A Fine Mess
What causes you to sin?
“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 has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members 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 of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No' anything more than this comes from the evil one. - Matt. 5:27-37
As forgiving as Jesus is, this Gospel reading makes it sound like we are all bound for Hell unless we make some drastic changes in our lives.
Of course we all know it is not our eye that causes us to sin, nor is it our hand. We choose to sin, and that is a mind action, not one guided by a rogue body part.
Our minds give us the ability to rationalize, and that is what can get us in trouble.
It's not really lying if we do it to avoid hurting someone, right?
There's nothing wrong with looking, as long as you don't touch, right?
These are the ways we rationalize away our actions.
But it all comes down to intent. Do we intend to deceive? And who are we deceiving, others or ourselves?
What Jesus makes us think about is what we think about. Do we let our minds wander away from what we know is just and good? Do we do that to spice up our lives? Do we do that to cover up a flaw?
The expression that comes to mind is this from Sir Walter Scott's play, Marmion.
"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
Whether we choose to deceive others or ourselves, we can get ourselves in a fine mess, as Ollie used to say to Stan Laurel.
So, Jesus wants us to avoid the tangled web we weave for ourselves. Let your Yes be Yes, he tells us, and it is good advice.
Honesty might just be the best policy afterall.
More to come...