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Bible Reading Plan

Reading Plan: Matthew 5:27-37

Adultery

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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. 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.

Divorce

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

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Daily Devotional: What Happens When ‘Sex Sells’?

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

2 Corinthians 10:5

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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. 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

There’s an old marketing adage that “sex sells.” Even if you have no experience in professional advertising or branding, one look around a store, a swipe on Instagram, or a commercial break will make it clear that in nearly every industry, suggestive imagery is a frontrunner in advertising strategies. 

While there are many paths we can wander down, when industries use sex or bodies to sell us something, they are forming us to think that bodies are transactional—that a human person shares the same worth as a bottle of perfume or a pair of sneakers. It encourages us to think that people are something we can possess, or control, or use in whatever way brings us pleasure. While the frenzy of internet sales wasn’t the main concern of Jesus’ day, the same problem of dehumanization prevailed then as it does today. 

Jesus warned those around him that having a lustful thought was the same as committing adultery, because lustful thoughts can lead to dehumanizing others. It allows our minds to take possession of a person in a way that was never ours to take. Similarly, it dehumanizes our spouses and the spouse of the other person (in instances when those exist) by not valuing their covenantal relationships.  

Jesus was quick to declare beauty in the world—he’s not saying we cannot appreciate or delight in others. Where the line becomes fuzzy is when we allow the beauty of others to become something we seek to possess for ourselves. It’s less about the ads we see—and more a world that sees sex and sexuality as currency, bodies as something to be coveted, or detested, or freely used for our own desires. When we don’t guard and protect the images in our minds, the storylines we allow ourselves to imagine, or the dignity we offer those around us, the integrity of everyone involved crumbles. 

The idea of plucking out our eye might sound extreme, but Jesus used this hyperbolic language to emphasize how important it was to hold our thoughts captive. To protect what we allow ourselves to see, to watch, to be entertained by. When we become aware of how the world around us is forming us, and what it’s teaching us to believe, it begins to lose its power, and dignity and humanity is restored. 

Next Steps

Are there areas in your life that you have allowed the world’s influence to impact the value you place on others? Spend time in prayer reflecting on your thoughts, surrendering them to God, and allowing God to take your thoughts captive. If there are strongholds you need to confess, ask the Spirit for the strength to do so.