As I was worshiping and praying recently, I found myself thinking about the absolute purity of Jesus. We know that Jesus never sinned—not outwardly and not inwardly. There was never an impure action, an impure motive, or a lustful thought hidden somewhere in His heart. Then I began thinking about what that must have meant when Jesus looked at women.
The Bible doesn’t soften the truth about the rest of us. Romans 3:23 (NLT) says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Most men, if they are truthful, would probably admit that somewhere along the way they have looked at a woman with thoughts that weren’t pure. Jesus even took purity beyond our actions and brought it directly into our hearts. Matthew 5:28 (NLT) says, “But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Yet Jesus, who spoke those words, perfectly lived them. Scripture tells us that Jesus “faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NLT). Think about what that means. Jesus never once looked at a woman lustfully, entertained an impure fantasy, or reduced a woman to her appearance or what He could get from her. His eyes and His heart were completely pure.
And then I thought about Paul’s instruction to Timothy. 1 Timothy 5:2 (NIV) says to treat “younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” Since all Scripture is God-breathed, that instruction reveals God’s heart concerning how men should view and treat women.
When I look at Jesus in the Gospels, I see that kind of purity everywhere. He spoke with the Samaritan woman when others would have looked down upon her. He showed mercy to the woman caught in adultery without approving her sin. He welcomed women as His followers, learning from Him and supporting His ministry. And when a suffering woman reached through a crowd and touched His garment, Jesus tenderly addressed her as “Daughter” (Mark 5:34). That word daughter struck me.
Jesus is the eternal Son through whom everything was created. Colossians 1:16 (NLT) says, “for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.” What must it have been like for the Creator to look into the eyes of one of the women He had created? While Scripture doesn’t tell us that Jesus consciously thought daughter or sister every time He encountered a woman, everything Scripture reveals about Him tells us that He looked upon women with perfect love, dignity, compassion, and absolute purity.
But here is what makes this truth so beautiful: Jesus did not come merely to expose our impurity and leave us condemned. He came to save us. Jesus was able to become the sacrifice for our sins precisely because He was without sin. 1 Peter 1:18–19 (NLT) describes Jesus as “the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” The perfectly pure One willingly took the sins of impure people upon Himself. He didn’t stand at a distance pointing His finger at us. He went to the cross for us.
Maybe you’ve failed in this area. Maybe you’ve looked at things you shouldn’t have looked at, entertained thoughts you shouldn’t have entertained, or crossed boundaries you deeply regret. Jesus already knows. And His response to a repentant heart isn’t condemnation; it is cleansing and restoration. 1 John 1:9 (NLT) says, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
That doesn’t mean Jesus lowers the standard. Grace never makes holiness unnecessary. Grace makes holiness possible. Jesus forgives us, cleanses us, and then teaches us to increasingly see people as He sees them. For men, that means learning to look at women as people precious to God, never as objects to satisfy our desires. Each woman is someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, and, above all, someone created by God and deserving of dignity, honor, and respect.
Imagine what could happen in our hearts if, when temptation came, we stopped for a moment and prayed, "Jesus, help me see her the way You see her." That is a step toward transformation. We aren’t trying to become pure so Jesus will love us. We pursue purity because He already loves us, has forgiven us, and is transforming us into His likeness. His purity becomes our example as the Holy Spirit continues His work within us.
Perhaps Paul’s simple instruction gives us one of the clearest pictures of what this looks like: “…younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” 1 Timothy 5:2 (NIV) When we see women this way—as sisters and spiritual daughters in the Lord—wrong thinking loses its power. Temptation is confronted at the level of perception, because we are no longer looking at a woman through the lens of desire but through the eyes of Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that Jesus did not come to condemn me but to save me. Thank You for forgiving and cleansing me wherever I have fallen short. Help me to see others through the eyes of Jesus. Purify my thoughts, my motives, and my heart. Teach me to treat every woman with dignity, honor, love, and absolute purity. Make me increasingly like Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
