Sermon on the Mount: Considering Adultery

Matthew 5:27-30

““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:27-30‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

It is so fascinating to dig into the Sermon on the Mount and really understand the words that Jesus spoke on that day. Most people start and stop with the Beatitudes, or they may pick and choose certain verses to justify (or not justify) their beliefs. But Jesus was targeting many parts of this sermon at the legalistic Pharisees, who abided by the letter of the law without understanding that those commandments were targeted at the sinful heart of humans. The people of the day listened to the Pharisees, but Jesus goes beyond their superficiality. Just like with murder, at first glance the commandment to not commit adultery sounds like a win-win situation for men and women that have been in a marriage and have been physically faithful to their spouse. Whew! I’m righteous! But Jesus goes far beyond that narrow definition to address the pervasive sexual sin that saturates our society (and always has been prevalent).

Probably one of the best known tales of sexual sin and adultery in the Bible is when King David is idling around at his palace and then spies the beautiful Bathsheba bathing in the distance. It is likely that she knew what she was doing, too, and chose a place where she knew the handsome King would look. One thing leads to another and before you know it, they have lain together, a child has been conceived (later King Solomon), and David now has to eliminate her husband, Uriah. So not only has he coveted his neighbor’s wife and adultery been committed, but murder now fills out the bill (three commandments broken in one fell swoop).

The good news for David is that he was truly repentant of his sin when challenged by the Prophet Nathan. We all read this story and feel good about ourselves and pat ourselves on the back because we have not done the same egregious sins. But how many of us admire and fantasize about a handsome or beautiful Hollywood star or a musician? How many people linger on prurient websites or watch “adult” entertainment (found everywhere these days) or go and view real pornography, then “return” to their marriage? Jesus is, once again, talking about the heart and adultery begins with the lustful glance or that heart-pounding feeling when that certain co-worker is nearby or you view something full of sex and nudity on HBO. Jesus then goes on to talk about removing the eye or the hand that causes one to sin. He is obviously talking in a metaphor - you could remove your right eye, but your left eye can still see those images. He is asking you to remove yourself from sinful patterns and behavior. Here is what David Guzik from Enduring Word ministries has to say about this:

b. It is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell: Jesus simply stressed the point that one must be willing to sacrifice to be obedient. If part of our life is given over to sin, we must be convinced that it is more profitable for that part of our life to “die” rather than to condemn our whole life.

i. This is the one thing many are unwilling to do, and that is why they remain trapped in sin, or never come to Jesus. They never get beyond a vague wish to be better.

ii. “The salvation of our souls is to be preferred before all things, be they ever so dear and precious to us; and that if men’s ordinary discretion teacheth them for the preservation of their bodies to cut off a particular member, which would necessarily endanger the whole body, it much more teacheth them to part with any thing which will prejudice the salvation of their souls.” (Poole)

We can’t get better on our own. We truly need to be born again and walk away from sins, including sexual sin. The good news is that God stands ready to forgive us because of His infinite love, just like He forgave David.

My next Sermon on the Mount devotional examines what Jesus says about marriage in Matthew 5:31-32.

Photo by Marah Bashir on Unsplash

Commentary by David Guzik from Enduring Word is used by written permission.