Guilty as Charged
Matt. 5:27-37
Jesus has a way of reminding us we aren't perfect.
Photo by Hutomo Abrianto on Unsplash
“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
Here in the United States, 2.7 people out of every 1,000 are or have been divorced, but we aren't the leaders in divorce rates across the globe.
Maldives, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belgium, Belarus, and China are ahead of us.
Divorce occurs in about 10% of the U.S. population, with two-thirds of those divorced identifying as Christian.
Believe it or not, born-again Christians are at the top of the list, which could be an indicator of a lifestyle change, depending on whether they divorced before or after conversion.
The point in all this is that we are not perfect. We fail.
We could argue that Jesus made this point because women in his day would be destitute without having a husband or a male heir to provide for her, and that is not the case today, but that is simply an excuse.
We fail to follow the rules. I am guilty as well, having married a divorced woman.
But I happen to believe our life together was a gift from God, so what does that say about divorce?
We can get into a discussion about intent here, but do we need to? Yes, there is a big difference between extramarital affairs and finding a partner who has been married, but so what?
As Jimmy Carter confessed, having lusted after a woman is enough of a sin to be a problem, and confessing it i public can be a disaster for your career.
So, what do we learn from Jesus in today's Gospel reading?
It all goes back to his one great commandment to love God and love our neighbor. Love. That is the solvent that washes away all stains in our life.
God's love for us is greater than our love for anyone, even greater than our love for God. We try. It is our main purpose in life, to try.
So, let no one separate what God has joined together. Knowing that even death cannot separate me from my wife, I know that love is eternal.
When I meet Jesus, I will ask if I am forgiven for all my sins, and I think I know what he will say.
More to come...