Most people define adultery by the physical act itself. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes it as “the voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone who is not their spouse.” Many of Jesus’ listeners likely understood the command, “You shall not commit adultery,” in the same way. But Jesus, in his teaching, challenges them and us by exposing the deeper issue. He says adultery begins in the heart, declaring that even looking at someone with lustful intent is committing adultery.
This sin starts with the desires we choose to entertain. What we set our eyes on and consume leads our hearts to sin. In David Guzik’s commentary, he says, “We aren’t innocent just because we didn’t have the opportunity to sin the way we really want to.”
If you go back to yesterday’s devotional, scripture says we are made in the image of God, created with dignity and purpose. It also shows that the design for marriage is marked with unity, intimacy, and openness. With that in mind, if I look at another person with lustful intent, am I seeing them as a fellow image bearer of God, someone created with dignity and purpose? Or am I reducing them to an object for my own desires?
And if I am married, am I cultivating unity, intimacy, and openness in my marriage by entertaining those thoughts? Or am I allowing division, alienation, and secrecy to take root in my heart? The answer is clear: lust does not honor the person being desired, nor does it strengthen the covenant marriage. Instead, it works against God’s design for both.