Matthew 5:27-30·~1 min

Adultery

Jesus recalls the command against adultery and then names lustful looking as adultery already present in the heart.

Y²⁷ou have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Jesus uses eye and hand imagery to show that it is better to lose a part than for the whole body to be cast into hell.

²⁹If 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. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.

Section summaryJesus moves from the command against adultery to the look that desires what is forbidden. He treats lust as heart-level adultery and uses severe images of removal to show that sin must not be kept close to the body.

Role in the chapterThis section carries the command into the inner life and presses decisive action against sin.