Deadly Diseases, Drastic Cures
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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. 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.” (Matthew 5:27-30)
Deadly conditions have drastic cures. No one with a head cold gets chemotherapy; likewise, no one with cancer sips on cough syrup. Often, we read this passage and think Jesus is “playing” doctor. But listen well – Jesus ain’t playing. Lust is serious business. The studies of pornographic material on the human brain have clearly articulated what Christians have taught for centuries – heart problems often cause brain problems. What is seen cannot be unseen. Lust knocks on our door as a stranger, enters as a guest, and rules as the Master of the house. Lustful intentions become lustful imaginations, imprinted upon the eye itself. Suddenly, you stop looking at someone and start looking at someone. From heart to eye, from eye to hand – a deadly disease needs a drastic cure.
In this day and age saturated with images on everything from billboards to smart phones, we must take this issue seriously. As Thomas Watson says, “The looser others are, the stricter we should be. The more outrageous others are in sin, the more courageous we should be for truth.” I have often said that I would trust my seven-year-old with a loaded handgun before I would buy her a smart phone because the danger is real. I would say the same for those seventy-year-olds as well. Little thought to our use of technology and entertainment leads to big spiritual problems. If we are feeding our lust, don’t be surprised if it requires more intensive surgery.
So what does the Chief Physician order? You may have to change your routines, you may have to get off social media, you may have to change your media diet, you may even have to be honest with others. And guess what? You will feel as if you are cutting your right hand off, but it will be worth it. Our Chief Physician knows what is best.
