and not another man's wife. Woman would imply any woman, married or not. So how can I be committing adultery if she's not married? The obvious answer is because I'm married. But what if I'm not? Is it a problem if I'm single and she's single? Yes, because I'm looking at a woman created by God and loved by God in a way that God did not intend for me to look at her. She's not my wife so I shouldn't think of her in a sexual way.
Ok, that's lust, but how am I guilty of adultery if I'm single and she's single? I'm breaking my covenant with God. As a Christian, I am married to God. Lust is a form of idolatry. In my lusting I am putting my desire for something else above my desire for God. Even if it's just in my thoughts, and I don't physically pursue it, I'm still 'chasing' after an idol.
"Already committed adultery". We might think the lust comes first and then the sin of adultery, but Jesus says if I lust I have already committed adultery in the heart. This also shows that lust is the manifestation of the sin that's already in my heart.
John MacArthur put it like this, "It is not lustful looking that causes the sin in the heart, but the sin in the heart that causes lustful looking. The lustful looking is but the expression of a heart that is already immoral and adulterous. The heart is the soil where the seeds of sin are imbedded and begin to grow."
Jesus said it's not what goes into a man that makes him unclean but what comes out of his heart. Jesus wants us to see that sin is a heart issue first.
2) Cut it off!
Matt. 5:29-30, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
Now we see Jesus transitioning from the word lust to sin. In context, lust is still implied, though. I said earlier that you can lust after someone in a non-sexual way, you can also lust after things. You can lust after food, money or power. The definition of lust is to yearn or desire in a strong way; to where you ache for something.
Typically we use the word in its negative form but in its positive, spiritual form we need to 'lust' ie: yearn for, strongly desire righteousness. As Jesus wants us to take extreme measures to remove sin from our lives he wants us to take extreme measures to replace it with righteousness.
"Gouge it out/cut it off". Pretty extreme. These are meant to be taken figuratively, not literally. If Jesus meant this literally I believe we'd all be walking around with one eye and one hand. And in regards to the subject of lust and adultery we would most likely be missing some other parts as well.
If Jesus isn't being literal, what did he mean? Sometimes Jesus used extreme language to describe a serious truth. He did this at other times too. In Luke 14 he taught that if we don't hate our family and even our own lives we can't be his disciple. This sounds absurd until you understand what he meant.
Regarding the parallel passage in Matt. 10, we see that we are to love Jesus more than anyone else. So, the word hate implies that we are to love Jesus not just a little bit more, but so much more that it might seem as if we hate those closest to us because we honor Jesus over them.
So, what's the logic that says that Jesus isn't being literal in Matt. 5? For one, removing my eyes doesn't keep me from lusting. If I have a polluted mind then I have my thoughts to contend with. So, removing my eyes isn't the solution; cutting sin out of my life is the solution. Jesus uses this language to show how serious sin is and how serious the need is to remove it.
It's significant that Jesus specifically mentions the right eye and the right hand. In Hebrew thought, the right eye, the right arm and the right leg were viewed as the best parts of a man. So when Jesus speaks specifically of the right eye and the right hand, his audience would've understood him to be saying that if there was anything in one’s life that would cause him to sin, even if it was the best he had, that needed to be removed from his life.
Cutting sin out of my life starts with a renewing of the mind. Rom. 12:2 says we shouldn't continue to conform to the pattern of the world but rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The more our minds are renewed the less we will be plagued by the sins of thought.
The more I think about holy things the less I think about unholy things. That's why Paul told us in Phil. 4:8 to focus on whatever is lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, etc. We need to have a strong desire for these things.
Jesus said in Matt. 6 that if our eyes are good we will be full of light, but, if our eyes are bad we will be full of darkness. If our focus is on the light of Christ, even when darkness tries to invade we won't be swayed by it. We see things in a whole new light.
In regards to lust, if we see through darkened eyes, we think of the woman as an object of desire. We think of her only from a physical standpoint. However, if we see through lighted eyes we see her as a creation of God. We see her as being loved by God. We see her through God's eyes as someone precious whom he desires to have a spiritual relationship with.
Our whole focus shifts when we see people through a spiritual lens. Not that we wouldn't notice a person's physical features at all, but we would be able to admire them without allowing our minds to take it further than it should go. We would focus more on their spirit than their body. I would consider how I might talk to her about Jesus instead of trying to hook up with her.
We should be like Job, who said in 31:1, "I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl." Job wanted to honor God. He made a binding agreement not to allow his eyes to fixate on a woman for lustful purposes. We need to do that as well. We don't just decide we're going to try not to do it; we have a more serious mindset about it and we make a pledge to not lust.
We see the importance of being serious about it when we see what Jesus says will happen if we don't take it seriously. "Thrown into hell". This is extreme. Since Jesus wasn't being literal when he talked about gouging and cutting off he's not being literal here, either, right? Actually, he is being literal. How do we know? It's supported elsewhere.
3) Or else!
Mark 9:42-48, "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where “ ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’"
In this parallel passage we see Jesus reiterating the hell factor, even giving details about it.
"One of these little ones". In Matt. 18 Jesus uses this phrase when talking about children. In Luke 17 its use would imply believers in general but perhaps 'little' in reference to those who are new in the faith and therefore more vulnerable and easily influenced.
Regardless, we see that cutting sin off isn't just about me. If I don't cut sin off it will effect others; whether directly or indirectly. And Jesus says it would be better if I die rather than go on causing others to sin because of my example. That's pretty extreme, but then again, it continues to highlight how Jesus feels about sin. If I don't address my sin it will lead me down a slippery slope with a scary outcome.
2nd Peter 2:14-22, "With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
These people got to the point of having their eyes full of adultery and they gave themselves completely over to their sinful desires. They were slaves of depravity. Peter must just be talking about non-Christians, right? Well, they're not Christians now-but they were.
They left the straight path for the crooked one (15). They had escaped the corruption and knew Jesus but became entangled in the world all over again (20). Their end is worse than their beginning because those who never became Christians never knew what it was like to experience the new life. However, those who did become Christians knew the difference and had the power of the Holy Spirit but chose to disavow it and go back to the mud and vomit. What is reserved for them is the blackest darkness (17).
In light of this, I think we can gain a good understanding as to why Jesus spoke of cutting sin off in such a drastic way. It's better to do whatever is necessary to cut sin out of our lives rather than try to deal with it in a less drastic way. We shouldn't play around. We can easily talk ourselves into doing what we know we shouldn't.
There was a guy who was on a diet so he no longer stopped by his favorite donut shop on the way to work each morning. But one morning he showed up for work with a dozen donuts. One of his co-workers said, “I thought you were on a diet and quit going to the donut shop.” The guy said, “I did. But this morning I just happened to be driving by there and I prayed, ‘God, if you want me to have some donuts, let there be a parking place right in front.’ And don’t you know it, on the 7th time around the block there it was.”
Not that eating donuts is a sin, but the point is it's not easy to deal with our weaknesses. It takes humility to recognize we're weak and it takes a strong desire to care enough to do what it takes to deal with it. We may need to take a different route home so we don't drive by all the fast food places. We don't try to go into the bar and order a coke. We don't go into a store alone if we have a shoplifting problem.
What if taking drastic measures means changing jobs or moving away because I can't seem to stay away from this married person? What if it means not getting involved in a relationship because I end up sleeping with everyone I date? What if it means putting a blocking program on my computer because I can't stop looking at porn? What if it means not reading romance novels anymore? What if it means not watching certain TV shows that stimulate my fantasies? What if it means giving up social media because I'm connecting with people I shouldn't be?
We don't want to admit that we're weak. We want to believe we just need to try harder. Ok, you've been trying that for a while but it hasn't worked. Do we have the power to stop? Yes, the power of the Holy Spirit can accomplish anything. But, if you're not at a place yet where you're doing that, then you may need some help.
We don't want to expose our problem, we want to handle it on our own. But getting help may be the drastic measure you need to take until you're stronger. How far are we willing to go to avoid the pitfalls of sin? Sometimes we make a commitment to change but we see how close we can come to the edge without falling off the cliff. That's dangerous.
A wealthy woman was reviewing resumes from potential chauffeurs to drive her Rolls Royce. She invited three applicants to her extravagant home. She escorted each one individually to her driveway that had a brick wall beside it. Then she asked, “If you drove my Rolls, how close do you think you could get to that wall without scratching my car?”
The first said, “I can drive within a foot of that wall and not damage your Rolls.” The second said, “I can drive within six inches of that wall and not damage your car.” The third one said, “Ma’am, I don’t know how close I could come to the wall without damaging your car, but if I were driving your Rolls, I’d stay as far away from the wall as possible so as not to damage your car.” Guess who got the job?
We need to take serious precautions when it comes to avoiding triggers and potential traps. We need to realize our eternal life may depend on it. Let me go into heaven with 'one eye' or 'one hand' rather than try to live with my sin and take my chances.
Does this mean I need to become sinless in order to go to heaven? No. God's grace will cover our imperfections. But the point remains-how serious do I take my sin? What am I willing to do to get rid of it?
I believe Jesus is primarily talking about the sin that so easily entangles us, as Heb. 12:1 puts it. Not that any sin is okay to hold onto, but the biggest issues are with the sin that is prevalent in our lives or the sin that we easily minimize or tolerate.
And as Jesus made clear, this isn't just about the sins we do, but also the sins we think. As I said earlier, we need to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Change your thinking; change your behavior...change your outcome.
