Left-Eyed Men

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:27-32)

According to Matthew, Jesus was quite emphatic with his views on adultery.   If applied today there would be many left-eyed men walking around (women too).  According to the Janus Report on Sexual Behavior in America (1993) one third of married men and a quarter of women had an extramarital affair. In that study involving 19,065 people rates of infidelity among men were found to have risen from 20 to 28%, and rates for women from 5% to 15% over 15 years.

More recently (2018 & 2019) men were more likely to cheat than women. According to recent data gathered from the General Social Survey, 20% of interviewed men and 13% of women admitted they had sex with someone other than their spouse while married. So, Jesus’ message is clear.  However, for many people it’s an e-mail never opened.

It’s likely, if we apply Jesus’ logic, these adultery numbers would skyrocket; that is, looking at a woman with lust – but no touch – has most men (and women) with an adulterous heart.  Consider these statistics reflecting many adulterous hearts: (1) About 200,000 Americans are classified as “porn addicts;” (2) 40 million Americans regularly visit porn sites; (3) 35% of all internet downloads are related to pornography; (4) 34% of internet users have experienced unwanted exposure to pornographic content through ads, pop up ads, misdirected links or emails; and (5) One-third of porn viewers are women.

Very many left and right eyes continue to view pornography.  It seems more likely Gehenna will be filled than eyes removed.

Deacon David Pierce