The words of Jesus indeed are challenging His hearers to rectify the root of their moral decay. He forbids not just the very act of adultery, but also the cursory lustful look that leads to it. Jesus is forbidding not just the action of lust but the unbridled intention of lust.

Jesus also goes further with some graphic images. The tearing out of the eye links back to His understanding of adultery not just as a physical act but as an intention of looking at another person lustfully. Probably the cutting off of the hand has to do with the very act of adultery itself. The point here is that our regard for others must not be denigrating their dignity. If we regard our own bodies as sacred, then we ought to treat others with the same respect.

We must accept our sexuality and the lustful cravings that come with it. But it does not mean it gives lust no boundaries to ravage our sacred space. We are like earthenware jars as St Paul exhorts the Corinthians (2 Cor 4:7). These jars are expendable and fragile. They break easily and are cheap. However, St Paul goes on to say that in spite of our vulnerability, the overwhelming power to stay chaste does not come from us but is anchored in God. On our own, we are vulnerable. With God powerfully at work in us, His words are our shields to the many temptations to denigrate ourselves and others.