Week 2    Day 1

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The Law and the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 5:27-30

You have heard that it was declared to the ancients, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at another woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart¹ And if thy right eye cause thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is beneficial for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body be cast into gehenna. And if thy right hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is beneficial for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body be cast into gehenna.

Deuteronomy 5:18, 21 (also Exodus 20:14, 17)

And thou shalt not commit adultery.

And thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. And thou shalt not lust after thy neighbor’s house, his field, nor his servant, nor his maidservant, his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

Leviticus 20:10 (also Deuteronomy 22:22)

And the man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with the wife of his companion, the adulterer and the adulteress dying shall be put to death.

Matthew 19:3-6

And the Pharisees came to Him, tempting Him, and saying to Him, “Is it permitted for a man to send away his wife for every cause?” And He answering said to them, “Have you not read that He who made [them] from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘On this account shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What, therefore, God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Matthew 15:1-20

Then came to Jesus the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem, saying, Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.

But He answering said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother; and he who speaks evil of father or mother, let him die the death. But you say, Whoever shall say to father or mother, It is a gift to the temple, whatever thou mightest have profited by me; and he in no way honors his father or his mother. And you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, saying, This people is near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me, and in vain do they serve Me, teaching teachings which are the precepts of men.

And calling the crowd, He said to them, Hear and understand. Not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man, but that which goes forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man.

Then His disciples coming said to Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees, hearing the word, were offended?

But He answering said, Every planting which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted out. Leave them; they are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.

And Peter answering said to Him, Explain to us this parable.

And Jesus said, Are you also yet without understanding? Do you not yet consider, that everything going into the mouth departs into the belly, and is cast out into the latrine? But the things going out from the mouth come forth from the heart, and these defile man; for out of the heart come forth evil reasonings, murders, adulteries, harlotries, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.

¹The Heavenly Doctrine in quoting this verse always adds “another” or “of another.” The Greek word for “woman” is also the word for “wife” and is translated uxor (wife) in TCR 326.

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