THE LEERING LOOK

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."  Matthew 5:27-37

Jesus taught that there’s not too much difference between the actual adulterer and all those who quite regularly commit "lust of the heart." He taught that we are to regard lustful looking at a woman as an offense no less serious than an act of adultery; such is the import of having "already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Mat. 5:28). These are pretty strong words, among some of the most troublesome Jesus ever uttered. Are lust and adultery the same? Is a look with prurient interest the same as an actual physical act of adultery?

There can be no watering down of these words; we have to believe that Jesus was absolutely serious. But we also have to believe that He was not condemning the natural desire of a man for a woman. What was being condemned is that desire escalating to lust. When the look becomes a leering look, it is beginning to take steps toward its satisfaction.

What Jesus intends by his insistence on righteousness exceeding that of the Pharisees and scribes is to drive the question of sin inward, making it an affair of the person's heart as well as his or her outward behavior. He says in effect, "You disciples are not above the law or outside the law of old, but you must go beyond that law." Lust is the poison well within a person out of which comes adultery. It is not enough that you refrain from this deadly act, you must also "cleanse the inside of the cup" (Mat. 23:26).

Occasions for looking with lust present themselves to everyone. Is that the sin of which Jesus speaks, or would it be to entertain and harbor the lust until another person becomes a sex object?"

The message of this text is that of complete self-control of the members of the body, so that obedience maybe complete (I Cor. 3:16). The Christian's task must be to live in this world by the standards of the higher righteousness, which exceed the maximum requirements of justice and law.

Though contemporary English uses "lust" only in a negative way, the word originally meant "craving, strong desire" and was morally neutral. In the New Testament, it came to mean sexual passion or obsession, but the Bible does not depreciate the natural use of sex. It does designate lust, however, as representing one of the many forces which belong to the world of unsanctified carnality, which strive against the work of the Holy Spirit and which drag people down. Simple pleasure, as such, is not contrary to the will of God, but enslaving desire and evil pleasure are.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Mat. 5) we find many of Jesus' teachings. It is the most challenging sermon in the world. It challenges us to see and understand life from a dimension that has spiritual qualities in it. It's challenging because if we're not living life from the broader spiritual foundation, trying to grasp Jesus' meaning leaves us confused.

Jesus states that anger, insult, and slander are as divesting to us spiritually, as the actual physical attack upon another or even murder. Our intentions, our emotions, and desires, as well as the act itself, place us at spiritual risk. Then He addresses adultery and broadens the subject to include lust and anything else which causes us to stumble spiritually.

He taught that if we treat other people as objects and things, without regard for them as persons, without love and respect and consideration being a part of the relationship, either husband or wife may make of the other person a prostitute, one who has relationships without commitment. Lust is a selfish and debilitating attempt to meet one's own needs. Jesus encourages us to be open to the needs of others, and, thereby, we find our own needs fulfilled in a miraculous way.

A pastor disturbed that Sunday sports were diminishing his congregation, expounded on the words, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world" (I Jn. 2:15), by saying: "If that doesn't mean football, what does it mean?"  

We can fall into the same interpretive error by interpreting "lust" only in terms of lecherousness. Lust can be an inordinate desire for just about anything, lust for possessions, lust for power, lust for glory, and so forth.

The hand-chopping, eye plucking remedy for sin could never work, if for no other reason than the fact that we have more sins than we have bodily parts. If all offending parts were removed, in the end, we would be simply torsos supporting heads. And there's the problem. Our hearts and minds are still intact. Yet from our hearts and minds come forth all our sins. Our other organs would have been made scapegoats for the real culprit.