“But I Say to You …” Part Two
Matt. 5:27-32
As Jesus taught the meaning of the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ (4:23) He included the Beatitudes, walking in blessings (5:1-11), being salt and light to the world, (5:13-16), with the endgame of those good works giving glory to the Father. He doesn’t tell us to ignore the Law, rules for moral living, but by keeping every one of them perfectly showed believers the value of doing them and teaching them to others (5:19).
Moving on in this sermon He addressed lust and divorce, both emotionally charged topics, directing His message to the men who were listening. That shouldn’t be a big surprise since middle eastern, first century culture, was male-dominated in every way. Women weren’t allowed to divorce husbands and yet men could divorce for any reason. Women weren’t allowed in the Temple inner courts, the social gathering place for Torah teachings (they should learn from their husbands at home), and were excluded from the worship experience only allowed as a spectator.
Jesus changed all that. He went against the mainstream culture standing up for women correcting those rules. He valued women, protected them, and stood up for them. The Law said, ‘do not commit adultery’ but I say to you men ‘it’s about the heart’. When a man intentionally looks at a woman, not just a glance of admiration, but moves toward her with a destination in mind, that’s adultery. We see that in King David with Bathsheba. He didn’t simply admire her beauty but intentionally moved in her direction with strong emotion driving him. His story is like a Netflix drama full of lust, intrigue, deception, sex, scheming, and finally premeditated murder. Adultery isn’t simply about sex but about a demonic trap set to ruin families.
Jesus warned men, also women listeners, with a metaphor of cutting off a body part in order to avoid that trap. If there’s temptation in what you’re seeing (the right eye) then find a way to get rid of it. If the temptation is found in what you’re actively doing (the right hand), find a way out. Maybe your temptation isn’t physical but emotional: pride, opinionated, controlling, you name it, then it may be time to die those issues as well: by the power of the Holy Spirit, cut them off.
It’s pretty clear that Jesus intentionally addressed divorce next; again, women couldn’t divorce, so it’s directed to the men. The bottom line is that if you desire the blessings of kingdom living, then your heart, leading to your relationships, must be pure, not submitting to temptations of the enemy and neglecting the guidance of the Spirit. God planned marriage and sex to be a picture of His Son and the Church with wonderful intimacy and loyalty (Mark 10:2-9). It’s a hard heart, Jesus said, that intentionally looks for reasons to divorce and break relationships so let’s experience living in the ‘gospel of the kingdom’: the higher life.
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