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  Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:27-32 (KJV)

YE HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID BY THEM OF OLD TIME, THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY: BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT WHOSOEVER LOOKETH ON A WOMAN TO LUST AFTER HER HATH COMMITTED ADULTERY WITH HER ALREADY IN HIS HEART. AND IF THY RIGHT EYE OFFEND THEE, PLUCK IT OUT, AND CAST IT FROM THEE: FOR IT IS PROFITABLE FOR THEE THAT ONE OF THY MEMBERS SHOULD PERISH, AND NOT THAT THY WHOLE BODY SHOULD BE CAST INTO HELL. AND IF THY RIGHT HAND OFFEND THEE, CUT IT OFF, AND CAST IT FROM THEE: FOR IT IS PROFITABLE FOR THEE THAT ONE OF THY MEMBERS SHOULD PERISH, AND NOT THAT THY WHOLE BODY SHOULD BE CAST INTO HELL. IT HATH BEEN SAID, WHOSOEVER SHALL PUT AWAY HIS WIFE, LET HIM GIVE HER A WRITING OF DIVORCEMENT: BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT WHOSOEVER SHALL PUT AWAY HIS WIFE, SAVING FOR THE CAUSE OF FORNICATION, CAUSETH HER TO COMMIT ADULTERY: AND WHOSOEVER SHALL MARRY HER THAT IS DIVORCED COMMITTETH ADULTERY.

In John Bunyan's book, Holy War, he tells the story of the city of Mansoul, under the rule of Prince Emmanuel, attacked by Diabolus, the enemy of souls. In that conflict, tremendous importance is attached to the city gates; it is here that the main threat to the welfare of the town is expected. The passage we are now considering is an example of the great importance of one of those gates: it deals with the eye-gate—the vulnerability, the culpability, the salvability, of eye-gate. Consider first,

The assault at the gate

"Whosoever looketh," says the Master; and apparently His word signifies not just a passing glance, but a lingering view; not an accidental sight, but an intentional occupation with the object, a deliberate harboring of the thing. He is dealing with another enlargement of the Old Law. The old demanded purity of life; the new requires purity of thought—to succumb in the realm of thought is equivalent to yielding to the deed, and is regarded with the utmost severity.

Internal situation

Every one of us is born into a very sinful world; and as we grow up we learn fairly quickly how to commit sin. Yes, all of us have a tendency to sin. But when "born again" every Christian receives a new nature—the first, "the flesh"; the second, "the spirit."

Turn now to Galatians 5:17: "The flesh lusteth against the spirit," the old nature of wickedness always fighting the new spirit of holiness; "fleshly lusts which take the field against the soul" as a free rendering of the Greek of 1 Peter 2:11 has it, "And": let us substitute for that, the word "but", as the original entitles us to do; thus turning a woefully pessimistic statement into one that is highly hopeful.

"The spirit against the flesh": it is not only the bad that fights; if we let Him the indwelling Holy Spirit is prepared to wage war against the evil spirit within. It is not simple "and" He does it, as if we were condemned to a constant struggle, first one triumphing, then the other; it is "but" He does it, as if to say that therefore all would be well.

"So that ye cannot do the things that ye would"; how depressing that sounds, yet that is not the impression meant to be conveyed, as if, do what we may, we can never do good even if we wish to do so. No false idea of the true meaning will be given if we somewhat freely render the Greek, "in order that ye need not do the things that ye (otherwise) would." Left to ourselves we are sure to be defeated in the struggle—the old nature, "the flesh," is bound to prevail; and even if we refrain from doing the sinful deed, we permit ourselves the voluptuous look of evil desire, which the Master is here so seriously condemning. We must overcome that spy in the castle, lest he traitorously open that gate, and thus cause the city's downfall. Jesus Christ is within us and, if we let Him, is antagonising within us, in order that we need not do the evil things that otherwise we are bound and determined to do. "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not"—when, and why? "He that was begotten of God [His "only begotten"—John 3:16] keepeth him" (1 John 5:18; R.V.).

“Bringing into captivity”

Take another verse: 2 Corinthians 10:5, "Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." "Bringing into captivity": capturing, making an arrest; "the obedience of Christ": that is, the law and order of the Master; "every thought", every evil thought as it discloses itself—treating it as the criminal, the spy, that it really is. If we found an enemy agent in our home, probably the first action would be to inform the police of his presence. They would then come and make the arrest. So, when that evil thought manifests itself, get in touch with the indwelling Holy Spirit, tell Him there is an enemy agent there, and ask Him to arrest it, before it can do harm. Perhaps it slipped in through the eye-gate: have it apprehended at once, in the Name of the Law and Order of the Master.

External situation

Such is something of the situation within. Now let us give attention to the external situation. Assaulting the gates of the city there are the forces of Diabolus; and those onslaughts are serious because of the spy, the old evil nature, within—in league with the enemy without. Let us remind ourselves that there is no sin in being attacked. If we are true to the Lord and faithful Christians, it is only natural that Satan would assault us—only the giving into it is sinful.

Illustration

During Bible School a young boy was asked if he knew the difference between temptation and sin. He replied, "Temptation's when you're asked to do it, and sin's when you've done it."

Martin Luther put it this way, "We cannot prevent the birds flying over our heads, but we can prevent their making nests in our hair." We need to resist beginnings. It is the combination of dangers—what is within and what is without—that makes the situation so difficult. Our only chance is to let God deal both with the spy inside and the enemy outside. And especially let us ask Him to guard the eye-gate for us—lest, perhaps the sight of a form, a picture, a book, a movie, an advertisement, kindle a thought within and work havoc throughout. For an instance of the evil partnership at work see James 1:14-15, where the "lusting" is the spy at work, and "enticing" the enemy.

Divorce

Our Lord takes occasion here to mention a matter that is often closely allied to this subject of adultery: the question of divorce. The "writing of divorcement" that He refers to was a legal document, a deed definitely specifying the reason for the separation and giving the woman a chance to vindicate herself. The rule governing the matter was that she "found no favor in her husband's eyes, because he found some unseemly thing in her." What was meant by the word "unseemly" was a cause of much discussion. The Rabbis were sharply divided. The school of Shammai said that it meant simply unfaithfulness. However, the school of Hillel was much laxer, teaching that it meant a man could also divorce his wife if he hated her, if he preferred somebody else, or even if he disliked her cooking. Like today, in our Lord’s time divorce was unhappily a common occurrence—a common subject of discussion. His own authoritative pronouncement on the matter was that the only legitimate justification was "the cause" of verse 32, and that, as said later in 19:3, "every cause" other than the one was not to be entertained. Moreover, He laid it down that following any other cause for divorce and remarriage was to be guilty of adultery.  While we firmly believe divorce, like all sin, can be, and if a Christian repents, will be forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ, still how urgently careful He was to guard us against anything that would encroach on the peace, happiness, and sanctity of home life.

Return to eye-gate theme

And now we return to the eye-gate theme. The eye can easily let in the thought, and the thought may lead to the deed, and the deed can sadly form into habit. In his book, Descent of Man, Charles Darwin says, "Whatever makes any bad action familiar to the mind, renders its performance so much the easier." How important to guard the gate—burn that evil book, avoid that X-rated movie, video or online pornography; stay away from that sinful person, stop that bad thought at once: "make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14). Let us now think on,

The defeat at the gate

Of course, there are other gates where much damage may be done to the welfare of the city; but none is as prolific of disaster as this eye-gate. Over and over again the Bible traces downfall and tragedy to this beginning. For instance: "When the woman saw" (Gen. 3:6). Satan had tried to get in by the ear-gate, saying all sorts of things in the attempt to deceive the woman; but all these efforts failed. It was only when the devil switched his attack over to the eye-gate that Eve fell. "When I saw" (Joshua 7:21). So, when his sin at last had been discovered, Achan described the first step toward his downfall. When he saw, he coveted and took; and thus he brought about the destruction of himself and his family. "When he saw" (1 Kings 19:3). The great and brave Elijah had stood on Carmel alone and undaunted, and had gained a glorious victory for the honor of God; but Ahab's wicked queen, Jezebel, sent him a threatening letter by messenger, and when the prophet saw that handwriting and threat he took off for his life.  Somehow the letter made it all real and terrifying; and exhausted in spirit as he then was, he succumbed. "When he saw" (Matthew 14:30). It was then that Peter's faith suddenly collapsed. He had been so splendidly trustful, walking on the water to go to Jesus; but for one brief second he foolishly took his eyes off the Master and caught sight of the mountainous waves that the boisterous winds had raised. That was his undoing: when he saw them he was done.

These are specimens

These are but specimens of such instances. Hear the words of the pathetic prayer of a man who had been notoriously over-thrown at the eye-gate to this very sin of adultery, against which our present passage is so gravely warning us: "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity" (Ps. 119:37). A prayer we should make our own. But dwell now on,

The sacrifice at the gate

As we consider verses 29-30, let us first say that this is symbolic language. "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee"—literally? Well, if so, what good would that be? The left eye would still be there and the danger would remain unabated. In our study of Scripture, it is important to bear in mind that the Bible is an Eastern book. There are forms of words and figures of speech that as Westerners we are likely to misunderstand, if we do not remember this. On the other hand, several problems are solved by the recollection of this rule of exposition. William Harrison once spoke on this subject and referred to this verse as figurative. He continued,

To the Eastern, the “right eye,” or the “right hand,” would be expressive of anything so greatly prized that we would hate to lose it: yet, if any such thing be a cause or source of temptation, we must deliberately wrench it out of our lives however costly the loss might be.

He went on to tell how a young man was transformed from his former licentiousness by his devotion to philosophy. All that had once delighted him he abandoned; it was as though he had cast away his former eyes. He goes on to say, "there could be no after comment on this requirement of our Lord, but I fancy that the Master's figure goes further, and deeper."

Personal challenge

Then, this is personal challenge. We should always remember that there is a cleansing only God can do for us. "For my cleansing this I see, Nothing but the blood of Jesus", as the old Gospel song says. The stain and guilt of sin can be removed in no other way. But we often forget that there is a cleansing that God expects us to do for ourselves. For example, recall 2 Corinthians 7:1, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit." We may ask for grace wherewith to do it, but we must do it ourselves. To cleanse ourselves by plucking out our right eye or cutting off our right hand will take some doing; but it is we that are to do it—only asking for His enabling power. This is the meaning of that word in 1 Corinthians 11:31, "If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." So, then, if there is anything in our life that is an occasion of sin or that is a cause of stumbling to others¹, let us bravely, completely, immediately, personally, and even gladly, root it out.

Profitable loss

For this is profitable loss. If, when we grasp a lizard, it suspects nefarious designs in us, it will unhesitatingly leave its tail in our hand and bolt out of sight— it seems he says, "better to lose a tail than a life;" a lobster will act in the same way with its claw—it does not want to lose it, but it knows that it is that or its life, so it drops its claw and scuttles away, seeking safety. Chess players know what a Gambit is—the sacrificing of a pawn or other piece, for the sake of the game: one may lose a Queen, but it will be worth it if the opponent is beaten. And here our Lord tells us that the loss of what in the physical sphere is as precious as an eye or a hand is "profitable for thee", for the sake of the danger to be avoided and the blessing to be experienced.

Illustrations

A young art student having problems in class was advised by a Christian friend to abandon that career because the required class study was bringing him strong temptations through his eye-gate. It would not be needful for all such students to pluck out their eye—to leave the class and study; but it was necessary for that one. There was once a fine Christian violinist, who found that music lured her to unhelpful and undesirable company; so she smashed her instrument and never played again, lest, through the ear-gate, she should become endangered once more. Not every musician need act in such a way and so drastically; but she felt that she had to do so. In Matthew 19:21, a rich young ruler was advised to give up all his money and possessions, because his soul was endangered at money-gate. Not everyone is expected to surrender wealth in that fashion; but this one was. How great were these losses; but how infinitely greater were the consequent gains—a "profitable" exchange, if ever there was one. Even if the literal sacrifice of eye or hand were exacted in order "that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus", as 1 Corinthians 5:5 indicates, it would prove an abundantly and eternally profitable transaction.

Solemn warning

Lastly, we learn that this is solemn warning. The Master's use of the word "hell," as in verse 22, is an allusion to the actual fire of Ge-Hinnom, Gehenna— Jerusalem 's refuse-heap. Once again, it is figurative language; but never forget that the figure used is always less than the thing figured. When asked about Hell's eternal fire, of which the Gehenna fire is often used in the New Testament as a picture—if not literal fire it must be something far worse. But, in connection with this particular passage, let us always remember that there is a future fire coming. If necessary, may the "eye" and "hand" of our life go now rather than the "whole body" of our life go then—because the thing we ought to let go of now has been left intact, spoiling and ruining our spiritual life and service. In these verses the Master speaks with deep solemnity. There is but one more thing to briefly note,

The victory at the gate

We are back at the eye-gate once more, where, as nowhere else so fiercely, the battle of purity is fought. "Whosoever looketh" with evil intent has been so straightly been dealt with—where then, in a sentence, shall victory be found? Aphorisms are not always trustworthy, but perhaps this one meets this case—the look of lust is killed by the look of trust. David, whose eye-gate was once so disastrously rushed by the enemy, will guide us, as out of his bitter failure he bears testimony to his new found secret of mastery. Listen to him now: "Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord, and He shall pluck my feet out of the net" (Ps. 25:15). He will not now dwell on the "net", which is the temptation—that is to court disaster, as he previously learned; nor will he be occupied with the "feet," which is himself—on one hand, bemoaning that he is subject to such fierce and fascinating temptation; on the other, imagining that in himself lies the power to overcome. No, his eyes will fly to "the Lord" and He will rescue him. That is why, in the instant of temptation, the way of victory at the gate is eyes off our temptation, eyes off self, eyes on the Lord. This always "works."

Footnote:

¹ See Matthew 18:7f.