“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. Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:27-30; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

Jesus’ instruction regarding lust seems almost impossible. It sounds like somebody needs superhuman spiritual strength to avoid lust, especially nowadays. Just a few decades ago, pornography was available in many stores, some of which specialized in “adult materials,” and it was harder to access. You usually had to pay for it. Now, it is freely available online. The internet, television, movies, advertising, etc., make it almost impossible to avoid images and messages designed to create sexual cravings.

The word Jesus uses for “lust” here is the Greek word “epithumeo,” which simply refers to a strong desire to have something. The Bible does not use it only in a sexual context. Whenever St. Paul cites the commandment, “You shall not covet” (e.g., Romans 7:7; 13:9), he uses the word epithumeo. Jesus used it to refer to how righteous men of old desired to see His works that the disciples saw, how the prodigal son craved the food he was feeding the pigs, and how He earnestly desired to share the Passover meal that would be His Last Supper.

Desire can be good or bad; it all depends on the object of one’s desire. Desiring your wife is not the sort of lust Jesus condemns here. Neither is He reprimanding us for thinking somebody is good-looking. However, when we sexually or romantically desire someone who is not our spouse, we enter morally or spiritually dangerous territory.

Sexual lust can be powerful, even addictive. As mentioned earlier, sexual images and messages bombard our eyes and minds. They crave our attention, hoping we will crave the object they project on our minds. (Yes, lust often tends to “objectify” the person we desire.)

Jesus’ message is simple yet revolutionary, perhaps even countercultural, and often misunderstood. He is not telling us to mutilate ourselves, but instead, is confronting our excuses. Does your eye cause you to sin? No. Neither does your hand. Your mind, thoughts, will, and heart lead you into sin. We cannot remove those without destroying ourselves.

The real solution He is offering is to remove the temptation. If you fantasize about someone you know personally, avoid time alone with them, including private online communication. (Texting can be a prelude to “sexting.”) For other sources of temptation, turn off the movie; stop watching the television show; and get away from that website.

Replace the lustful thoughts or attitudes with more wholesome ideas:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Simply removing the object of temptation or avoiding the person is not enough. We have to fill our minds with excellent and praiseworthy things—such as God’s Word, praise and worship music, or other thoughts that draw us into His will—so there is no room for unwholesome thoughts. We should remove the unwholesome and unholy and fill ourselves with God’s presence, love, and power.

“When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it then says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they come in and live there; and the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first” (Luke 11:24-26).

Let us, in all things, seek first the kingdom of God and eternal life with Christ over the temporary pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25).

O God, without whose beauty and goodness our souls are unfed, without whose truth our reason withers: Consecrate our lives to your will, giving us such purity of heart, such depth of faith, and such steadfastness of purpose, that in time we may come to think your own thoughts after you, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen [From The Book of Common Prayer (2019) (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019)].

Have you found ways to resist or overcome temptations such as lust? Share your thoughts below.

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.