EXPLORE IT - Matthew 5:27-30

Matthew 5:27-30   "You have heard that it was said, 'Do 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 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. ³⁰ 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.

The Jewish community of Jesus’ day would be very conversant with The Ten Commandments.  They would recognize the need to honor their father and mother, they would know not to steal, and they would identify Jesus’ use of the Seventh Commandment, “Do not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).  The Rabbis of the day were teaching a very narrow definition of this commandment.  As long as their students were not participating in the act of adultery, they were considered within the Law.  Others believed that while the commandment refers to adultery and not fornication, it only pertained to those who were married.

While our culture today leans away from the Seventh Commandment, Jesus encourages us to lean into it.  If someone walks by us and we notice they are attractive, that’s not the sin.  Its human nature to notice beauty.  The sin comes in when we allow our mind to wander and think about what it would be like to spend time with that person, what it would be like to be intimate with that person.

Our culture thrives on lust and sex in TV, movies, music, books, magazines…everywhere.  Jesus sees this as so destructive, He encourages us to identify what leads us down this path and cut it off!  In other words, if something you look at or read causes you to lust, don’t look at it.  If there is a kind of music that encourages you to lust, don’t listen to it.  If there are place you go or things you do that take your mind down this path, don’t go there and don’t do them.

We are called to be Holy as God is Holy.  We are to be set apart and be different from the culture of the world.  We are to, “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).  We must be on guard, keeping our thoughts in line with what God would have us think about.  Even if lust hasn’t been a concern lately, temptation rears its head when we least expect it!

We all need to identify our areas of weakness, what things, people, or places lead us to lustful thinking?  What do we need to do to cut these out of our lives so we can live according to God’s direction?

Blessings,
Pastor Amy