Steph Curry's Mom

The other day I stumbled across a headline regarding the NBA playoffs that had nothing to do with the games being played. The headline read, “Meet Sonya Curry, Steph's mom, who drove Twitter crazy at Warriors game.” Steph Curry plays for the Golden State Warriors and is the reigning Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball Association. During Golden State’s playoff game the other night against the Houston Rockets fans, apparently all male, chimed in about Steph Curry’s mom, Sonya, on Twitter and how attractive she is. Some of the comments were as follows: “Dell Curry (Father of Steph) is a god in my eyes for landing Sonya Curry. #Wow” “Dell Curry should get into the Basketball HOF just off the strength of procreating with Sonya.” “Sonya Curry #gilfoftheyear” “Sonya Curry is most definitely a #milf!!!” These comments, while some are crude at best, are definitely meant as compliments to Sonya Curry. However, they bring to light one of the main things Jesus said about the darkness that lies in the heart of mankind. "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 (Matthew 5:27-29).” According to Jesus, there are a lot of blind adulterers on Twitter after seeing Sonya Curry. Now don’t get me wrong, women are just as guilty of lusting as men, but you get my point. If it isn’t Sonya Curry it is some other woman that captures a man’s lustful eye.

But, why did Jesus make such a statement? Some will try and twist the words of Jesus and suggest He didn’t really mean that a person should gouge out their eye, but rather they should “cut out” anything in their life that causes them to lust after women. This leads to futile strategies like making a “covenant with your eyes (i.e Job 31:1)” which is nothing more than making a law to live by that does little to restrain sexual temptation. Jesus was amplifying the command against adultery to bring to light that it is a man’s heart that needs transformation. The only way to transform your heart is not through trying to find ways to stop sinning, but by realizing your need for the grace and mercy of God. In short, Jesus was trying to lead people to the end of themselves so they would turn to Him for salvation. It is easy to forget that lust, and the adultery it can lead to, is just one sin. But Jesus also talks about the anger that leads to murder, to not make oaths, not to take revenge and to love your enemies. These are all actions that originate in the heart and can only be accomplished through faith in Jesus Christ. It all starts when you realize you can’t live up to God’s standards and ask the question, “Who then can be saved (Mark 10:26)?” The one that can be saved is the one that realizes he needs God’s grace and mercy through faith in Jesus Christ. One may never had thought that the evidence that shows the need for our salvation could be found in the reactions of men toward the mother of a basketball player.