You have heard that it was said...

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

- Matthew 5:27-37

When I first read this passage, I wondered what I could write about it. My study bible has a number of very helpful commentaries and notes I'd like to share to begin. "God sees the hidden desires which motivate our actions. The issue here is lust, not simply the God-given mutual attraction between men and women. Sin does not come out of nature, but out of internal self-indulgence. He who feasts on lust within himself brings sin into his heart through his thoughts. (Thoughts which enter the mind involuntarily are temptations, not sins. They become sins only when they are held onto and entertained.)" I think this understanding of our negotiation between nature and choice is extremely important: what we're speaking of as sin is something chosen, developed, dwelt upon and held onto. I believe this vision of our nature as something God-created and inherently good is essential to the way in which we view this walk in the world and the choices we make.

Jesus speaks with vivid imagery using the physical body as an illustration of what it is to choose, and to shape our internal reality. This language is also found in other gospels: 'If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.' As Christians we make choices; we are not helpless but rather in this extension of the Law we once again enter the place where law is written on our hearts. It's imperative, he's saying, that we make choices about what and who we are, what sort of person we are, becoming self-aware, discerning. It is important to understand that we have that choice. We're not slaves to our environment; we have help to make choices. Repentance, salvation, from this standpoint, is a lifetime process of making choices.

My study bible points out that Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce in the gospels and emphasizes the eternal character of marriage. This was in contrast to the easy access to divorce under Mosaic law, and its misuse, which was very harmful toward women. But Jesus' allowing for the possibility of divorce on the grounds of unchastity, for example, clearly shows that Christ considered that the marriage bond is not absolute: it can be destroyed by sin. My study bible continues: "Human freedom implies the possibility of sin; sin can separate husband and wife from each other, and ultimately from the body of Christ and from God Himself." What this points to, again, is the choice - the repeated choice - that we make. In this light, the great understanding is about a repeated expression of something harmful. One can think of many ways in which a marriage is harmed by the choices of one or both spouses. Abuse of our relationships is something we must deal with, a choice we make for which we are responsible. This notion is akin to the one expressed in yesterday's reading, on anger.

Continuing in our passage, Jesus speaks against making superficial oaths and the casual use of God's name. We are to speak the truth and keep our promises. Our speech should be direct, straightforward. I find these two ideas - on marriage and the swearing of oaths - to be linked within the common understanding of the importance of relationship, of love and loyalty. In this we can also tie Jesus' extension of the law against murder to the choice of abusive anger. Each of these extensions of the Old Law into the New has the focus of strengthening and maintaining healthy relationship, right-relatedness, loyalty and love. These are essential teachings on our own responsibility for choices that strengthen our capacity for proper relatedness to one another and for the practice of love and peace, for right relationships. Jesus is teaching us that the choices we make for our internal state of being are essential for us to understand and be aware of, that we continue our lives in this kingdom, as participants with him, by making good choices about who and what we are. We're not slaves to the world, to any particular ideas or ways of thinking. We make choices: he is commanding that we participate in his kingdom by taking this responsibility for our internal terrain and practicing self-awareness and making choices.

'Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.' A note on this verse reads as follows: "This is a well-known saying in the New Testament (James 5:12). Trust is secured not by an oath which exceeds Yes and No, but by inner integrity. Jesus teaches us to live in the simplicity of the present moment." We don't tempt God, we don't know God in God's fullness - it is not ours to claim. This emphasis is on our personal integrity, our word and truth and trustworthiness. Again, the focus is on relationship, and purity of heart. Jesus' teachings in these important passages from the Sermon on the Mount, the elaboration of the Old Law into the New Law, are teachings that give us the proscriptions for right-relatedness in his kingdom. They reach deep into our capacities for choice as human beings, they teach us what it is to be fully human, to extend our ability to choose and to shape the persons that we are and can become. They give us responsibility; as members of this kingdom we are not helpless but are active participants. We remember we have help to make our choices, and that this help is Love Itself. The great goal here, it seems to me, is a kingdom in which we mirror its Source; our true nature is developed by participation into the fullness of these possibilities within us. Our nature, essentially good, is created for this end.