Matthew 5:27-28
“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 lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
The original Greek text of this verse conveys a far stronger intent than its English translation. It implies not a fleeting glance but a deliberate, cultivated desire that extends beyond temptation into willful consent.
THE LUST IN THE HEART
Regarding these verses, Augustine of Hippo wrote: “He turns toward her with this aim and this intent, that he may lust after her; which, in fact, is not merely to be tickled by fleshly delight, but fully to consent to lust; so that the forbidden appetite is not restrained, but satisfied if the opportunity should be given.1”
It is also noteworthy that in Matthew 5:28-30, the Lord reveals that the Pharisees’ tradition limited the prohibition of Exodus 20:14 to the act of adultery itself, while ignoring the significance of adulterous desires.
In today’s world, avoiding encounters with immodestly dressed individuals is challenging. Whether you are a man or a woman, you will likely be exposed to provocative imagery in person, on television, or online. You must not allow lust to take hold of your eyes because it will surely corrupt your heart. There is a significant distinction between an unintentional glance and an intentional gaze.
CONCLUSION
We often view sin as a physical act, but it begins long before it is committed. When lustful temptations arise, we can either mortify them or yield to them. If embraced, such sinful desires take root in our hearts and soon manifest from a sin of the mind into a sin of the flesh.
It is one thing to be tempted by lust, but it is entirely different to willfully embrace that desire and indulge in sinful thoughts that should be mortified the moment they arise.
Augustine of Hippo, The Works Of Aurelius Augustine, Vol. III, (T&T Clark, 1872), p. 26