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. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. – Matthew 5:28-29
I love how Jesus confronts real issues without beating around the bush. He knows his audience is mostly men and he also knows that lust is a problem that all men face. However, I just want to point out how the one Man who was able to go through life, seeing the same women that every other man saw, without ever looking at a woman with lustful intent, knew where the problem with lust really lies. Jesus puts the blame squarely where it should be, on the man with the wandering eye.
Let’s stop and appreciate how rare this is… especially in religious contexts. Think about how many religious traditions handle the problem of lust. Unfortunately, most of them handle lust by blaming the woman. Sometimes women are forced (either by actual laws or by social mores) to cover themselves completely (i.e. the Muslim burqa). They are told, in not-so-subtle terms, that their bodies are too much of a temptation for men and that it is their job to hide their bodies so as not to cause men to sin. These traditions place all of the restrictions on women and assume that if they just stopped showing themselves, men would stop lusting. However, they forget that Eskimos still lust.
The way that Jesus handles this is so very different! He doesn’t follow the typical religious playbook. He doesn’t blame women. He puts the blame squarely where it belongs: on the man with a lust problem. Jesus notices that it is the man’s fault for looking with lustful intent, not the woman’s fault for being beautiful. He doesn’t tell the woman to cover up, he tells the man to “cut out” the problem. We know that Jesus didn’t want anyone cutting out their eyes or hands, but he did want men to know they could deal with their own problems. He is telling men that they need to learn how to control their own bodies. Period.
The overarching truth is that the only one to blame for my sin is me, whatever that sin may be. I cannot blame anyone else. I am the one who will stand before God, so I am the one who must learn how to control my mind and body. This is a truth that men and women need to learn equally. We all deal with our temptations, but the truth is the same, sin is nobody’s fault but mine.
Josh Rose
Family Pastor