Matthew 5:21-30
Murder
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, 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. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, 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.
When Jesus teaches at the Sermon on the Mount He is teaching us about how we think and react to things...He is teaching about how we react to our own thoughts...We read and see the news and see war, poverty, division, and murder -that is not good...But there is also love, family, God, and goodness in our lives...We must not forget this...All the things that God puts in our lives shapes us...We either are growing closer to God and His Son each day, or we are not...And the closer we are to God, the more righteous we are...
Jesus teachings are about our lives...He tells us that our past experiences have shaped our thoughts...He is teaching us we are a function of our thoughts...We act and react off of our thoughts and our thinking...This is why Jesus tells us that it is not the murder we must study, but we must first look at the anger and hate we have before we take that act to murder...When we are thinking of another person, that is not our spouse, it is as important to look at the lust we are feeling at that time we see the "other" woman or man...Jesus teaches us that we must realize that our thoughts are emotions and are to be viewed more than just as a reaction or an impulse or a reaction to an impulse...If we are close to God our thinking and how we react to hate, will not be murder...When we are close to Him, our reaction to lust will not be adultery...These sins have came from within and seem just to happen (or so we think)...Jesus wants us to pause and reflect on this...When we see that it was the hate that caused the murder and that the lust caused the adultery, then we understand Him better...All these things do not happen in a very instant...The quick reaction to sin, shows we are apart from Him...Jesus shows that sin can happen quickly...Our thoughts and our thinking can go quickly awry...
Jesus teaches us that a relationship with Him and His Father is a process and takes time and it too, is not just a reaction...If we love Him, this loving relationship (with Him and His Father) did not happen in an instance, anymore than the hate or lust that caused the one to murder or commit adultery happen in an instance...We need the positive things in life to keep our thoughts away from evil...We need the Scripture to keep certain thoughts in perspective...We need God...For our thoughts first must be good for us to act good...We must be good, just, and merciful as we possibly can in our thoughts and thinking...Simply put our thoughts need to get better...The need to be positive and compassionate...Many times our actions follow our thoughts...
It is at times difficult too change one's thoughts after we have had them awhile...But our LORD is Almighty...It helps to remember that God is in control and can do anything...He can make all things new...Let us remember that our LORD is also the LORD of our thoughts..