Message

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Thank God for Jesus who disclosed the true meaning of the commandment, “Do not murder.” May this command be honoured and obeyed in us and in our society. May we watch out for the spirit of anger and the words of contempt. Today’s passage deals with another command, “Do not commit adultery.” In our times this command seems to be irrelevant because of the rampant immorality. People may think, “The command, ‘Do not murder,’ still makes sense, but the command ‘Do not commit adultery’ is too old-fashioned and unstylish.’” Still this commandment of God stands regardless of the degrading of people’s moral condition. It is because this is God’s law that never disappears until heaven and earth disappear. May we understand Jesus’ interpretation of this command and accept it into our hearts. Look at verse 27. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’” This is the seventh commandment of the Decalogue. Exodus 20:14 says, “You shall not commit adultery.” It is also written in Deuteronomy 5:18, “You shall not commit adultery.” This commandment is also related to the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.” When we think about God’s creation, the family was the utmost blessing of God. God’s creation story ends with his establishing a family between one man and one woman. The husband and the wife were truly happy being united with each other in God. Then since man’s fall, the relationship between the husband and the wife was broken and the happiness of the family was gone. Polygamy started and the typical concept of the family with one husband and one wife was distorted. However, when God called his people and formed a holy community of God, he gave them an unambiguous commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.” This command was given to protect the family. For the family is the basic unit and the first building block of a society. If the family is not protected, society becomes unhealthy and malfunctions and eventually will die per se. This command is also for the true happiness of each individual. This command, “Do not commit adultery,” is for the highest good for mankind. The punishment for violating this command was serious. In the Old Testament those who committed adultery, the man and the woman both were put to death (Lev 20:10). The community of God had to be protected. Then divorce and remarriage became an issue to avoid adultery. Deuteronomy 24:1 says, “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house…” This law was basically to protect women from random divorce. Yet, evil men made use of this law to justify their divorce and remarry. In Jesus’ time the phrase, “something indecent about her” could even mean something as trivial as spoiling her husband’s dinner by putting too much salt, going in public with her head uncovered, talking with men in the streets, or being quarrelsome. And “displeasing to him” included his finding a more beautiful woman. At that time the situation was that the structure of family life was collapsing, and national morals were becoming even more lax. We can think of the wider world of that time. In the Greek, the most civilized nation in those days, the view of woman was very low. Relationships outside marriage were done with no stigma whatsoever. The Greeks married a wife for domestic security, but found their pleasure elsewhere. Greek men kept their wives absolutely secluded in a compulsory purity, while they themselves found their real pleasure and their real life in relationship outside marriage. They even had no concept of adultery as sin. In contrast, to the Roman the home was everything. The Roman matron was not secluded like her Greek counterpart. She took her full part in life. To the Romans marriage was a life-long fellowship of all divine and human rights. Then they came the Greeks. In the military and the imperial sense Rome conquered Greece; but in the moral and the social sense Greece conquered Rome. By the second century B.C. Greek morals had begun to infiltrate into Rome. Divorce became as common as marriage. This was the situation of the world. In that situation what did Jesus say? He said, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” This sounds absurd; nonsense. But, however it sounds, Jesus made a revolutionary, a society-shaking definition of adultery. Jesus did not say, “Do not have an intimate affair with any woman outside marriage. That’s adultery.” He said, “…anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Here Jesus mentioned committing adultery in one’s heart. Jesus regards it as the same with committing adultery in the body. It is true that adultery in the heart develops into adultery in the body. Jesus said in Mark 7:21, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed…” Jesus knew what it meant, when God said, “You shall not commit adultery.” God deals with one’s heart and thought in regard to adultery. Many think, “What I desire and think is no one’s business.” But it matters to God. It is mental adultery. God feels the same pain for one’s committing adultery in his heart as for the actual act of adultery. This is exactly written in Genesis 6:6,7, “The LORD saw…that every inclination of the thought of his (man’s) heart was only evil…The LORD was grieved…and his heart was filled with pain.” What God sees is different from what man sees. Again 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “…Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” The adultery committed in one’s heart causes God to have the same pain as in the body. It is because God is truly a holy God. Jesus expressed the purity of God’s people with one concrete sentence. God wants such purity and holiness from his people. Jesus said, “…anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart.” Here we notice that committing sin in one’s heart is related to how he looks at a woman. The lustful look is more than by chance. It the deliberate second look. Then adultery is already committed in the heart. What an astonishing insight! Who can stand before the holy God? Romans says, “There is no one righteous, not even one…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:10,23). At this point we thank Jesus who shed his precious blood on the cross in Calvary to wash away all our sins and impurity. The cross of Jesus is the refuge for all condemned sinners. Now being made holy and righteous through his Son Jesus Christ, we need practical struggle to obey God’s command, “Do not commit adultery.” According to Jesus, the command definitely includes fornication. Jesus is concerned about the sin of lust when one is married or unmarried. Sexual immorality is rampant in our society. It seems to be a norm and okay unless it is sexual abuse. Keeping virginity seems to be abnormal. Much of our songs are based on sexual stimulation. Popular songs romanticize infidelity. We are in the age of sensuality and are living in a sensual society. However what kind of society or culture we are in, the Bible has a unambiguous view about sexual immorality. Among the early Christians there was a dangerous teaching that people had to be circumcised to be saved.” At that critical time the counsel at Jerusalem, the counsel of apostles and elders affirmed the gospel truth, “It is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved” (Acts 15:11). No one should burden others with customs like circumcision for their salvation. However, the Jerusalem counsel gave the Gentile believers a clear guideline that they were to abstain from sexual immorality (Acts 15:20). The Bible is consistent concerning it. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.” 1 Corinthians 6:9 says, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders…will inherit the kingdom of God.” Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” And Revelation 21:8 says, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." In our sinful nature we should come to the cross of Jesus and be purified in our hearts and minds every day. At the same time Jesus’ words give us direction and wisdom on how to struggle in our practical lives: “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Fantasizing is a terrible sin. We should reject fantasy. It is committing adultery in our hearts. We must watch out for fantasizing. We must also watch out for lustful looking. But we wonder how it can be possible while tempting scenes are everywhere. Women expose their bodies without limit in the public. Stimulating sites come up in the website unexpectedly. TV programs and films display any pictures as long as they draw people’s attention and youth’s curiosity. It seems to be impossible to control our eyes (M. Peter’s company). We wish that women may not wear provocatively and should be responsible how they are looked at, they bodily appearance. Yet, it is still our responsibility how to look at women. We should not look at them with lustful eyes. We should not look a second time and deliberately. If the first glance stimulates our desire, we must turn our eyes away. Job, who was the greatest man among all the people of the East, said, “I made a covenant with my eyes not look lustfully at a girl” (Job 31:1). When we make such a covenant, God helps us. It is good to remember the strong words of the Bible. Ephesians 5:3 says, “…among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” Whenever the Bible speaks about man’s sinful nature, sexual immorality comes first. Galatians 5:19 says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery…” Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” And Galatians 5:24 says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” These words help us know what kind our mindset we should have for our new life in Christ. In a more concrete way 1 Corinthians 6:18 says, “Flee from sexual immorality…” Apostle Paul said to his dear spiritual son Timothy, “Flee the evil desires of youth…” (2 Tim 2:22). In this case “flee” is not a negative attitude. Rather it is a positive and wise attitude. Joseph in the Old Testament was tempted by his boss’ wife time and again. But he refused in the fear of God. One day the woman caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” The temptation was persistent. But Joseph was more persistent in resisting the temptation. He left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. His strategy was refusing and fleeing, and he won the battle. Now let’s listen to Jesus’ radical but admirable teaching. Look at verses 29,30. “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. 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.” Why was Jesus so extreme and drastic? It is because Jesus knows the nature of this sin. He himself was nailed to the cross and crucified for our sins. Yet, he wants us to have such an attitude toward our sins. On one occasion Jesus rescued a woman caught in the act of adultery from people’s accusation and said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” Jesus not only saved her but also gave her a clear direction for her new life. No one can live a new life naturally without a clear direction and drastic measure. Of course, Jesus’ words are not to be received literally. It may well mean that if temptation comes through your eyes, “don’t look!” as if you had actually plucked your eyes and flung them away, and were now blind and could not see the object. Or if temptation comes through your hands or foot, don’t do it! (don’t go there!) as if you had actually cut off your hands (and feet), and had flung them away, and were not crippled and so could not do the things (or visit the places). This is called “spiritual mortification.” We are reminded of Psalm 119:9,11, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” May we keep the drastic words of Jesus in our hearts as our weapon and win the battle over the temptations. Our Lord Jesus will surely help us through his Spirit in our spiritual fight. (Drastic measures are always appropriate in order to protect one’s spiritual health!) May we more positively offer our eyes and hands and foot, the parts of our body to serving God and others! Let’s also listen to Jesus’ teaching about divorce: “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.” There may be many reasons for divorce. Yet, this is Jesus’ teaching that stands at any time and any generation. The two commandments Jesus reviewed in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not murder,” and “Do not commit adultery” be practiced and taught in our lives and in our society.

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