Intent to Sin

Matt. 5:27-37

Is it really so easy to sin?

Photo by Alexander Mass 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

Unless you are of a certain age, you may not remember when Jimm Carter was being interviewed by Playboy, and he admitted to committing adultery many times by lusting in his heart.

Back then, in 1976, it was scandalous, mostly because he looked foolish, admitting to a sin very few considered a sin. Hell, it was the whole readership of Playboy he was shaming, not just himself.

Can you imagine teenage boys thinking this man had all his marbles?

It raises the question, was this a sin? Was it even intent to sin?

Come on, Jesus, give us a little context here; it's something we can work with.

Instead, Jesus talks about amputation, losing his audience completely, at least the audience in 1976, not to mention today.

We know what he is getting at, but he sets the bar really high. Don't think about anything that can lead you to sin, and don't even swear.

Damn!

Oops.

Not every thought that enters our heads has the intent to do anything. Most of us do very little with our thoughts, whether they begin as lust or not.

Jesus is making a point that had the same kind of impact back in his day as it does today. Most people would ignore him.

This is why we have a problem bringing people to Christ. He makes it hard to imagine ourselves as that good. Meanwhile, he tells us we don't need to be good at all to come to him.

That's what we should be focusing on when we talk about Jesus.

Let's all get in the door before we are challenged to do better.

More to come...

---