Mike Focht 6/5/2026
You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:27
Roots matter. Every fruit has a root. Jesus makes a clear connection between the fruit of adultery in a life and the root of lust in the heart. This spiritual root principle has layers of depth, but I would like to unearth two truths.
First, Jesus is correcting any reasoning that ignores the intent of the heart. The strict Jew of the day ignored the root of lust in the heart because they didn’t yet have the fruit of adultery in their life. How many people today say things like, "I can look as long as I don’t touch"? We are so prone to focus on the ends or the means and totally ignore the root. Jesus’ point is simple: A man may never physically commit adultery with a woman, but still possess a lustful and adulterous heart. Roots matter. The reality of inner sin due to the plague of our sinful hearts must be brought into the light and judged accordingly.
We should be careful not to make the same mistake. We should repent of sinful desires as well as sinful actions. If we were more faithful to deal quickly and thoroughly with our sins at the root source, we would quickly find healthy fruit being produced. How do we deal with impure desires and motives? By washing ourselves in the water of God’s Word. Do not ignore the childish whines of your flesh while it is still in its infantile stages. Treat those pathetic cries as seriously as you would the roar of a full-grown lion.
Second, Jesus is correcting the attitude that our sins really are not as bad as they seem. It is so easy to downplay our wickedness. It is easy to look at the outward and active sin of another and think we really are good in comparison. It is our natural inclination to excuse, justify, and explain away how sinful our sin really is. Oh, we may not deny that sin is present in us, but we do deny that it is as bad as others might suggest or dare to think.
A lazy or defensive attitude toward sin is sinful in and of itself. There is never a single justification for sin. Every sin is much worse, much more costly, and much more wicked than we know. Every sin. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg. Jesus’ words here make one thing exceedingly clear: Our sin always runs deeper than our visible actions. Beneath every sinful fruit is a living sinful root! Instead of justifying or excusing our sin—as we are so prone to do with ungodly anger, gossip, selfishness, covetousness, and lusts—we must repent accordingly. God knows our sins go much deeper than we think. Do we?
In our pursuit of spiritual growth, we must allow these words of Christ to correct any thought that would dare to focus on outward actions while ignoring the root desires of sin. Also, we must reject any attempt to lessen or soften the depth of our sin by justifying it as not quite as bad as others see it. Every sin is not as bad as we think. It is worse!
When we sin, or recognize sinful root desires in our hearts, we must ask Jesus Christ to help us see our sin as it is in His eyes and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness—fruits and roots.