S3, E3: Christ Warns Us About Lust (Matthew 5:31-32)

Better to deprive yourself from lustful intent than to destine oneself for hell.

In the previous paragraph, Jesus warned His listeners to avoid selfish anger in one’s heart that could lead to harming another imagebearer because this affects not only love of neighbor but also one’s worship of God. The solution was to reconcile oneself with the one with whom they are angry, even if that meant pausing one worship to do so.

In this paragraph, Jesus warned His listeners to avoid selfish lust in one’s heart that could lead to objectifying another imagebearer because this demonstrates not only a false love but a lack of love for neighbor and for the one who created them. The solution is to take drastic measures to remove that lustful intent from one’s heart.