Protecting Our Eyes

“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.” — Matthew 5:29 Many years ago, the Christian college I attended did not allow dancing. To skirt this rule, “foot functions” were sometimes held in dormitory basements. Today we may smile at such a quaint restriction, but behind it was concern about a serious challenge to Christian purity: lust.Recognizing the destructive power of lust, the Bible clearly warns against lustful thinking and behavior that degrades or harms others, as well as endangering the souls of the guilty. Jesus, for instance, in his Sermon on the Mount, declares that anyone who looks at another’s body with lustful desires would be better off gouging out their own eye. Likely using exaggeration here to highlight the danger, Jesus warns that sexually impure thinking is a violation of the commandment “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Followers of Christ are therefore called to have pure hearts and pure minds.The permissive and pervasive sexual ethos of our age, jetfueled by easy, private access to pornography, presents a huge challenge for Christians today. How do we guard our hearts from this evil influence? We need to take the apostle Paul’s advice to his young friend Timothy: “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). And, if needed, reach out for professional help.  Jesus, help us by purity of heart and thought to honor our bodies and those of others as your holy temples. Amen.