NOTES for Mat 5:27-32
One of the most important revelations of the New Testament, new both in comparison with the Old Testament and in comparison with pagan religiosity, is found in the words we read today in the Gospel of Matthew. The Old Testament treats deeds that we commit only mentally and do not commit in physical, so to speak, reality as not having happened. However, if the human being is truly a creature who unites visible and invisible reality, then what happens inside him, in the depths of his personhood, cannot be disregarded. Already the prophets proclaimed to the chosen people that the Lord of the universe does not leave unnoticed the true motives of our actions and the hidden impulses of our heart. And now the Lord Jesus Christ defines with complete clarity the equivalence of actions committed in reality and in thought.
For the most part we take these words of His as pure accusation. Not only in deeds, but even in thoughts, one can no longer hide from the truth of God; every anger and lack of love toward people already stains you in the eyes of the Almighty. But it is no less important to remember what conclusion St. John Chrysostom draws from this in his Paschal Homily: "for the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first... He accepts the deeds and welcomes the intention; He honors the acts and praises the offering."