Adultery and Divorce
In a culture where marriage & relationships can be taken so lightly, Jesus’ sharing within Matthew 5:27-32 brings some clarity as to His commands in relation to adultery & divorce.
The Sacredness of Marriage
Marriage is sacred. It is a lifetime commitment between a husband and wife to remain faithful to one another despite the highs and lows of life. It’s sacredness is a direct reflection of Christ’s unconditional love toward His people.
Because of this, the act of adultery, voluntary sexual cheating, is a serious sin. The teachers of the Law at the time seemingly excelled at this command and prided themselves in that regard. But in verse 28, Jesus goes one step further in saying that not only is the act of adultery a sin, but the intent of adultery – looking lustfully at someone – carries the same sinful weight as the act of adultery.
So then, it’s not enough to not cheat on your spouse, but we ought to guard our hearts from lustful temptations, like pornography, objectification and highly sexual content, which may present itself at any point in time. Instead, we must pursue purity within marriage.
The Pursuit of Purity
In verse 29, Jesus illustrates the drastic ways in which we should deal with lust. He goes so far to say that, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.” We might feel less inclined to take this command literally, but we can definitely appreciate the strong sentiment behind it. Jesus is saying we should fight against lust by cutting off any possibility to indulge in it at all. Whether it be stopping the consumption of certain forms of media, or by being intentional with the use of our spare time, we should make every effort to fight against immoral lust in our lives.
In addition, we should reinforce our defences against lust by investing in our relationships. Focus our energies on loving the partner God has given us. Or if single, invest our time in developing our own personal godliness and maturity.
The Need for Grace
If at this point in time you feel the weight of sin and shame, do not worry. For this is the good news of the gospel. That we as sinful people, although deserving of punishment, receive the grace and love of Christ.
The Bible is filled with countless examples of God’s love, grace and acceptance toward us, despite our imperfections. Take David for example, a man after God’s own heart, who had fallen into sexual impurity. Despite committing adultery with Bathsheba, God used him mightily. Or the woman who was caught in the act of adultery in Luke 8; Jesus did not cast judgement toward her, but loved her and said “go now and leave your life of sin”.
Jesus offers us the same opportunity. If you’re struggling with sin, Jesus is offering the gift of grace and mercy and we would be wise to accept and leave behind our life of sin.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for loving us as who we are. Thank you that you have paid the penalty for our sins and for giving us the Holy Spirit who we can rely on for the strength to fight against temptations. Please forgive us for any sins we have committed, and grant us the humility to repent and realign our lives with your Word.
In Jesus’ mighty name I pray,
Amen