Have I Realized the Significance of Looking?

“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 lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28

A story is told that many years ago, while on a visit to England, a wealthy Chinese businessman was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals and the petals of flowers, he was amazed at their beauty and detail. So he decided to purchase one of these devices and take it back to China. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day he examined some rice he was planning to eat for dinner. Much to his dismay, he discovered that tiny living creatures were crawling in it. Since he was especially fond of this staple food in his daily diet, he wondered what to do. Finally he concluded that there was only one way out of this dilemma. He smashed the microscope to pieces destroying the instrument that caused him to discover the distasteful fact!

Eventually the Scribes would react the same way as this Chinese business man who smashed the microscope because it revealed to him something he did not want to know. The Scribes, along with the Pharisees and other religious leaders would crucify the Messiah, hoping that this would allow them to go back to their old way of doing things.

The Pharisees and the Scribes were very concerned about what the Scripture says. They studied the Scriptures in detail. However, they made a separation between the mind and heart and physical actions.

Jesus is talking about the real meaning of adultery and divorce, and he begins by talking about adultery. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’” (Matthew 5:27) The command against adultery is the sixth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18), and Jesus quotes it here word for word. Apparently the Pharisees and teachers of the law were quoting it word for word as well, but they were still not teaching it correctly.

Jesus not only brings us back to the correct meaning of adultery, he also takes us deeper into the commandment. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

Now if looking lustfully at another person constitutes the sin of adultery, it is important to understand what Jesus meant and what Jesus did not mean by the lustful look.

The word “look” here does not mean to “glance” or “incidental sight.” The grammar indicates a person that sees and continues to look. Intentional and repeated gazing.” The purpose of which is to satisfy the evil desire of the heart. The word lust simply means “strong desire” with the context indicating the object of that strong desire being the person viewed.

It’s often said, nobody can prevent the first look, but you always have a choice with the second. It’s a big difference, because it is the difference between temptation and sin. I like what Martin Luther said about temptation and sin. He said you can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from building a nest in your hair! Jesus warns against the second look that looks in order to lust.

The centrality of God’s concern is the heart, you see?  It is not the externals.  It never was with Moses and it isn’t with us.  But the Pharisees were satisfied with the externals, and thus they had missed the point.  .

The Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart. He loved God and proved it over and over. Yet, David let his guard down. He was not diligent to do all that he should have as the king. 2 Samuel 11 recounts that David was in Jerusalem instead of being out with the army in battle. That David was on his roof and he saw a woman bathing. Was it a sin that David saw the woman bathing? No. The sin came when David saw that the “woman was very beautiful in appearance.” How did David know she was “very beautiful”? He continued to look. David was not as Job who said in Job 31:1, “Behold I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin.”

This Lenten Season may we be able to pray like David in Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. 

May God help us. God Bless You.