The Sermon on the Mount is the most famous of Jesus’s sermons presented in the New Testament. It covered such moral issues as anger and murder, adultery and lust, oaths and revenge, and many other keen issues that have been actual within the thousands of years to the present time. ("What is the Sermon on the Mount?", 2016)
In the verses 27-30 of chapter 5 of the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus speaks about adultery and lust. He reminds His listeners about the Old Testament rules concerning this issue and explains it wider applying to His teaching.
“You have heard that it was said to those old, ‘You should not commit adultery.’ “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for this is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matt.5: 27-30 New King James Version)
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ (Matt. 5:27 New King James Version) Here Jesus reminds about the law stated in Exodus 20:14 that was given to the Jews ancestries on the Mount of Sinai. Not all people understood the meaning of the word “adultery” in its fullness. Many people think that adultery often implies the family issues and refers to the married couples only, and means the physical contact with the other sex outside the family. Not many people take into consideration such things as watching the object of lust and the visualization of the things that can cause to a sin. ("Matthew 5:27 -", 2016)
“But I say to that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt.5:28 New King James Version) With these words Jesus reminds that according to the Jewish law it was even forbidden to look at the woman’s parts of the body, such as little finger, because in can cause the impure thoughts that are born in the person’s mind and then come to his heart and eventually can be transformed in the sinful deeds. ("Matthew 5:28 - but I say to you - Verse-by-Verse Commentary", 2016)
“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell,” (Matt.5:29 New King James Version) In a Hebrew tradition the affections of the mind were represented by the members of the body. “An evil eye” can lead from the analysis of what a person see to the evil actions that will be born in his mind. The phrase “pluck it out” should not be understood literally. Jesus teaches that even the dearest object must be removed if it leads a person to a sinful act. By this self-denials, people can overcome the evil part of the human nature. “One of your members perish” means that it is better to refuse yourself in something pleasant but evil than to put you in danger of the hell fire forever. ("Matthew 5:29 -", 2016)
“And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you to that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matt. 5: 30 New King James Version) Jesus chooses the right hand for the similar reason as the right eye. It is the most important and the most useful member of the human’s body. The idea is the same too. It is better to overcome yourself than commit a sin. Every earthly object that is dear to you and but can be harmful to your soul must be removed from your life. The short sinful pleasure can lead to the destruction of the soul eternal punishment in hell. ("Matthew 5:30 -", 2016)
Sexual desire is natural and good because families are formed and children are born. The Old Testament says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen. 2:24 New King James Version) Thus, it can be seen that God blesses sexual relations between a man and a woman. Nevertheless, in the Old Testament, there are some examples of polygamy, for example, Jacob, and David had more than one wife but the life in these families was not peaceful but full of envy and rivalry.
It is clearly seen that sexual desire is not the deed against God because He encourages it but only within a family. Such kind of relations outside the family can lead to the broken lives and fatherless or motherless children. ("4. Adultery, Lust, and the Spirit of Marriage (Matthew 5:27-30) - Sermon on the Mount", 2016)
With the development of science and technologies, many media resources such as TV and the Internet appeared. Every day they give us a lot of information that contains sexual scenes, the pictures of half’- naked or naked bodies, the TV programs that discuss the issues of adultery and some programs even propagandize lust, adultery, and pornography. The magazines and newspapers tell their readers about celebrities’ private life affairs, and their adulteries and divorces very often serve an example to the other people’s behavior and lifestyle. With the help media resources, people start lust in their hearts and then transform it into the real actions.
This false freedom leads to the broken families, distorted lives, unhappy children, sexual disorders and sexual addictions that in some cases need medical treatment. This moral decay of society can cause to the degradation and even to complete destruction of the humankind.
In order to avoid self-destruction people should always remember Jesus’s words about the perishing of one member of the body. It is not easy to remove the thing that is pleasant and dear to one’s heart but it is possible. A person must be responsible for his or her deeds because they can have a great impact on the other people’s lives, save them from destruction or lead them to the hell fire.
It has been always very difficult to resist the temptation, and it is even more difficult nowadays. The solution to the problem of moral decay is in the person’s will and self-denial.
References
4. Adultery, Lust, and the Spirit of Marriage (Matthew 5:27-30) - Sermon on the Mount.
(2016).Jesuswalk.com. Retrieved 1 May 2016, from
http://www.jesuswalk.com/manifesto/4_adultery.htm
Holy Bible New King James Version. (1983) (2nd ed.). Nashville, Tennesse.
Matthew 5:27 -. (2016). StudyLight.org. Retrieved 30 April 2016, from
https://www.studylight.org/commentary/matthew/5-27.html
Matthew 5:28 - but I say to you - Verse-by-Verse Commentary. (2016). StudyLight.org.
Retrieved 30 April 2016, from https://www.studylight.org/commentary/matthew/5-
28.html
Matthew 5:29 -. (2016). StudyLight.org. Retrieved 30 April 2016, from
https://www.studylight.org/commentary/matthew/5-29.html
Matthew 5:30 -. (2016). StudyLight.org. Retrieved 30 April 2016, from
https://www.studylight.org/commentary/matthew/5-30.html
What is the Sermon on the Mount?. (2016). GotQuestions.org. Retrieved 30 April 2016, from
http://www.gotquestions.org/sermon-on-the-mount.html
