#6 The King’s Interpretation of the Law Forbidding Adultery
Matthew 5:27-30
1. Matthew 5:27 says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’”
2. Definition of adultery: Committing unlawful sexual intercourse with the spouse of another person or to do the same as a spouse.
a. To qualify as adultery, one of the two spouses must be married.
b. To marry another man while your husband is living (Romans 7:3; Mark 10:12). Mark 10:12 says, “And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
c. To marry one that is divorced (Matthew 5:32). Matthew 5:32 says, “But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
d. To divorce one’s wife and cause her to marry again (Matthew 5:32).
e. To divorce your wife and marry another (Luke 16:18). “Luke 16:18 says, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”’
3. “You have heard that it was said” Jesus refers to the teaching about adultery by the doctors of the law from the time of Ezra and after. With this the Pharisees of Jesus’ time agree. They said:
a. “A man should not commit adultery.” Paul says to the Jews of his day, “You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? (Romans 2:22)
b. Pharisees also said, “Stone those who did it.” John 8:3 says, “The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them 4and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So, what do You say?”
4. Jesus’ interpretation of the law forbidding adultery. Matthew 5:28 says, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
a. Jesus combined the 7th and the 10th commandments. Exodus 20:14 says, “You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:17 says, “…You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife….”
b. The Greek word for “looks at” is blepon. It means to see, or to observe.
1) It implies special contemplation as in Luke 9:62 “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” The point is that a man begins to follow Christ and then, like Lot’s wife, looks longingly back to his former life in the world.
2) Blepon is a present active participle. It therefore has the meaning of “continues to look.” It is continuous action due to desire.
c. The Greek word for “woman” is gunaika, which may be a married or unmarried woman. We derive “gynecologist” from that word.
d. The looker is probably married but it does not say. If he is married, he is committing adultery against God, the other husband and wife, and his own wife.
e. To lust is the Greek word epithumia, which means “desire.”
1) Epithumia means “coveted” in Acts 20:33, which says, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver, gold, or clothing.”
2) Luke translates it “have desired” in Luke 22:15 “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering.”
3) James renders epithumia “lust” or “desire” in James 4:2 “You “desire” (“lust” KJV) but do not have, so you kill.” Desire can lead to murder, theft, or adultery.
4) The kind of desire is not involuntary or momentary. It is to cherish with longing.
5) It is difficult for a man to observe a beautiful woman without lusting. So, this is also a prohibition against pornography.
f. The sin is mental and leads to the physical act. Matthew 15:19 says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.” Thoughts are in our hearts. When they give birth to acts, they produce physical adultery.
g. James 1:13-16 says, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires, he is lured away and enticed. 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
5. What Jesus Christ was like re. adultery
a. He was tempted as we are, but without sin. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are yet was without sin.”
b. But He loved, and treated every woman as a daughter, sister, and as married. He treated them as sacred objects of respect.
6. The sin of adultery:
a. It is either an act or a thought. If it is an act, it is both a thought and an act.
b. One should go to extremes to avoid adultery.
c. Matthew 5:29-30 says, “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. 30And 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 depart into hell.”
d. Reasons that we must take “the eye and hand” symbolically:
1) Even if we gouge out our right eye and cut off our right hand, the left eye and hand can still offend us.
2) Mutilation cannot eliminate desire.
3) It is the same language as in Matthew 18:8-9, which is about being a stumbling block, as follows:
“Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These obstacles must come, but woe to the man through whom they come.
“8If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” (Matthew 18:8-9).
4) The point is that we must go to any extreme to avoid all kinds of sin, especially sins against our brothers. Do not let anything or anyone trap us into adultery. Flee from adultery.
5) When the Lord Jesus Christ taught, he often used language of unqualified discourse. Teachers use this kind of presentation to prompt thought and inquiry on the part of the student. Jesus expected His disciples to ask Him what He meant by this. Then He would explain that He meant to emphasize the importance of refraining from adultery, whether of thought or of act.
7. The literal fact of hell:
a. There are three New Testament words for hell:
1) Hades is used in Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; Revelation 20:13. It is used to translate the Old Testament word sheol, which can mean “grave” or the spiritual grave of punishment.
2) Tartarus – 2 Peter 2:4 uses tartarus for hell for the fallen angels who are called “sons of God” in Genesis 6.
3) Gehenna – Our Lord used this word more frequently than Hades. It was named after the Valley of Hinnom, which was a place outside the wall of Jerusalem where dead bodies of criminals were cast for buzzards to eat. It was also a garbage dump and a pauper’s grave. It is symbolic for the place of eternal punishment in a lake of fire.
b. Terms descriptive of Hell
1) Furnace of fire (Matthew 13:42)
2) Everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46)
3) Everlasting destruction
4) Perdition (Hebrews 10:39) Perdition is “Loss of the soul; eternal damnation.”
5) Mist of darkness (2 Peter 2:17)
6) Blackness of darkness (Jude 1:13)
7) Second death (Revelation 2:11)
8) Lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20)
9) Torment day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10)
c. Gehenna hell is not loss of being, but loss of wellbeing. Gehenna hell is the penalty for adultery (Matthew 5:29-30). Fear God!
1) Luke 12:5 says, “But I will warn you whom to fear: Fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” ESV So God kills and God casts into hell.
2) Matthew 10:28 says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
