(a) From the sermon on the Mount, Jesus handled the issues of adultery, divorce and swearing in the following ways: Adultery: Jesus reminded the audience that the (Mosaic) law forbade adultery; but added; 'I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart; He warned the people that if their right eye would cause them to sin, it should be plucked out. It is better to lose one member than to lose the whole body in hell and "if their right hand would cause them to sin, they should cut it off. Divorce: The law said that whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.
However, Jesus said, But I say to you that anybody who divorces his wife, except for unchastity, immorality or adultery makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Swearing: The law forbade swearing falsely as one must perform whatever one had sworn to do. Christ taught them not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is God's footstool or by Jerusalem, the city of the great king/God. He also said, "do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair black or white. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'. Anything more than this is of the devil/evil".

(b) Significant lessons to be learnt from the issues are:
(i) The Mosaic law stresses the physical aspect and the don'ts; Jesus stresses the internal motivation of the people's actions which lead them to sin.
(ii) Jesus claims full divine authority to fulfil the laws of God, unlike the scribes who had no such authority but only recited Mosaic laws.
(iii) To the Jews, swearing was not a serious offence, but Jesus condemns it in its entirety (as coming from the evil one/satan, the devil).
(iv) For the Jews, a man rarely commits adultery. Such a discriminatory attitude against women is unacceptable to Jesus who states that a man who marries a divorced woman is guilty of the sin of adultery.