In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus turns people’s understanding of righteousness upside down again. He doesn’t just condemn adultery; He goes straight to the root of the issue, the heart. He declares, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
To the religious leaders of His day, this was outrageous. As they prided themselves on external obedience to the law, believing that avoiding physical acts of sin was enough to keep them righteous before God. Jesus wasn’t just concerned with outward behaviour; He was also concerned with our thoughts and our heart attitude.
Jesus’ words are just as challenging today, as they were when He spoke to them. For we live in a culture that normalizes lust, excuses sin and downplays the seriousness of moral failure. Even though this maybe the norm, Jesus still calls us to a radical holiness. He speaks of taking extreme measures, plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand. Obviously, He is not advocating self-mutilation, but rather a decisive and ruthless approach to anything that leads us away from purity as this is a path to holiness.
Why was this teaching so offensive then? Because Jesus exposed the reality, the reality that none of us can stand righteous before God on our own. He destroyed the idea, that people could earn their way to heaven through good behaviour. He revealed the depth of human sin. Not only in actions, but in thoughts and desires.
The religious elite wanted a teacher who would affirm their righteousness, not one who would expose their need for grace. No wonder they crucified Him.
But here’s the good news. The One who calls us to holiness, is the same One who provides the grace to live it out. Jesus didn’t just reveal our sin; He paid for it. He offers not just forgiveness, but the power to overcome. Now that is Good News.