Jesus applies the same principle that He has just applied to murder and hatred to adultery and lust. Adultery, and other sexual sins, are the outworking of lust in the heart. So again we see that Jesus is concerned with what is going on inside our hearts. Jesus did not come to give us a new set of rules, but to give us a new life, to give us the new heart that is promised in Ezekiel. The concept of not having lust in our hearts was not new, Job had promised not to look lustfully at a girl (Job 31:1).
Jesus then uses hyperbole (ie exaggeration to prove a point) to demonstrate how seriously we should deal with the matter. He is not saying we should physically gouge out our eyes. Indeed the problem would still remain, for lust lies in our hearts, but we should deal with the matter most seriously. We should not put ourselves in temptations way. Jospeh is an excellent example here. He fled when Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him, and this was the best thing to do, even though it meant him being sent to prison.
We need to guard our hearts.
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