“Are Our Eyes Actions and Words Matching Your Name?”

Confession

Have you ever been enticed or seduced by what you have looked at? Have you ever been intentionally hurt by someone you love? Have you ever been betrayed or lied to by someone close? Have you ever been duped/deceived by someone who told you a great story but it proved false?

Matthew 5:27 (NIV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble 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.

The Eyes vs27-30 The Mosaic Law clearly prohibited adultery (Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18). A person might be proud that he had never broken this commandment, and yet have his “eyes full of adultery” (2 Pet. 2:14). Are we to take Jesus’ words literally? Was He actually advocating self- mutilation?

Matthew 5:31 (NIV) “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Actions – Divorce vs31-32 Question: Is adultery the only grounds for divorce in the scriptures? ‘porneia’ and ‘moichea’ Now when the Lord switches to discussing divorce the word is ‘porneia’ which is far more general and covers depravity/ sexual immorality/ perversion/ disgracefulness/ disgustingness/ adultery/ degradation and the like. ‘Dirty’ words like ‘pornography’ and ‘prosititute’ are derived from it. The language was exactly the same in the OT: adultery was punishable by death (Leviticus20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22) BUT Divorce was allowed for ‘ervath dabhar’ – ‘uncleanness’ (Deut 24). 20:1022:22

This leads us to a consistent conclusion. Our mis-guided theology on this arises solely from translation errors and traditions. When Jesus said, “It has been said,” Jesus is not quoting the OT at all, but rather Rabbi Akiba, head of one of the two major schools of Jewish theology. His school endorsed the horrible interpretation of Deuteronomy 24 that allowed a man to divorce his wife over anything at all - even burnt toast or a prettier woman – as long as the certificate was given. In this ‘Sermon on the Mount’ Jesus crushes a series of such rabbinical teachings by reinstating both the letter and spirit of the OT law.

Matthew 5:33 (NIV) “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfil to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Word / Oaths vs33-37 Question: Should a Christian take an oath? You shall not swear falsely simply expresses teaching from Lev. 19:12; Num. 30:2; Deut. 23:21, 23. So does this mean that we do not swear or take an oath at all? cf. James 5:12. For the Christian, an oath is unnecessary. His Yes should mean Yes, and his No should mean No. To use stronger language is to admit that Satan—the evil one—rules our lives.

What a 3 fold challenge from the Master… Are Your Eyes Actions and Words Matching Our Name as Christians?