Matthew 5:27–32:
Purity of Heart and Faithfulness in Marriage

Correct Interpretation of Matthew 5:27–32

After showing that the commandment “You shall not murder” also reaches anger and contempt in the heart (Matthew 5:21–26), Jesus gives a second example of the righteousness of the Kingdom. He now begins with the commandment against adultery and shows that sexual faithfulness begins within. He then addresses divorce, correcting a way of treating marriage that could reduce it to a mere legal procedure.

(vv. 27–28)
«27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.»

Jesus begins with the commandment prohibiting adultery and once again shows that God’s righteousness reaches beyond the outward act.

Jesus thus traces adultery back to the heart: before it becomes a physical act, it can already be cultivated inwardly through a deliberate look intended to lust after another person.

The righteousness of the Kingdom therefore consists not only in avoiding the physical act of adultery, but also in rejecting the desire that seeks inwardly to possess someone who does not belong to you.

(vv. 29–30)
«29 So if your right eye is causing you to fall, tear it out and throw it away; because it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand is causing you to fall, cut it off and throw it away; because it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body be thrown into hell.»

Jesus deliberately uses an extreme image: tearing out the right eye or cutting off the right hand.

He is not commanding physical mutilation, because the problem He has just identified is located in the heart. Rather, the image teaches that sin must be confronted with equally radical determination.

If something a person looks at, does, or allows becomes a persistent cause of falling, it must be dealt with seriously and removed, however costly that may be.

The repeated warning about “hell” again shows that Jesus does not treat inward sin as something trivial. It is better to give up something valuable than to allow sin to govern one’s life.

(v. 31)
«It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’»

Jesus alludes to Deuteronomy 24:1, where the Law regulates a situation involving divorce and requires a document formalizing the separation.

The command does not present divorce as God’s ideal purpose for marriage, but regulates a reality that already existed within a world marked by sin.

The problem arises when that legal provision becomes a justification for thinking that simply giving the certificate was enough to remove all moral responsibility toward the marriage.

(v. 32)
«But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for a case of fornication, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.»

Jesus rejects the idea that divorce can be treated as a mere legal formality that automatically removes all moral responsibility.

Marriage establishes a union that must not be broken capriciously. That is why divorcing one’s wife without the cause Jesus excepts exposes the subsequent rupture to a situation of adultery.

Jesus mentions “a case of fornication” as an exception to the general statement, but the purpose of His teaching is not to provide an extensive list of reasons for divorce. Rather, He restricts a practice that could treat marriage lightly.

The emphasis remains on faithfulness: a legal certificate by itself does not make righteous a rupture that contradicts God’s purpose for marriage.

Jesus also assigns responsibility to the man who unjustifiably breaks the marriage, because his action places the woman in a situation in which a new union would involve adultery.

Implications

• Faithfulness begins in the heart: Jesus does not limit adultery to the outward act, but also confronts deliberately cultivated sexual desire.
• Sin must be treated seriously: the disciple must remove what persistently leads him to disobey God.
• Marriage must not be reduced to a legal procedure: a certificate of divorce does not automatically make the dissolution of a marriage righteous.
• Jesus protects marital faithfulness: He rejects the idea of dissolving marriage for just any reason.
• The righteousness of the Kingdom reaches desires, decisions, and relationships: obedience to God includes both the inward life and faithfulness toward one’s spouse.

Applications

• Guard what you nurture within: do not turn a look into an opportunity to cultivate illicit desire.
• Remove occasions for sin decisively: take concrete measures when something repeatedly leads you into disobedience.
• Treat marriage seriously: do not regard the marriage union as disposable when difficulties or personal desires arise.
• Do not use legal procedures to justify what is morally wrong: what is legally permitted does not always coincide with God’s will.
• Pursue integrity in both your thoughts and your relationships: faithfulness before God begins before outward actions take place.

Summary

In Matthew 5:27–32, Jesus shows that the prohibition against adultery also reaches the heart. Deliberately looking in order to cultivate illicit sexual desire already contradicts the faithfulness God requires, so Jesus calls for radical action against anything that leads to sin. He then addresses divorce and shows that a legal certificate does not automatically make the dissolution of a marriage righteous. Jesus recognizes an exception involving fornication, but His primary emphasis is on protecting marital faithfulness and rejecting the idea of dissolving the union for just any reason. He thus continues to show that the righteousness of the Kingdom reaches both inward desires and the decisions that affect our deepest relationships.

Prayer

Our Father, we thank You because Jesus Christ teaches us that Your righteousness also reaches our thoughts and desires.

Examine our hearts and deliver us from nurturing desires that turn us away from Your will.

Give us wisdom and firmness to remove from our lives whatever becomes an occasion for sin.

Help us also to treat marriage with the seriousness and faithfulness You desire, without using our own convenience to justify decisions contrary to Your will.

Form in us lives of integrity, both in what others can see and in what only You know.

We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.