Hell Express

When it comes to sinning, is just thinking about it bad enough to send you to hell?

"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. - Matthew 5:27-37

During the Gold Rush, men were lowered into the mines by hand in a basket.  They carried dynamite to blast the rock and free the gold.  It was hellishly dangerous.

This is where the expression Going to Hell in a Handbasket came from.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus is trying to get us to carefully consider our actions and motivations.  He tells us that focusing on our own desires and ignoring our responsibilities are equally dangerous for us.

We are choosing an express ticket to hell, in a way.

Yes, his examples seem extreme.  Committing adultery in one's mind is reminiscent of President Jimmy Carter's admission about lust, and it just sounds funny.

But the meaning behind the message is more serious than that.

In Jesus' day, a woman's ability to survive was linked to a man.  She could not support herself on her own, so she needed a husband, and when he died, a son.

To divorce a woman and abandon her was like a death sentence for her.

So, it makes sense for Jesus to comment about a man's responsibility and commitment to his wife.

Today, much is different.  Women are far more capable of supporting themselves, and many times it is the women who choose to leave their husbands.

Is that a ticket to hell?

Jesus goes on to talk about the causes of sin, and I think that is the real message here.  What is one's motivation for one's actions.

We could be doing something good for the wrong reasons, and that could be just as bad as doing something bad for the right reasons.

So, maybe we just have to consider our actions, and give serious thought to why we do what we do.

Or we may just find ourselves being lowered into the mine with a live stick of dynamite in our hands.

More to come...