To read the texts click on the texts:2 Cor 4:7-15; Mt 5:27-32
The text of today contains the second
(5,27-30) and third (5,31-32) of the six antitheses (5,21-48), which appear in
the Sermon on the Mount immediately after the theme. All six while addressing various
aspects of the law move the focus away from the letter to the spirit. Each of
the six begins similarly i.e. with a juxtaposition of what was said (by God
through Moses) and what is now being said (by Jesus to his disciples).
In this pericope, Jesus reaffirms the
prohibition against adultery (Exodus 20,14), but goes beyond i.e. to the
intention of the heart.
The third antithesis about divorce is
related to the earlier one about adultery in subject matter. Deut 24,1-4
assumes the legitimacy of divorce, and in Jewish tradition divorce was
relatively easy to obtain. Jesus, however, prohibits divorce. Matthew alone
adds the exception clause, not found in Mark 10,2-9 which here is more original
and reflects the position of the historical Jesus.
There is sometimes in our understanding
of Christianity too much emphasis on what constitutes and does not constitute
sin, and on how far we can go before we commit sin. The real question we must
ask is how far we must go in love.
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