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Deutsche Version | Wiki Start | Topics Collection vi
Sermon on the Mount VI: Danger Warning ...
Monday, Dec 1, 2014. Sometimes we treat the bible as if this book would contain only nice and smooth statements. But it does not. Even Jesus himself said a lot of things which are very difficult for us. He gives us a very sincere danger warning.
Eyes and Hands …
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. (Matth. 5)
There are many important observations, when we try to understand these words of Jesus - coming very soon after his famous beatitudes! These are words of warning, sincere warning. And he is clarifying several different points here.
First, Jesus confirms that he does not want us to break marriage. His view is, as those of the apostles in the New Testament, that men and women are made for another, and that we should live our sexual relationships within marriage and marriage only. If you break marriage by living other sexual relationships, you commit adultery. And this is a sincere thing in the eyes of Jesus!
Take things serious …
But God is looking much deeper into us, not only on the outside! He is looking into our emotions, into our thoughts, into our motives, our wishes, desires. And faith does not only touch our outside. Jesus is reaching far into our soul with his words. He is touching all what is going in inside of us. Adultery starts with the way we look at each other. It starts with what our heart tells us, what our heart desires.
And then Jesus talks about the dangers in our life. Here, he does not mean the danger of physical injuries. He talks about eternal dangers. He talks about the danger to loose God's grace forever. It is very interesting, to observe the basic statements here. It is possible for humans to loose heaven and go into separation from the love and truth of God, by making their own choices. And desires can be in the center of these choices!
The bible tells this story many times: desires can cause us to make choices which lead us into destruction. Since God has given us a free will, to choose. Since God is not forcing us into heaven! Our desires can cause us to go into the wrong direction - and Jesus gives us a sincere warning, that we should make clear efforts to stop this from happening. It is a storm warning here, a personal storm warning for you and for me. (RWEP) ... more texts