Jesus says, “If you look at a woman with lust in your heart you have commited adultery with her in your heart.” (Matthew 5:28).
This verse has become a bastion for teachers against pornography, soft porn, pin ups, and etc. But is it meant for that? The context of who and what Jesus is discussing is adulterey which cannot be committed unless you are married. Jesus was raising the stakes for married men whom he was talking to, but can this be used in broad way for singles too?
I lean towards using is broadly, because the message is adultery in the heart, but can you have adulterey in heart if the woman is an anime character, video game character, and etc?
What are your thoughts?
Do we use Jesus’ statement as catch all for every kind of thing even having a crush on celebrities or is it specifically for married people or in a very niche context of marriage and adultery that he was addressing then?
Well...
The first thing that needs to be understood is that the word 'woman' is usually used in scripture to refer to a married woman whereas the word 'virgin' is used in scripture to refer to a woman who has never been married. Thus, the idea of committing adultery in Matthew 5:28 is properly indicated in the context of the verse. However, this does
not mean that the principle being discussed does not apply to other than a married woman. The "matching" of the word 'woman' with the word 'adultery' in the verse is proper usage according to the times - it is an "in the case of a [married] woman" explanation; however, it does not necessarily nullify a different case/context where the woman is not married. In other words, adultery requires a married person while 'lust' does not necessarily require it.
Second, we need to recognize that 'lust' is referring to a "desire of the heart" and not merely looking at a pretty woman, enjoying our food, or similar thing related to whatever context that lust is being considered. (Because, it applies to more than just a sexual sense.)
Matthew 5:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
If you "look upon a woman" in a way that simply "appreciates her beauty", it is not lust; however, if you develop/have a desire to have sex with her, then it is lust. This is the basic difference - indicated in this verse by/with the words 'to lust after her' - which involves more than merely 'looking'. It is a 'heart'/'desire' motive. And, in this verse, the 'lust' takes place 'in his heart'.
Third, we must consider the meaning of 'lust of the eyes' in this verse:
1 John 2:
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And, in the context of this verse, the 'lust of the eyes' does not necessarily explicitly refer to a sexual context; albeit, that would no-doubt be the usual case.
I suggest that having a 'crush' is not necessarily always of an explicit sexual nature. In other words, an "innocent crush" is possible and reasonable.
I can agree with you that people often broaden the scope of scripture beyond its actual meaning - "technically" - the context is in/with regard to a married woman. However, in all of this, there is a principle here to consider also - having to do with how you "order your thoughts" as an everyday practice.
I should probably correct you on your "adulterey which cannot be committed" [sic] statement. In the context of Matthew 5:28, adultery is committed 'in his heart' if
she is married.
Use Matthew 5:28 as a broad catch-all? No. We should apply verses of scripture according to what they are actually saying. However, there is more scripture to consider...
