You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). But I tell you, that anyone who looks on the opposite sex lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart.
Jesus is quoting the Old Testament Law, and asserting that He has authority over the Law, when He says, "You have heard...But I tell you." Only if He is the Lawgiver would He have this authority to expand the reach of the Law.
What we do is the result of what we have allowed ourselves to mentally dwell on. When we allow lustful thoughts to linger in our minds, we may or may not have actually acted it out, but God looks on our thoughts. Our fantasies can very easily lead us into very unsavory actions, so God wants us to stem this at the root, our thoughts.
If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, 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 go into hell.
I really don't think that maiming our bodies will keep us from the kinds of sins that are referenced here, because our bodies aren't the source from which they spring. Especially when the previous verses make our very thoughts accountable to God. This may be an example of cultural humor in exaggeration. The extreme act of eye-gouging or hand removal would leave a lingering picture of the lengths to which we may need to go in running from temptation. We need to remove whatever items have previously caused us moral problems, and replace them with wholesome things to fill the void. I'm sure we can all think of our own examples of what we need to throw out. Let's not keep around anything that has been an occasion of sin in our past.
Jesus, in this Sermon, is presenting what God's Kingdom will look like on this Earth. Some of these illustrations come across as very extreme. When we think about righteousness, our view is dependent on how bad the evil is around us; but God never changes, His standards never slide, but always remain firm. He is Good, the Standard for good; He is Right, the Standard for right; He is Love, the Standard for love. We can only know what good is, or right, or love, by knowing Him; He is the Ruler by which we measure.
Jesus, in this Sermon, is presenting what God's Kingdom will look like on this Earth. Some of these illustrations come across as very extreme. When we think about righteousness, our view is dependent on how bad the evil is around us; but God never changes, His standards never slide, but always remain firm. He is Good, the Standard for good; He is Right, the Standard for right; He is Love, the Standard for love. We can only know what good is, or right, or love, by knowing Him; He is the Ruler by which we measure.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
