April 8 - Matthew 5:27-32

April 8 - Matthew 5:27-32

“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 lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body 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 everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The Pharisees had so many laws. Each of them had a punishment attached, some we might consider horrific and others not so awful.  Jesus wasn't just setting down new rules here, he was pointing out the fallacy of the rules themselves. It wasn't just enough to not commit an overt action; divorce or adultery. It was just as important for people to recognize that sin lies within us … not just in our actions, but in our heart.

The message here is that this isn't just about our sin, but about those whom we judge as well.  It is easy for us to hide our thoughts and motives from the world; it is only when they become actions that others recognize sin in us.  But, God doesn't look simply at the outer actions made visible to the world. He sees everything within us.

When you judge those who commit an outward sin, God sees that in your heart and mind, you have sinned as well.  You are no better or worse in His eyes than that person.

It’s difficult to separate ourselves from the behavior of the world around us, but God calls us to be holy … to be different … to be separate from the world. We are not to be bound by the rules of the world, we are called to be obedient to Him and the first thing He asks of us is that we love.