Unmentionables

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”.  Matthew 5:27-28

Adultery is one of the sins that Jesus was very adamant that folks should never commit because it is a sin against one’s own body.  It is also one that is rarely spoken of in our day, mostly because there are so many folks who have committed adultery.  Churches are full of folks who have been divorced and remarried, some because a spouse was unfaithful to them, which is the one exception to remarriage after divorce, but many for various other reasons.

Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount to the crowd gathered that day, remarking that they had all heard the warning to not commit adultery that was passed down from their ancestors.  However, the warning goes further back than that.  It is the seventh commandment that God issued to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20:14).  In the beginning of Jesus’ sermon, He said that the pure in heart are blessed, and this also means being pure physically and mentally for purity of body and soul is what Jesus would desire for not only His followers, but all men and women because they are all made in the image of God.  The seventh commandment did not just refer to sexual relations by a married person to someone who was not his or her spouse, but to all uncleanness and all unclean desires.  Since the commandment is broad in its implication, it applies to more than just an adulterous affair.

The Pharisees took the seventh commandment at face value meaning that to them it only dealt with the physical act of adultery.  They believed that if they had not actually committed this sin, then they could never be accused of such a sinful act.  They never considered that the lust in their hearts, that is, “the impatience of desire” as Oswald Chambers puts it, could ever be accusatory against them.  As long as they didn’t commit the unclean act of adultery, they were innocent in their own eyes.  Jesus corrected them.  It didn’t matter that the sin of adultery, fornication, or any other unclean act was committed or not, but just having the desire, that is, lusting, was just as sinful.  Uh, oh.  Now the scope of the seventh commandment is widened even further so that it even covers sinful, lustful thoughts, and who hasn’t had any of those?

Lust can be an overwhelming desire for just about anything.  We think of lust in the sexual sense, but people can lust for wealth, power, fame, popularity, prestige, and material possessions.  James tells us in James 1:14-15 that “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death”.  An uncontrolled lust will lead to sin.  It was lust that caused King David to commit adultery with Bathsheba.  He already had wives and concubines, but his lust craved more.  The one who lusts is not always the only guilty party:  Bathsheba was naked and bathing in a place where David could clearly see her.  We’ve seen some highly unethical actions, for example, lying and covering up crimes, that politicians take because they lust for power.  Some celebrities, particularly when their popularity begins to fade, will do some rather ungodly things because they lust for the limelight again.

But what about the average man or woman who remains faithful to his or her spouse, doesn’t seek fame and fortune to the extent that nothing else matters, or isn’t so overly concerned with his or her own image?  Does the seventh commandment not apply to them?  No, of course it does apply.  All commandments apply to all people because we are all made in God’s image and are accountable to Him for how we live our lives.  Have you ever heard of “spiritual adultery”?  Both Israel and Judah were guilty of spiritual adultery because they left God for man-made idols.  Human marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church.  Regarding believers, anything that comes between Christ and His followers is a form of spiritual adultery.  Regarding the unsaved world, all those who have rejected God are also guilty of spiritual adultery because man was made for a relationship with the Lord and to dishonor Him by refusing to love and serve Him is a form of idolatry.  Thus, the seventh commandment applies to everyone because no one is able to keep his or her relationship with the Lord perfectly, and those who reject Him have shunned their intended spiritual spouse for one of the flesh.

When we marry for love, to live as God intended with our spouse, we deny ourselves in order to please our spouse.  Jesus said that when we are “married to Him” in an eternal relationship, we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).  When a husband and wife seek to please one another, they usually have a happier marriage than the marriage of those who are self-centered.  When a believer denies himself or herself and puts Christ first in his or her life and at the head of his or her relationship, they will find that life, even with its ups and down, will be filled with joy and peace.