Guilty of Lust? Part 1

So, Jesus said something that appears to be really crazy.  It's so crazy that if you have any hormones in your body, then it will give you serious pause:

You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.' ²⁸ But I say, anyone

 who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, 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.
³⁰ And if your hand—even your stronger 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 be thrown into hell. Matthew 5:27-30


So, uh, does that mean that if you look at someone else because they're attractive to you then you are committing "adultery of the heart"?  That's certainly what I was taught in almost every single youth group, bible study, and Christian relationship book.

However, I have been finding more sources that understand where this is coming from better.  I want to quote at length from the book Is it Lust or Legalism by Brad Watson.  It is the best book I've ever read on the subject.  Today is part 1 of 2.  Here's part 1:

For the people of Israel, the Law of Moses was clear - having sex with someone else's wife was wrong.  Specifically, it was a sin against the woman's legitmate husband.  That was the technical definition of adultery.  Interestingly, having sex with an unmarried woman was not technically adultery.  Penalties were in place for a man who had sex with an unmarried virgin who was still a part of her father's household (and therefore her father's property under Jewish Law), but this was not considered adultery.  According to Jewish law, adultery actually occurred when an illicit sexual act was consummated between a man and a woman married to someone else.  The Matthew passage is therefore specifically referring to a man who is pursuing another man's wife.  Even the Greek word "gune," translated here "woman," could and in this case should be translated "wife."  This passage is specifically warning one man not to threaten the marriage of another by going after the other man's bride.

Jesus challenged some of the people's traditional way of thinking by claiming that it was not just intercourse with a married woman that was wrong, but even sexual advances towards her that made a man guilty of adultery.  In other words, Jesus eliminated a major "loophole" some had used to justify their bad behavior.  His words meant that a man who inappropriately made sexual advances towards another man's wife was already guilty of sin.  His sinful behavior exposed a heart already corrupted by a spirit of adultery even before any actual sex occurred.  Although the man was not technically (according to the Law of Moses) an adulterer if he had never actually taken the woman to bed; he was still, in God's eyes, guilty of sin.

This teaching from the Master revealed the heart of God's original command beyond its surface requirement.  Jesus wanted the Jewish people to honor their word, their covenants, and their brother's property.  In the ancient world women were definitely regarded as people, but also as property.  Adultery was seen as a theft against the legitimate husband and his entire family.  The one who "stole" a husband's "sexual property" (his wife) was not only coming between the husband and his wife, but also potentially robbing the entire family of legitimate heirs.  For if a woman was caught in adultery, any child born later would be suspected of being illegitimate.

The reason Jesus makes dramatic statements about "cutting out the eye," or "cutting off the hand" was that both the eye and the hand were used in the plot to steal the woman's heart.  A seductive look and an inappropriate touch made the eye and the hand the physical tools to work the evil of the heart.  This kind of teaching was not unique to Jesus.  The Babylonian Talmud (Jewish book of moral teaching) gives other examples of famous Jewish teachers using these same arguments, referring to eyes, hands, and feet that were responsible for adultery.  By referencing the eye and the hand, it becomes clear that Jesus was talking to the crowds about real external behavior as opposed to mere thoughts.  He was specifically rebuking men for staring inappropriately at married women or touching them in a sexual way.  He was pointing out that a persistent, lustful gaze and flirtatious, sexual touching of another man's wife was, in reality, the beginning stages of adultery.  Even though actual sex may never occur, it was still a sin against the woman's husband, and an attack on their marriage covenant.

Next time, Watson will comment a bit more on how this relates to your life, specifically as a single person.