Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a [person] can make [that person] ‘unclean’ by going into [the person]. Rather, it is what comes out of [the person] that makes him [her] ‘unclean’ . . . He went on: “What comes out of a [person] is what makes [the person] ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of [our] hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a [person] ‘unclean.’ ‘ ” Mark 7″ 14, 20, KJV.
Dear God, by Your grace, please help us to resist the evil within. As we bow before You today, please teach us how. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Perhaps you have heard the phrase “Seeking love in the wrong places.” We could paraphrase that statement to include a lot of other things, that we, as human beings, tend to seek in the wrong places. I believe that the last place some people would consider the “wrong place” to seek certain things would be their mind. But consciously, or, unconsciously, we do use the mind to find things that in “the real world” are out of our reach; they are dangerous, or they are not convenient for us. So we escape to our minds, where they are within our grasp, without posing a threat. The other day I saw in passing, a program where a very creative, and talented, young woman was selling “virtual reality” property! Since then, I have discovered that people are also selling “digital fashions,” “equipment,” “goods,” and who knows how long the list may be. Personally, I did not see anything wrong with this novelty, per se. If it is clear to people that these “goods” are not real, and they would rather invest their money in “virtual reality” than in something real, it is their right to do so. The “disadvantage” I see in such a practice, is perhaps, people’s reasons for playing these games, rather than living the real life! I wonder if it is because people find it “an easy way out.” Do they find it a convenient way of having the best of both worlds? Is it because they can live the “good life” without the responsibilities it entails? I personally believe that we cheat ourselves out of an opportunity to grow by seeking the easy way out.
Going back to the Sermon on the Mount, and continuing with Jesus’ chain of thought about what really constitutes sin, we find the following: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5: 27-30). Notice how Jesus spoke hypothetically, about solving the problem of the sin of adultery, by getting rid of the “eye,” or, the underlying problem – the look that leads to lust. We know that Jesus was not telling anyone to mutilate him or her(self). That is quite clear (Leviticus 19: 28). He was talking about getting to the bottom of the problem – staying away from anything that entices you to sin! Guard well, the entrance to your mind!
It is interesting to note that immediately after telling them about the underlying causes for adultery, He goes right into the topic of divorce. He specifically tells them that the only “valid” reason for a man to divorce his wife is because of “marital unfaithfulness.” Sacred Scripture tells us that one day some men came to Jesus, “tempting him,” and asked if it was lawful for a man to put away his wife for “any reason.” They went on to say that Moses had given them a “bill of divorcement.” To this, Jesus replied that it was not so “in the beginning.” That it was the “hardness of [their] hearts” that had caused Moses to give them that bill (Matthew 19: 3-9). It sounds as if Jesus was saying that if only they had been willing to work a little bit harder in preserving their marriage, if only they had been willing to grow to spiritual maturity, a bill of divorce would not have been necessary!
But when the gates of the mind are left unguarded, it is so much easier to fantasize about a “virtual reality” spouse, than to pursue and protect the love and romance of the real spouse. It may seem easier to fantasize about what is not real, in the secret chamber of the mind; than to strive to retain the beauty of the real. But how much more rewarding, to “resist the evil within.”
We will continue!