Part 2 On What Jesus Actually Said About Fornication

What started this odd conversation, of sexual activity, began Wednesday  morning; as I lay in bed thinking about a dream, that came to mind, as the light of day moved across the land.  

It had something to do with the old saying: “The birds and the bees.”  Referring to the way parents use to talk to their children  — mostly boys — about sex.

In our home we had none of that discussion stuff.  My mom was too shy about such things; and my dad, well lets say, just did it without regard for any of the ‘normal rules’ of behavior.  

In that time in history it was certainly not included in the school curriculum.  

So we only had the cultural conditioning created, by uninformed, readers of scripture.  Who assumed they understood the English words, in black and white, printed on the pages of the Bible.

At camp that week,  with all of those teenage mind's wondering what would happen the girl’s pregnant sister.   I decided to read what Jesus actually said about, what I learned was, this misused terms. 

You see what students, in seminary, learn early is that to truly understand the Bible you have to take into consideration the language of the Greek and Hebrew; as well as the cultural context in which the words where spoken.  

So I have become a freak about words in the last thirty years. 

I won’t give you a word study here. My fingers don’t want to do all that work (;

I will just summarize the Greek root word: ‘Porne.’  Which suggest “to sell.”  And Porneia which refers to prostitution.  

My conclusion?  To sell yourself, prostitute yourself, for sexual desires, and/or needs. 

In Sunday School even the mention of sex was only referred to in a less-than-positive way.  All of which has grown into this huge popular opinion that any sort of sexual activity outside of the marriage union is WRONG.  Not to be done!  Period!

So as I lay there in bed thinking about what the birds and bees do — actually what all of nature does even plants — I began to again wonder about all the thing we grew up believing to be true.

Anyone over the age of forty can tell you the impressions the institutional church has preached, and in some cases still preaches, about this subject.

So the answer to my question: What does Jesus actually say about this issue is:  

Jesus does not speak directly to the act of fornication.

That should tell us something.  

                                              Don’t you think?

Instead, Jesus talks about not judging others.

He talks about commitment and respecting others.

He talks about the misunderstandings created in the Old Testament Jewish beliefs. 

He talks about faithfulness, forgiveness, compassion, grace and love. 

However there are two passages that indirectly mention the term fornication:

¹⁷Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? ¹⁸But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. ²⁰These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’(Matt. 15)

‘It is what comes out of a person that defiles. ²¹For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, ²²adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness (Loose living), envy, slander, pride, folly. ²³All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’ (Mk. 7) 

It would be good for you to read these chapter in full in order to understand what Jesus is actually talking about. Because, in both of these instants, Jesus is discussing the ideas, opinions and traditions of the Jewish faith; and how they have created misunderstanding about  God’s will for His people.  

So to end this long discussion I will tell you my take on this historical argument.

Fornication is whoring around with your God given gift —  part of your bodies — that are meant to be shared in the most personal of ways.  Shared with someone you love.  Someone you are committed to sharing yourself with.

That my friends is not fornication nor licentiousness.