Show Don't Tell: Matthew 5:27-30

Instead of saying "Jesus taught that lust is like adultery," watch the net widen again. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'" Another commandment most think they've kept. "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The sin happens before the act—in the glance that lingers, the imagination that wanders. Jesus doesn't soften it: "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away." Feel the violence of the imagery. "If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off." Better to enter life maimed than to have your whole body thrown into hell. He's not commanding literal mutilation; he's demanding we take sin that seriously. Whatever feeds the lust—cut it off. Whatever enables the gaze—remove it. The stakes are eternal.