Matthew 5:28

Tuesday, 3 December 2024

But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28

“And I, I say to you, that everyone – the ‘seeing a woman to passion upon her’ – already he committed adultery with her in his heart” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus cited the seventh commandment, “Not you shall commit adultery.” Now, He builds upon that thought with a note concerning the state of the heart, even when the physical act has not taken place, saying, “And I, I say to you.”

Almost all translations say, “But I say to you.” A few say, “However, I say to you.” This is unfortunate. Jesus is not making a contrast. The law is given and He is not in any way undermining it. Rather, He is showing what God considers concerning the intent of the words, “Not you shall commit adultery.”

To get this, a father may say to his son, “You are not allowed to drive the car until you’re 16.” However, at 15, the son goes out and sits in the car, starts it, and pretends to drive. When told he was doing wrong, the son may say, “I wasn’t driving the car.” With that, the father says, “And I say to you that what you are doing is violating the intent of my words to you.”

He is not saying that his original directive was somehow defective (but). Rather, he is saying that his intent all along has been that the kid leave his car alone until the time that he would be old enough to fiddle with it, much less drive it (and). Understanding this, Jesus next says, “that everyone – the ‘seeing a woman to passion upon her.’”

The word epithumeó is used. It comes from epi, upon, and thumos, an outburst of passion or wrath. Thumos comes from thuo, to rush, where hard breathing takes place. As such, one can see that the word signifies more than just noting a woman’s beauty, something that occurs in Scripture from time to time.

Rather, it is the type of passionate gaze that leads to lust. In Romans 13:9, it is the word used when citing the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet.” In such a state, Jesus says, “already he committed adultery with her in his heart.”

This is actually the standard that God intends with the words, “Not you shall commit adultery.” How can we know this? First, Jesus said it. But the fact that God included the Tenth Commandment in the Decalogue confirms it.

Coveting is something that is only known to the one coveting and by God. The judges of Israel couldn’t hold someone guilty of coveting unless he first confessed that he had done so. They might assume he coveted, but they couldn’t actually get inside his head and prove it. And yet, not coveting is a commandment.

As coveting is inclusive of desires that lead to action, such as stealing, murdering, adultery, etc., the intent is what God is evaluating, not merely the act itself. If a woman is married and a man who is not her husband drools over her in his thoughts and heart, he has harbored the desire that can and could lead to action. Therefore, he is guilty of coveting, and in his coveting, he is guilty of adultery.

Life application: In this verse, there is an implicit claim to deity. Jesus could simply be evaluating what He thought was appropriate, but He doesn’t say, “This is how I interpret these words.” Rather, He said, “And I, I say to you, that everyone – the ‘seeing a woman to passion upon her’ – already he committed adultery with her in his heart.”

He is making an authoritative claim upon the seventh commandment. Were He not God, this would be presumptuous. Someone may even say His words were blasphemous. The charge could be, “Who are you to speak for God?”

But Jesus is qualified to make such an adamant statement about the command because He first gave it to Israel at Mount Sinai. If Israel didn’t understand the intent, that doesn’t change the nature of the violation. An example of this type of thought leading to sin is found right in Scripture –

“Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.” 2 Samuel 11:2-4

David didn’t call for someone to send a concubine or one of his wives to come to him. Rather, he looked upon a woman, coveted her, and called for her to be brought to him. The state of his heart directed his actions.

Jesus, who is God, rightly states the intent behind the command for the people to understand the true intent that God set forth in the Decalogue. Be sure to consider the words of Jesus as the authoritative words of God, because they are.

Glorious God, we have been granted the gift of passion, but it can be turned into a curse when we misuse it. Help us to consider Your word, contemplate its significance, and then rightly apply its precepts to our walk before You. Good things can become bad because of our misdirected thinking. So, Lord, help us to think properly and in accord with the word You have given us. Amen.