Matthew 5 Sermon on the Mount v 27-32 Jesus Adultery and Desire
This ought to be an interesting one. Let’s see what we can learn. Set aside any preconceived notions and let Jesus teach you.
Verse 27
You heard it said … thou shalt not commit adultery – This is part of the Ten Words/Witness/Testimony otherwise known as Ten Commandments today. Adultery is considered a work of the flesh – the sum up of this would be sexual relations outside a covenant relationship with the opposite sex. Regardless of what you want it to be, this was the definition at the time Jesus is speaking these words. A man “being with” a woman he is not in a covenant relationship/marriage with. Or a women who takes strangers instead of her husband.
A marriage in Biblical times was between a man and a woman, a woman and her father would consent to the man and the woman living together and creating a family. Usually, the man would give an agreed upon “price” to the father for the woman. A couple was considered in a covenant relationship once agreeing to the covenant. At that point, they would be called husband and wife, even if they didn’t live together right then. They may even be apart and not see each other for up to a year.
A covenant relationship/marriage started with an agreement between the man and the woman. At that moment, they were husband and wife. They did not have to see each other, live together, have a ceremony, or have sex in order to be called married. It was about giving your word and honoring it. Sex did not define when someone was a husband or wife, their word did.
However, any sex outside of the covenant relationship was defined as fornication or adultery. You were either in a covenant relationship with a member of the opposite sex and having sex with that covenant partner, or you were fornicating (as a single person) or committing adultery (as a married person).
If they wanted to break off the covenant relationship, or what we today would call an engagement, the man would have to “divorce his wife.”
Adultery could also be someone who is worshiping in an idolatrously way and being drawn away from YHWH/God.
Verse 28
Once again, Jesus is about to up the game. He’s going to take what was generally considered a physical sin and make it a heart sin.
And/But I [Jesus] say … every one who is looking – looking – this word doesn’t mean a quick glance where you notice the beauty of a woman. This word means a stare, gawking, a lingering look. This kind of look would most likely make the woman uncomfortable if she were to notice it.
Staring at a woman with desire … a sexual desire. This same word is also translated as coveting and lusting. It means to long after and yearn for.
Has already committed adultery with her in his heart … And there it is, it is now a heart sin. Also note, Jesus is specifically talking to the men on this one. I wonder if he would have singled out just the men today? Just like with anger, once lust takes hold of your heart, Jesus doesn’t expect it to be long before it manifests into a physical sin. He also knows you can use people in your mind for sexual pleasure without anyone ever knowing.
Verses 29-30
If the right eye causes stumbling – pluck it out … the “right eye” was a common Aramaic idiom referring to being envious or jealous. This idiom would be followed with cut it out – like we say today – cut it out, stop doing that, quit it!. It didn’t mean to literal pluck out the eye it means, you know what you are doing, get control of it, and stop it.
If the right hand causes stumbling – cut it off. The right hand was a common Aramaic idiom about stealing. If you have a habit of stealing, stop stealing.
I find it interesting the two idioms he chooses to reference had to do with envy or jealousy, and stealing. At that time, if a woman wasn’t married, she still belonged to her father, or she could have been a widow. In any event, she would be attached to a man. In essence if you are looking on a woman with sexual desire – you are looking at another man’s woman – you are stealing his woman, you are envious and jealous of him.
It is good if one of your members may perish and not your whole body be cast into gehenna. First, remember gehenna was an actual place at that time, it was a horrible place where horrible things happened. This is such a severe transgression to Jesus, he’s saying it would be better to loose a body part, than to end up in the most horrible place there is. Think on that for a moment or two. This is serious stuff Jesus is talking about here, and it doesn’t require participation by a second person – it only takes one. Also notice, there isn’t a BUT if she is dressed inappropriately. He is expecting a disciple of his to be in full control of their thoughts and desires and to treat others in an appropriate manner.
Verse 31
It was said, whoever put away his wife, let him give to her a writing of divorce … ‘Put away a wife,’ he is still speaking to the men because only a man could have a wife. Moses allowed a man to break their conventual relationship with their woman. However, God says in Malachi 2, a man who hates and divorces his wife does violence to the one he should protect, be on your guard and do not be unfaithful. He sees this as breaking a covenant. The Torah in Exodus 21 says that a man who divorces his wife has broken faith with her or deceived her.
Verse 32
And/But I [Jesus] say whoever puts away his wife, except for her committing adultery, ends up making her and whoever marries her commit adultery.
Later in Matthew 19, Jesus will also say if a man divorces his wife and marries another woman, he commits adultery. He says, God joined the man and woman together as one, and no one can separate them. He will also say Moses allowed it because of hearts which were hard or stubborn.
What is a hard or stubborn heart? It is a heart which is cruel, severe, difficult, harsh, stiff necked.
But they refused to pay attention. They stubbornly turned their backs and stopped their ears from hearing. Indeed, they made their hearts as hard as flint preventing them from hearing the Torah or the words that Adonai-Tzva’ot sent by His Ruach (Holy Spirit) through the former prophets. Consequently, great wrath came from Adonai-Tzva’ot. It came about that just as He called and they did not listen, so they would call and I would not listen,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
Zechariah 7 (TLV)
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