Matthew 5:28

Berean Standard Bible

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

King James Bible

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

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Matthew 5:28, the verse immediately following Jesus’ reference to the seventh commandment in the Sermon on the Mount, delivers a seismic shift in the understanding of sin and righteousness: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” This pronouncement, raw and unflinching, expands the scope of the law far beyond external actions, plunging into the depths of human thought and desire. To grasp its significance, we must explore its historical context, theological weight, and enduring implications, recognizing how it challenges not only first-century listeners but every generation since, including our own.

In the cultural and religious milieu of first-century Judaism, the commandment against adultery was a cornerstone of moral life. It protected the sanctity of marriage, a covenant that mirrored God’s faithful relationship with Israel. Adultery was a grave offense, punishable by severe consequences under Mosaic law, and its prohibition was understood primarily as a matter of physical behavior. The Pharisees and scribes, meticulous in their legal observance, would have seen adherence to this command as a clear boundary: refrain from the act, and righteousness is maintained. Yet Jesus, with divine authority, redefines the standard. By declaring that lustful intent is tantamount to adultery, He upends the notion that righteousness is achieved through external compliance alone. This was not a new law but a revelation of the law’s true intent, exposing the heart as the root of sin and the arena where God’s transformative work must begin.

The phrase “looks at a woman with lustful intent” is critical to understanding Jesus’ teaching. The Greek term for “lust” here, *epithumeo*, carries a sense of intense, covetous desire, not merely a passing glance or natural attraction but a deliberate fixation that seeks to possess. Jesus is not condemning the appreciation of beauty or the God-given reality of human desire; rather, He targets the distortion of that desire into something self-serving and dehumanizing. In the patriarchal context of the time, the example of a man looking at a woman reflects the cultural dynamics of power and agency, but the principle applies universally—men and women alike are called to guard their hearts against objectifying others. This teaching is profoundly egalitarian in its moral demand, holding all accountable to the same standard of inner purity.

Theologically, Matthew 5:28 reveals the radical holiness of God, whose concern is not merely with what is seen but with what is hidden. The heart, in biblical thought, is the seat of will, emotion, and intention, the source from which all actions flow. Jesus’ words echo the Psalmist’s plea for a clean heart and align with the prophetic warnings of Jeremiah, who described the heart as deceitful and desperately sick. By equating lustful thoughts with adultery, Jesus exposes the universal human condition: no one is righteous, not even one. The person who avoids physical infidelity but harbors lust is as guilty as the one who acts, for sin is not merely a matter of behavior but of the soul’s orientation. This teaching dismantles any pretense of self-righteousness, stripping away the illusion that we can stand before God on the basis of our external deeds.

The choice of adultery as the focal point is deliberate and profound. Sexuality is one of the most powerful forces in human experience, a gift from God meant to foster intimacy, unity, and life within the covenant of marriage. Yet it is also one of the most vulnerable to corruption, easily twisted into a tool of selfishness and exploitation. Lust, as Jesus describes it, is not just a private sin but a violation of relationship—it reduces another person to an object, disregarding their dignity as God’s image-bearer. In this sense, Jesus’ teaching is not only about personal purity but about love for neighbor. To lust is to fail to love, to prioritize self over the other, to fracture the communal bonds God intends for His people.

For Jesus’ original audience, this teaching would have been both shocking and convicting. The Pharisees, who prided themselves on their scrupulous adherence to the law, would have found their moral confidence shaken. If righteousness hinges on the heart’s purity, who could claim to be blameless? Yet this is precisely Jesus’ point: the law’s purpose was never to produce self-sufficient righteousness but to reveal human inadequacy and point to the need for divine grace. The Sermon on the Mount, and this verse in particular, drives us to the cross, where Christ’s perfect righteousness becomes ours through faith. Jesus does not merely expose sin; He offers the solution, fulfilling the law’s demands and empowering us through the Spirit to live in alignment with God’s will.

In our modern context, Matthew 5:28 speaks with piercing relevance. We live in a hyper-sexualized culture, where media, advertising, and technology flood the senses with images designed to provoke desire. The accessibility of pornography, the normalization of casual objectification, and the elevation of personal gratification as a supreme value make Jesus’ words a clarion call to countercultural holiness. The internet, with its endless scroll of temptation, has made the “lustful look” not only easier but socially acceptable, even celebrated. Yet Jesus’ standard remains unchanging: the heart matters as much as the body, and true righteousness requires vigilance over both. This is not a call to repression but to redemption, to reclaiming desire as a gift that draws us toward God’s purposes rather than away from them.

Practically, this verse challenges us to cultivate disciplines that guard the heart. Prayer, Scripture meditation, and accountability within the church are vital tools for aligning our desires with God’s design. It calls us to see others not as objects for our consumption but as brothers and sisters in Christ, worthy of respect and love. For those in marriage, it underscores the importance of nurturing intimacy and fidelity, not just in action but in thought. For the single, it affirms the call to purity as an act of worship, trusting God’s timing and provision. For all, it demands humility, recognizing that temptation is universal and that none are above the need for grace.

The communal implications of this teaching are also profound. Lust, even when confined to the mind, erodes the fabric of relationships. It fosters secrecy, undermines trust, and distorts the mutuality that should characterize God’s people. By calling us to purity of heart, Jesus is not only shaping individuals but building a community that reflects His love—a community where relationships are marked by selflessness, honor, and genuine care. This vision of the kingdom challenges us to live differently, to be a light in a world darkened by exploitation and brokenness.

Ultimately, Matthew 5:28 is a call to dependence on Christ. Its impossible standard reveals our need for a Savior who not only forgives but transforms. Through the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to wage war against sinful desires, to take every thought captive to Christ, and to grow in the likeness of the One who is altogether pure. This verse is not a burden but an invitation—to live in the freedom of a heart aligned with God, to love others as He loves, and to anticipate the day when our desires will be fully redeemed in His presence. In this, we find not condemnation but hope, for the One who demands righteousness is the One who provides it, leading us ever deeper into the abundant life of His kingdom.

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Beloved in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Grace and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us, that we might be delivered from the dominion of sin and brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. I write to you, dear saints, with a heart stirred by the Spirit to reflect on the words of our Savior in Matthew 5:28, where He proclaims, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” These are not mere words of instruction but a divine revelation, piercing the veil of human pretense and calling us to a righteousness that flows from the heart transformed by grace. Let us, therefore, consider the depth of this teaching, that we may walk worthy of the calling to which we have been called, bearing the image of Christ in thought, word, and deed.

The law given through Moses, holy and good, declared, “You shall not commit adultery,” a command that guarded the sacred covenant of marriage, that earthly reflection of God’s unyielding faithfulness to His people. In the days of our Lord’s earthly ministry, many among the religious prided themselves on their outward obedience, believing that by avoiding the act of infidelity, they had fulfilled the law’s demand. But Jesus, the One who searches hearts and knows the secrets of all, unveils the true intent of the law. He declares that sin is not confined to the hands or the body but begins in the hidden places of the soul, where a lustful glance becomes a betrayal as real as any physical transgression. Oh, how this truth lays bare our condition! For who among us can stand before the holiness of God and claim a heart untouched by wayward desire? Who can boast of thoughts untainted by the selfishness that seeks to consume rather than to love?

This teaching, beloved, is no mere expansion of the law but a revelation of God’s heart, a call to a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees. The Lord Jesus does not abolish the law but fulfills it, showing that its purpose was never to produce a superficial obedience but to expose our need for a Savior. The heart, as Scripture testifies, is deceitful above all things, and from it flow the springs of life—springs that, apart from grace, are polluted by sin. To look with lustful intent is to violate the dignity of another, to reduce a person created in God’s image to an object of gratification. It is a turning from love to idolatry, from selflessness to self-worship. Yet let us not despair, for the One who exposes our sin is the One who bore it, nailing it to the cross and triumphing over it in His resurrection. In Christ, we are not condemned but redeemed, not forsaken but renewed by the Spirit who dwells within us.

In this present age, the words of our Lord ring with urgent clarity. We live in a world that assaults the senses with temptation, where images and ideas flood our eyes and minds, enticing us to indulge in desires that dishonor God and others. The digital age, with its endless access to that which inflames the flesh, makes the lustful glance not only possible but pervasive. Yet the standard of Christ remains: we are called to be holy as He is holy, to guard not only our actions but our thoughts, to live as those who belong to the kingdom of light. This is not a call to shame or suppression but to freedom—the freedom to love as Christ loves, to see others as He sees them, to find our deepest joy in the One who created us for Himself.

What, then, shall we do, dear brothers and sisters? First, let us fix our gaze upon Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who endured the cross for our sake and now intercedes for us at the Father’s right hand. Let us immerse ourselves in His Word, which is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Through prayer, let us seek the Spirit’s power to renew our minds, to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Let us not walk alone but in the fellowship of the saints, confessing our struggles to one another, for in the body of Christ, we find strength to stand firm. There is no weakness that His grace cannot cover, no temptation that His power cannot overcome. Seek accountability, not as a burden but as a gift, that we may encourage one another to walk in purity and love.

Let us also reframe how we see our neighbors. To look with lust is to diminish another, to strip them of their God-given dignity. But to look with love is to honor them as co-heirs of the grace of life, destined for glory in Christ. Train your heart, beloved, to see others as Christ does—worthy of respect, called to holiness, purchased by His blood. For those who are married, let this teaching spur you to cherish your spouse, guarding your heart that your love may be a reflection of Christ’s love for His church. For those who are single, let it inspire you to pursue purity as an act of worship, trusting that God’s design for your life is good and perfect. In all things, let humility be your guide, for none are beyond the reach of temptation, and all are in need of grace.

This teaching, moreover, is not for us alone but for the building up of the body of Christ. The sin of lust, though hidden in the heart, ripples outward, wounding relationships and fracturing the unity of God’s people. It undermines the trust that binds us together, distorts the witness of the church, and obscures the beauty of the gospel. Let us, therefore, strive for purity not only for our own sake but for the sake of one another, that our communities may be marked by integrity, fidelity, and love. Let our marriages proclaim the covenant faithfulness of God, and let our singleness testify to the sufficiency of His grace. In a world broken by selfishness and exploitation, let us be a light, showing forth the transforming power of Christ.

Rejoice, beloved, that the righteousness demanded by this teaching is not ours to achieve but Christ’s to provide. He who spoke these words lived them perfectly, fulfilling the law in every thought and deed. Through faith in Him, His righteousness is ours, and through the Spirit, His power is at work within us. When we stumble, His mercy lifts us up. When we fall, His hand restores us. Let us press on, then, not in our own strength but in the strength of Him who is faithful, pursuing the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. May our hearts be conformed to His, our desires aligned with His will, and our lives a living sacrifice to His glory.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

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Almighty and Everlasting God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose holiness is a consuming fire and whose grace is an endless fountain, we bow before You in awe and reverence, our hearts laid bare by the piercing words of Your Son in Matthew 5:28: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Your Word, O Lord, is a lamp to our feet, revealing not only the path of righteousness but the hidden sins that lurk within us. We stand convicted, for Your truth exposes the waywardness of our thoughts, the frailty of our desires, and our desperate need for the redeeming love poured out through Christ. Hear us, we pray, as we seek Your mercy, Your strength, and Your transforming Spirit to make us holy as You are holy.

You, O God, are the One who formed us, who knows every thought before it is conceived, every intention before it takes shape. Your Son’s teaching unveils the depth of Your law, showing that sin is not merely an act of the body but a turning of the heart from Your perfect design. The command against adultery, given to Your people of old, was a guardian of the covenant of marriage, a reflection of Your unwavering fidelity to us. Yet Jesus, the Word made flesh, declares that even a lustful glance is a betrayal, a violation of love that begins in the secret places of the soul. We confess, O Lord, that our hearts have wandered, that we have indulged desires that dishonor You and those You call us to cherish. Forgive us, we pray, for every thought that has strayed from Your truth, for every moment we have failed to see others as Your image-bearers, worthy of love and dignity.

We praise You, merciful Father, that Your Son did not come to condemn us but to save us, bearing our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. His cross is our hope, His resurrection our victory, and His Spirit our guide. Through Him, we are not left to wallow in guilt but are invited into the freedom of forgiveness, the joy of renewal, and the power of a transformed heart. Grant us, O God, the grace to rest in this gospel, to trust that Your mercy is greater than our failings, and to believe that Your Spirit can purify even the deepest recesses of our being. We long to be a people whose thoughts reflect Your holiness, whose desires align with Your will, and whose lives testify to the beauty of Your kingdom.

In this present age, O Lord, we are surrounded by temptations that seek to draw our hearts from You. The world bombards us with images that inflame selfish desire, with voices that whisper that our thoughts are inconsequential so long as our actions remain restrained. Yet Your Word declares otherwise, calling us to guard our minds as vigilantly as our deeds. Protect us, we pray, from the lies that would enslave us, from the lures that would lead us to reduce Your children to objects of consumption. Teach us to see every person as You see them—precious, redeemed, and called to eternal glory. Help us to honor the sacredness of marriage, to nurture fidelity in thought as well as deed, and to walk in purity whether married or single, trusting that Your design for our lives is good and full of purpose.

We lift up to You, O God, those who wrestle with temptation in silence, who carry the weight of shame for thoughts they dare not speak. Wrap them in Your compassion, assure them of Your forgiveness, and empower them by Your Spirit to walk in victory. Surround them with Your church, a community of grace where confession is met with love and weakness with support. For those who have stumbled, restore them, O Lord, as You restored Peter after his denial, that they may proclaim Your mercy to a watching world. For those who stand firm, keep them humble, for none are beyond the reach of temptation, and all are dependent on Your grace. Unite us as Your people, that we may encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, and reflect the unity of Your love.

We pray also for a world that has forgotten Your truth, that has traded Your design for love and intimacy for fleeting pleasures and broken relationships. Use Your church, O God, as a beacon of hope, a living witness to the transformative power of Your gospel. May our lives demonstrate the joy of purity, the strength of covenant love, and the sufficiency of Your grace in every season of life. Let our marriages shine as pictures of Christ’s love for His bride, and let our singleness proclaim the fullness of life found in You alone. In all things, may we glorify You, walking as children of light in a world shrouded in darkness.

O God, You who are faithful to Your promises, You who are near to the brokenhearted, hear our prayer. By Your Spirit, renew our minds, purify our hearts, and guide our steps, that we may offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing in Your sight. Keep us steadfast until the day when Christ returns, when every thought will be brought into the light, and every heart will bow before Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. To You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be all glory, honor, and praise, now and forevermore. Amen.