David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 5:27-30

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

There are ways to deal with lustful eyes much less severe than tearing them out; surely! In fact these words of Jesus are more likely to draw people toward tearing them out than taking His advice seriously. Let’s just get rid of this pesky teaching and we’ll all be a lot better off than if we get rid of our eyes.

C.S. Lewis offers an insightful look at lust in his book, The Great Divorce. A blog entry by Robert Colquhoun offers a synopsis:

In the Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis tells a great allegorical story about a ghost of a man afflicted by lust. Lust is represented by a red lizard that sits on the shoulder of the man and whispers convincingly into his ear. The man eventually begins to despair about the lizard, at which point an angel offers to kill it for him. But the man is torn about what to do. The man fears the death of lust will kill him and makes excuse after excuse to the angel to keep the lizard. But finally the man allows the angel to seize and kill the lizard. The angel grasps the reptile, breaks its neck and throws it to the ground. This ghostly man is gloriously transformed into a real and solid being, whilst the lizard, rather than dying is turned into a might stallion. Weeping with tears of joy, the man jumps onto the horse and they fly to the heavens.

The choice Jesus offers is far more stark, and for that reason more difficult to understand or believe. Do we actually send ourselves to hell when we commit adultery in our hearts? Is it really that big a deal? What’s wrong with a little bit of looking?

The danger – as with every temptation – is that in looking we seek to fill our souls by a means other than God. Too often we fail to recognize the great danger that every temptation hides: estrangement from God, destruction of human relationships, and withering of the soul. Red dragons may not be powerful stallions waiting to be freed, but they are no true friend. Satan’s desire is to steal, kill, and destroy. We do well to remember that.

Nothing other than God himself can fill our souls. Christ’s faithful living and sacrificial death point us to a purer love. Faith in his ways and promises sustain us in the face of temptation. Life is found in the light of Jesus which shines with a pure and life-giving brightness – never in the darkness of sin and lust.