True Fidelity
LENT 2023 | DAY 8
Matthew 5:27-30 (NIV)
(Gordon Tan, Associate Lay Leader; Lay Counsellor, Wesley Counseling Services )
READ:
Matthew 5:27-30 (NIV)
DAILY REFLECTION:
This passage sits between Jesus talking about ‘anger & murder’, and ‘marriage & divorce’. But most importantly, “Matthew 5:27–30 continues to expand on a theme Jesus introduced in Matthew 5:20. True “righteousness” is not merely about what a person does but what he or she thinks and feels.”
(https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/5/Matthew-5-27.html)
To look lustfully at a woman other than one’s wife, is an act of infidelity. This is a clear exposition by Jesus of Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery”.
Jesus made a shocking statement to tear out the eye, or any part of the body, if it causes us to sin. The truth is, if we allow infidelity to fester in our hearts and minds, it will also manifest in our actions.
Sitting in the counseling room, this subject of lust comes up every so often. In contrast to love, lust is self-seeking. It is driven by the desire for sexual gratification. Lust begins with the eye (“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness”, Luke 11:34). This sexual desire is then magnified by the imagination. James 1:15 reminds us that “… desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
Jesus makes it clear that our physical needs are no excuse for not obeying the Law (Matthew 5:17-20). What then am I to do?
As I reflect, I learn that I must avoid pornographic sites that may excite me with lust. Instead, I should contemplate how I can love. Love my wife, love my family. I must avoid compromising situations with other females. I may feel attachment from a good relationship but I need to watch my physical distance. I may admire and find them attractive but I need to beware of how I think of them. I will remind myself to do what Proverbs 4:23 says: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Finally, I need to spend time with my spouse, to love her, cherish and appreciate her. And I need to spend time enjoying my family.
FAMILY DISCUSSION POINTERS:
1. What does it mean to “look at someone with lustful intent” (Matthew 5:28, ESV)? How is that different from admiring someone?
2. If someone really loves you, how would the person show respect in your relationship?
3. What can we do to avoid letting our “… desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:15)?
