Scripture: “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For you should lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
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Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus, the mandate not to commit murder stems from the understanding that Yahweh is the author of life and alone reserves the right to execute the termination of human life. As his vessels of justice, God granted Israel the right to take the life of enemies when waging war and to uphold capital offenses. But Christ exposes anger as the root of unlawful murder. Even if we do not take another’s life, if we harbor malice and speak ill of others without seeking reconciliation, we will face the judgment of our Creator: eternal hellfire.
For today’s passage, building on the seventh of the Ten Commandments, Jesus again takes his Father’s seminal command to the next level of understanding and declares that sin begins in our thought life, whether or not we act on it. Thus, looking lustfully at another person constitutes adultery. And just as with unrepentant anger toward others, an unabashed lifestyle of lustful thoughts and behavior will lead us to hell (v.30): eternal separation from God and all that is good and right. So, do whatever it takes to overcome an entrenched disposition of lust, even plucking out your right eye or cutting off your right hand (more said below).
Takeaway: Jesus’ use of hyperbole to communicate the seriousness of sin (v.29) is not unique to this passage. Toward the end of his Sermon on the Mount, Christ employs this literary device to illustrate why we must not judge others: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (7:3 ESV). Later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus states how wealth presents enormous challenges toward staying on track as a disciple, saying, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (19:24 ESV).
As for Jesus citing the right eye and hand, the right side in Ancient Israel symbolized power and authority (e.g., Hebrews 1:3, 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22; Acts 7:55-56). Thus, Jesus paints the picture of a strength that has become a weakness. As we reviewed three days ago regarding becoming salt and light, the eye is the heart’s portal. Thus, it is the first breach of holiness. The hand likely symbolizes the second level of breach: physically acting out with our sexual organs. Hence, the call to “pluck it out” and “cut it off” speaks to the gravity and urgency of seeking help—not mutilating the body, which would be inconsistent with God’s command to Israel not to cut the body as their pagan neighbors did (Leviticus 19:28; Deuteronomy 14:1).
Our takeaway? As mentioned on occasion in our devotions, when addressing infidelity, first and foremost, we sin against God. Our impure thoughts and behavior communicate that we care more about a fleeting dopamine rush than loving and glorifying our Creator. Secondly, lustful thoughts lead to acting out and draw us into deeper darkness in an unredeemed world. With the ease of access in this internet age, we can feed our voracious appetites with little accountability. But when we engage in internet pornography, we support a multi-billion-dollar crime-based industry. And many of the women and men who pose are sex-trafficked. Sadly, surveys show that the percentage of adults who engage in pornography is the same in the church community as in our secular culture. That needs to change.
Our part? How do we make a course correction? Again, as mentioned in our devotion about the seventh commandment, the goal is not to “abstain” (resist) but to “obtain” (seek) purity of life. We will lose the battle if we focus solely on resisting sexual temptations. Instead, we must pursue purity: fill the holes of our deepest longings with more of Christ through worship, his Word, prayer, godly fellowship, and serving others. Along the way, his grace and mercy will strengthen our willpower to see the beauty of his creation without coveting others because our gracious Father has imputed his Son’s righteousness into us so that we might hunger for more of him and be satisfied (5:6).
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for crediting your Son’s righteousness to us through his purity of life (2 Corinthians 5:21)—always seeking and doing your will—even unto death. So, please help us to cooperate with your Holy Spirit in putting our lustful thoughts to death and instead pursue a life of fidelity that honors you. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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