Thou shalt not covet… period?

Originally posted on September 01, 2007 – by Andre Piet

Already at an early stage, the institution of the ‘church’ created a negative atmosphere around everything related to pleasure and sex. Entirely in accordance with what Paul had foretold would happen “in later times” (see 1 Timothy 4). The apostle does not mince words and speaks in this context openly of “hypocrisy” and even of “teachings of demons.”

It happened exactly as foretold. The ‘clergy’ began to teach that human nature is evil (click here) and that a battle had to be waged against ‘the flesh’ (click here). Sex would be dirty and no more than a necessary evil. Such an attitude always proves to be an ideal breeding ground for distortion and hypocrisy. Boys and girls awakening sexually were especially urged to ‘keep their hands above the blankets’ (click here), because heaven forbid they should discover that sex feels good… One text that is always cited to support this stance is Jesus’ statement in the Sermon on the Mount…

But I am saying to you that everyone who is looking at a woman for the sake of desiring her, already commits adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:28

This verse has repeatedly been used to suppress sexual desires at their root and to burden healthy (young) people with feelings of guilt. Wrongfully so! Matthew 5 is in fact a clarification of Exodus 20:17, where we read:

You shall not covet your associate’s house. You shall not covet your associate’s wife, nor his servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your associate’s.

So not: you shall not covet… period. But: you shall not covet… anything that is your associate’s.
A big difference! David had already committed adultery in his heart when he saw Bathsheba bathing from the rooftop of his palace. Why? Because he was stirred by her beauty? No, David wanted to have her, despite the fact that she belonged to another man (see 2 Samuel 11:2,3).
That is the kind of coveting Jesus was talking about in the Sermon on the Mount.

Delen: