Jesus was not afraid to tackle the tough subjects in His Sermon on the Mount. After challenging his listeners to consider the use of their words, particularly when words might hurt or offend others, he moves to their thoughts, specifically in the area of sexual attraction.

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall 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 stumble, 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 stumble, 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. Matthew 5:27-30

Sexual attraction towards another is one of the most powerful forces that God has created for good (inside marriage), but it is also the most manipulated by our enemy, the devil, for evil.

Everybody knows that committing adultery is morally wrong and destructive, but Jesus takes the Old Testament command a step further. He tells us that even if we look at another person (which includes pornography) and allow our imagination to desire adultery, that is no different. It is still morally wrong and destructive.

Jesus died on the cross to take the penalty for our sins, providing a way that we might receive forgiveness and freedom. Then He gives us His Spirit to empower us towards living a new and clean life. But the emphasis here in the sermon is on how serious adultery is, even if it is imagined adultery. It is not something to gloss over or take lightly.

Jesus’ comments about cutting off parts of the body are obviously not to be taken literally (otherwise there would be a lot of people walking around with missing hands and eyes). Rather, He wants to underline how important it is that we take steps towards guarding our minds, not submitting to temptation.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Sometimes it is as simple as that – flee the temptation! Delete the webpage; switch to another channel; walk away from person who might lead you astray.

I wonder, in which way does the devil tempt you in this area? Is God challenging you about what you watch on TV, or what you browse on your computer? Do you need to take control of any stray thoughts you might have about a person other than your husband or wife? What do you need to do to keep temptation away?

Continuing our journey through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, last week we read:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Matthew 5:21-22

We asked the question that as followers of Jesus, how might we encourage an alternative narrative where our words heal and restore rather than hurt and divide? One answer is to ensure that we speak with grace towards each other, being careful what we say.

Jesus offers some more answers in the next part of his sermon. He continued, saying:

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; 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 together on the way, or your adversary 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 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:23-26

The reality of life is that sometimes we do hurt and offend others. We may not always mean to, but when we are angry or stressed, we might say things we later regret. We might make a decision we didn’t realise would cause trouble for others. We can try to avoid hurting others by being careful with our words, but if an offense has been caused, what can we do to put it right?

Verses 23 – 24 of Matthew 5 reminds us that our relationships with each other are important to God. So much so, Jesus says that we should seek to put them right even before worshipping God or participating in church activities (“offering your gift at the alter” in verse 23). It seems the Lord wants us to make it a top priority to be reconciled with those we might have hurt or offended. Above anything else. We need to go to the person and try to mend the relationship.

In verses 25 – 26, the situation described is even worse. Imagine wronging a person so badly that they decide to take you to court. Jesus obviously doesn’t want things to get that far. Again, he encourages us to go to the person and talk to them. Try to find a peaceful solution.

Hurts are easily caused by words, but restored relationships can be found through words too. Words have power and God has given us the authority and freedom to wield that power. Let’s resist the urge to divide but lean towards the precious art of reconciliation.

Continuing our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Matthew 5:21-22

I’m sure we would all agree that, in most cases, to kill a human life is wrong. Jesus reminded us of that in these verses, referring to the 10 commandments in Exodus 20. After quoting the sixth commandment (“You shall not murder”), He then listed 3 examples where emotions and speech will also be held accountable: anger with a brother or sister, an insult to a brother or sister, and an offensive remark to someone.

God is not just interested in our outward actions but how we treat each other with our words and what lies within our hearts.

Sometimes anger is justified (for example, when we see somebody being bullied, or when we hear of regions of the world that suffer without food or clean water), but “anyone who is angry” refers to unrighteous anger in this case, the sort that comes out of hatred or self-importance.[1] This is the sort of anger that festers in the pool of hurt pride, the kind that is expressed unchecked when we forget to have mercy or compassion.

To say “Raca” to a brother or sister is the same as insulting somebody’s intelligence. It is the same as calling a person a moron or stupid, with deliberate intention to belittle them. Even if we do this in jest a humble person will check his motives and be sure that the person on the receiving end truly receives it in good humour.

In Jesus’ third example, to say “you fool” goes deeper than “Raca”. It assaults a person’s character, like accusing someone of being corrupt. In a world where verbal barbs are traded without restraint on social media or in the public arena, how might we as children of a new Kingdom demonstrate a different reality? How might we as followers of Jesus encourage an alternative narrative where our words heal and restore rather than hurt and divide?

The verses that follow will begin to address that, we will examine these in next week’s devotion. In the meantime, The Bible has much to say in other places about how God wants us to treat people, especially when emotions are running high. Here’s just one example from the Apostle Paul: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6

[1] See 1 John 3: 15