SHIFT WEEK 6 FRIDAY

AT JESUS FEET: ADULTERY

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:27-30

Jesus starts his teaching on adultery by quoting the seventh commandment: You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14 & Deuteronomy 5:18. Adultery in the Old Testament was sexual intercourse with mutual consent, between any man and the wife of another man. It was considered a heinous crime, and both the adulterer and the adulteress were put to death (Lev. 20:10). Even a betrothed (engaged) woman was legally considered as a wife in the context of Old Testament law. Jesus again goes for the heart of the law, rather than the external action of adultery. He is not condemning a passing glance at a woman, but he is condemning a calculated, sexually desirous stare. That lustful stare betrays the unfaithful heart, breaking the bond of trust and oneness that a man has with his wife. Jesus is saying that it is not enough to maintain physical purity, but one also needs to have a heart of exclusive devotion to one’s spouse. The seriousness of lust is shown by two deliberate exaggerations; of gouging out the eye and severing the hand. Jesus is not asking for self-mutilation, but he is saying; deal with lust radically. It is far better to have a sexually restricted or incomplete life, than to have an impure lustful life that may eventually cost the loss of one’s soul for eternity. Whatever becomes a source of lustful temptation must be avoided and abandoned immediately.

Prayer: Give me Lord single-hearted and single-eyed devotion to you, that you might keep me pure within. Enable me by your grace to have that unbroken love & devotion to my spouse.

Scripture Verse: But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28