Mt 5:27-32
Adultery: Jesus uses hyperbolic language to go straight to the core of a matter which he wanted to be taken very seriously—the sanctity of the relationships between men and women in the covenant of marriage. Desires of the heart when sanctioned by the will are as moral or immoral as actual deeds done in favor of or in contravention of the Law.
Adultery: Jesus uses hyperbolic language to go straight to the core of a matter which he wanted to be taken very seriously—the sanctity of the relationships between men and women in the covenant of marriage. Desires of the heart when sanctioned by the will are as moral or immoral as actual deeds done in favor of or in contravention of the Law.
Nothing, of course, could have angered the Pharisees more. They knew “in their heart of hearts” that what he said was true. Moses had allowed the granting of a decree of divorce—not to women, who at that time and in that culture were considered little more than the property of men with no legal rights in such a matter—because of the hardness of people’s hearts (cf Mt 19:8).
Women are equal partners with men in the lifelong covenant of marriage. Divorce is not an option; men can no longer dismiss the wives to whom their lives have become united in marriage. Paul would give further advice in his letter to the Ephesians in this regard. This teaching explains why so many women were attracted to Christianity in its early days. Christianity raised women to a status equal in dignity, honor and rights to that of men. This was a radical move in a culture which considered women to be little more than possessions to be bought and sold.