Jesus’ view of adultery

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery.’  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 5.27-28

Way back in 1976 soon to be US president Jimmy Carter made worldwide headlines when he, for some unknown reason, agreed to an interview with a major 'men's magazine'. He said something for which he was mocked by the world. ‘The Bible says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Christ said, I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman with lust has in his heart already committed adultery. I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times.’

He then went on the say that Christians needed to be careful about becoming self-righteous about other’s sins when they harboured sin in their own hearts.

Think what we may about President Carter' his politics, and his wisdom in granting the interview he did have a point. It is easy for us to sit back and judge and condemn other for their very visible sin and do nothing about the sin in our own private lives.

Jesus was teaching on the Law. The Jewish religious leaders had it pegged. They knew how to play the Law Game. They clearly defined what it meant to obey the Law.

Here Jesus used adultery as an example. ‘You have heard it said that you should not commit adultery.’ ‘Okay,’ the leaders (and many of us) could say, ‘I have been faithful to my wifer, I have never committed adultery, so I am safe on that one.’

But before they could settle on their thoughts Jesus continued, ‘but I say that if you have ever lusted after a women in your heart you are guilty of adultery.’

Wait a second, that’s a whole different story! If I have ever lusted after a woman in my heart I am an adulterer? Now that’s not quite so clear! Jesus drives home a point here – sin is a lot more than what you do, it is also what you think.

We need to be very, very careful that we don’t climb up on some sort of spiritual high horse when we see others sin. What would happen if our thought were as visible as that person’s actions? How could stand up to scrutiny?