Matthew 5:27-32,  on adultery, lust, and divorce, introduction

Jesus, having just taught on the sixth of the Ten Commandments, now moves on to address the seventh. Thus, the common theme throughout this section is adultery. Some of Jesus’ teaching seems extreme and throughout history there have been individuals who have sought to take this advice literally. To do so, however, is to fall into the same trap as the Pharisees (see Matt 5:19-20), for Jesus was using figures of speech. Once these have been understood, his advice was much more practical for day-to-day application to the situations his disciples might find themselves in.