Matthew 5:27
““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’”
What does Matthew 5:27 mean?
Jesus is quoting one of the Ten Commandments that his listeners knew well. His point here isn't to say the old law was wrong, but to set up what comes next: he's about to show them that God cares about the heart behind our actions, not just the outward behavior. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus repeats this pattern several times, saying "You have heard it said... but I tell you," moving from the external rule to the internal reality. Understanding this helps us see that when Jesus talks about adultery, he's inviting his followers into a deeper kind of faithfulness that begins with our thoughts and desires, not just our choices.