thou shalt not covet … period?

At an early stage already, the instituted ‘church’ has created a negative atmosphere around everything that has to do with sex and pleasure. This is in full accord with what Paul had foretold would happen in “later times” (see: 1Timothy 4). The apostle does not mince his words, but in this connection speaks candidly and plainly of “hypocrisy” and even of “doctrines of demons”. It went exactly as predicted. The “clergy” taught that human nature is evil and that against “the flesh” a battle had to be fought. Sex was dirty and no more than a necessary evil. Such a teaching is always an ideal breeding ground for distortions and hypocrisy. Boys and girls, who sexually awaken, were especially instructed to keep their “hands above the blankets”, because just imagine that they would discover that sex feels good. One text that has always been referred to, in support of this attitude, is Jesus’ statement in the Sermon on the Mount…

Yet I am saying to you that every man looking at a woman to lust for her already commits adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28

This text is repeatedly used to nip sexual desires in the bud and to wrongly burden healthy (young) people with feelings of guilt! In Matthew 5, we have an explanation of Exodus 20:17, where we read:

You shall not covet the house of your associate. You shall not covet the wife of your associate, his field, his servant or his maidservant, his bull, his donkey or anything which is your associate’s.

It was not: you shall not covet…Period . It was about: you shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour. A big difference! David had in his heart already committed adultery, when he was on the roof of his palace and saw Bathsheba bathing. Why? Because he was stimulated by her beauty? No, David willed to have her, even though she belonged to another man (see: 2 Sam.11:2,3). Concerning such coveting did Jesus speak in the Sermon on the Mount. ——————————— translation: Peter Feddema

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