Jesus begins this section of teaching by repeating the introduction he used in verse 21. This possibly signifies a new section of teaching – a block where Jesus draws commands from other parts of the law.

There is no specific Old Testament command that Jesus refers to. He is again summarizing the teaching the people have heard. Several passages seem to apply here, such as Exodus 20:7, Leviticus 19:12, Numbers 30:2, and Deuteronomy 23:21-23.

Jesus offers a very striking contrast to what they’ve heard: “do not take an oath at all.” “The Jewish leaders had developed an incredible complexity of rules by which one could support the veracity of a statement by taking an oath …” (Osborne)

With the examples that Jesus draws upon, we get the impression that Jesus is taking issue with spurious oaths, oaths designed to allow for later release since they weren’t taken using God’s name. Jesus corrects that; all oaths are done in God’s presence. To swear by anything (heaven, earth, or Jerusalem) is to swear by God. In fact, Jesus points out that swearing by your own head is also pointless. The truthfulness of your statement can’t be guaranteed by swearing on your own head. You have no power over your own hair!

What Jesus seems to be aiming at for his people is this: total honesty, not hidden behind oaths, with responsibility for what you say. “All who submit to his authority cannot be too careful to speak only truth.” (Carson) Focusing on more and more oaths and not personal integrity comes from “evil” (or “the evil one”).

Oaths can make the truth more solemn and sure. As an example, look in Psalm 132:11: “The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: ‘One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne…’” The Lord isn’t swearing an oath to force keeping his own covenant but is making the truth more solemn and sure. The truth of our words should not need oaths to confirm, yet oaths can be used to confirm the sureness of what we say (like on a witness stand or saying “I do” at the altar).

Ultimately, we live in God’s presence. He sees us and He hears us. Sinclair Ferguson said “Every promise we give, every word we speak, we do before his face.”

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 seems to be the backdrop to the teaching that Jesus picks up on next. This command from Moses dealt with limiting divorce to certain causes (“indecency”), formalizing the process to protect women who were divorced, and emphasizing the permanency of the divorce (and thus, the seriousness of marriage). (Lloyd-Jones) There were two schools of thought about that command in Jesus’ day, according to Grant Osborne. One way of thinking concluded that only sexual immorality and immodesty were reasons to divorce. Another broadened the reasons to include many causes, such as “if she spoiled a dish for him.” Jesus begins by referencing what the people had heard (vs. 5:31).

Jesus sides with a more conservative way of thinking. Sexual immorality (a very broad term in itself) is the only ground for divorce. The ESV Study Bible says that “Jesus is prohibiting divorce for the many trivial reasons that were used so frequently in the first century, leading to widespread injustice, especially for women whose husbands suddenly divorced them.”

Jesus is also saying that such sinful actions on the part of one spouse (the husband in this case) have repercussions on the other. If the woman divorced in such a way remarries, then she commits adultery – as well as her new spouse. This implies that where divorce is obtained due to sexual immorality, the second marriage of the innocent party does not begin with adultery.

So, what about re-marriage for our friends and family members who have experienced divorce not due to sexual immorality on either part (or to “desertion” by an unbelieving partner as later described by Paul)? What also does it say for family and friends who have caused a divorce? Is re-marriage an option? I believe Scripture is generally teaching here with Jesus and with Paul’s extended discussion that those so divorced should refrain from re-marrying. Each situation is unique, and my general statement can’t cover every situation. The church leadership can help believers who have been divorced understand how this biblical teaching may apply in their unique situation.

It seems that everywhere we turn, we are inundated with sex – normally it’s used to try to sell us something. When I’m watching TV with my girls, even watching something fun and entertaining and clean, the commercials can go from racy to soft porn without a second’s notice. Why is that? It’s because the world has perverted the good gift that God has given us. Sex is powerful, and when used in the wrong contexts, it captures us and leads us down the wrong path.

Those in Hollywood or elsewhere who use sex in movies and pornography (and even commercials!) to make money are not representing what sex truly is or how it should be used. Those things are “acts designed to arouse the hardened heart, not the tender heart.” (Tim Challies, Sexual Detox) The experiences we take in feed us a wrong picture of how men and women should interact with each other.

That’s why Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:27-30 is so important for us today. Even after conversion, we are not free from or victorious over the sin we’ve been caught up in. We are all sinners. Our culture’s preoccupation with sex is still something that can preoccupy us. Jesus’ standard seems so hard and so difficult because we are so fallen. Just as Jesus linked murder to the attitudes that precede it, so here he stabs right through our façade to point to our heart’s desires: from external actions (adultery) to internal intentions (looking with lustful intent).

Jesus is also breaking down the artificial barriers we put up to say we have avoided this sin. “Adultery can only be accomplished if we’re already married” we might argue. Jesus says, “No!” A studied look with sexual intent is still sin – whether committed by a married man or a single woman. God’s law demands purity and integrity in our hearts and thoughts; our whole being must be devoted to God.

Purity in our hearts is so important that Jesus tells us to take violent, decisive action against anything that causes us to sin. We must remove temptation’s source – better to lose a little than to lose everything in hell. We must not pamper, flirt with, or nibble around the edges; we must hate it, crush it, and dig it out. (Carson) As my friend Bill pointed out, we are “experienced sinners”, like recovering alcoholics; we know our own weaknesses and must fight and claw our way free of them.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.… Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:5-7, 12-14 ESV)

If murder, anger, and contempt are all liable to judgment, what does Jesus say is the way to deal with it? In the two examples he gives us, we see that personal reconciliation is the answer. The new kingdom community is about relationships.

Reconciliation is urgent. In the first example, Jesus tells his disciples that reconciliation is more important than fulfilling your religious duty. This could have been a big deal for folks who made their way to Jerusalem once or twice a year. That sacrifice was important, something they may have waited a while to be able to do. But Jesus steers them from performing their act of worship until after reconciliation had been accomplished. In the example, the animosity is between brothers and sisters, possibly within the church community. Grant Osborne points out that the fault between the two appears ambiguous, and the one who recognizes the matter between them should take the initiative to resolve it.

Judgment is imminent. In the second example, Jesus mentions an accuser, presumably someone external to the brothers and sisters. It is important to settle matters while we are still able. There is a time coming when we will be called to account for our thoughts, words, and actions. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:18-21 ESV)