25 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent. 27 You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Following up His commentary on the 6th commandment concerning the heart of murder, Jesus offers the alternative for dealing with relational conflict. Rather than carrying around a bad attitude toward the other person, a member of the kingdom of heaven should go for resolution in a personal way rather than in a legal way. He said earlier that one of the characteristics of kingdom living is that peacemakers are called “sons of God.” Here Jesus basically adds, “Deal with it, don’t just stew about it. Go to the person!” Reminiscent of the book of Proverbs, this wise application of the beatitude seems to be common sense. Worldly ways of doing things involve power, revenge and gossip. Kingdom living is peaceful, interactive, and reasonable.

Jesus’ teaching here is simply foundational. He develops the idea further in Matt 18:15-18 for the situation in which the other person does not respond to the overture. Paul adds in 1 Corinthians 5 that believers should not take other believers to the legal courts—rather they ought to be able to resolve conflicts among themselves in the church.

Jesus moves to the 7th commandment (the numbering of the ten command-ments differs based upon differing Christian traditions). Adultery, like murder, is a sin of the heart. The adage, “It’s OK to look, just don’t touch” is patently wrong. James 1:15 says that, “when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” Looking can and often does lead to actuality! Job knew his own weakness and took strong measures with himself. “I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” Many, especially in today’s internet world, have fallen prey to the “roaring lion.” Proverbs 7 pictures a young man being led down the road of sexual temptation and the foolishness of succumbing. The Christian echoes with Paul, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25)

Father, “With my whole heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:10-11)