My friend Rudy Ross owns my favorite ice cream store, Miami Ice. In today’s YouTube video, I told Rudy that if he was holding an ice cream cone, which is my favorite dessert, and I looked at it and thought, “Oh, I’d like that,” that would be desire.
On the other hand, if I made plans to divert his attention so I could steal his ice cream cone, that would be lust.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tackled the connection between lust and adultery. He did something characteristic of his teaching: he took a well-known outward sin, adultery, and dug deeper, revealing its root cause within the human heart – lust.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5.27-28).
Just as anger and insults can escalate into murder (Matthew 5.21-22), lustful desires can lead to adultery. Jesus emphasizes that the root of such problems lies within us, in our thoughts and desires.
The best solution to anger, insults, and lust in a person’s inner self is not to try to eradicate them like pulling weeds from a garden. Rather, fill up one’s life with the love of God.
The more we love God, the more these negative impulses will be squeezed out of our lives.
St. Augustine and Lust
St. Augustine once told God, “Please change me, but not yet.” In the time before Augustine was changed, he frequented houses of prostitution.
After his conversion, one of the prostitutes that he knew saw him on a city street. She chased after him, and she said, “Augustine, it is I.” His response was, “But it is not I.”
Augustine’s actions concerning his former life are a great picture of what Jesus was saying concerning lust.
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
“And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5.29-30).
Jesus is clearly not recommending cutting off a hand or poking out an eye. We can lust with one hand and one eye just as easily as with two. What He is saying is that, similar to Augustine, when sin comes knocking at the door, we should run from it.
Or, as one man says, when the devil comes knocking at the door, ask Jesus to answer it.
What about Divorce?
The next topic Jesus chose was the subject of divorce. Divorce can be viewed as an outward act, more so than anger or lust, which are both inward conditions.
“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’
“But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matthew 5.31-32).
Followers of Jesus are called to be living testimonies of life under the reign of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our behavior serves as a powerful witness to the world.
One remarkable example of God’s reconciling power is when struggling marriages find reconciliation.
However, it’s crucial to view these verses about divorce as a guide to honoring God, rather than a weapon to inflict pain on those who have already endured the hardship of divorce.
In our YouTube videos, I frequently remind our listeners that the end of the book describes a cross and resurrection which was done to forgive and transform sinners.
Anger, insults, lust, adultery, murder, and divorce are all forgiven by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Praise God.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
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