22. Another Look at the Lord's Prayer (continued)
"If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire" (Matthew 18:8-9 NKJV). These verses have sometimes been taken literally and, sadly in extreme cases, used as a reason for bodily mutilation or removal of a hand, foot or eye. But is this what Jesus meant for his followers to do? Figuratively Speaking First, we must remember that Jesus often used figurative language in the sermons he gave instructing his disciples and the crowds he taught. In fact, Jesus specifically used the eye and the hand with clear figurative intent on other occasions.
Consider two other examples we also find in the Gospel of Matthew: "The eye is the lamp of the body" (Matthew 6:22), and "when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3). Clearly neither of these statements is meant to be understood literally. The eye is not really a "lamp" and the hand cannot really "know" anything – so Jesus was using ideas he associated with these body parts to teach a lesson that was easy to visualize and remember.
Secondly, it is clear that sin is caused by the mind and not by any bodily part or organ (James 1:14-15), and it is not possible for a hand or eye to sin of itself. For example, if our eye is involved in lusting, taking it out does not remove the sin because the mind can still continue to lust. If our hand is involved in stealing, removing the hand does not remove the temptation to steal from the mind and it is still possible to steal with the other hand or in some other manner. The only way we can actually remove a sin is to effect an inward change of the mind, as Jesus himself taught (for example, Matthew 23:25-27).
When People Are Problems When we remember that Jesus often spoke figuratively using metaphors, similes, and parables, we can understand that in speaking of a hand, foot, or eye that causes us to sin, he was really referring to someone or something in life that might be instrumental in causing us to sin.
In fact, there is good indication that in Matthew 18:8-9 and in Mark 9:43-47 Jesus was actually referring to people in our lives who might cause us to sin. Mark 9:43-47 appears directly after the statement that "If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea" (Mark 9:42).
The context would seem to indicate, then, that Jesus was referring to individuals who might cause sin to occur and who must be "cut off" even if they are as close to us as a part of our own body.
In Matthew 5:29 a similar figure of speech regarding removing a hand or eye is used in a different context, that of adultery, but once again there is no reason not to conclude that it is the person involved in the adulterous behavior that we must remove from our life, not a physical body part.
In fact, this principle of Matthew 18:8-9 was applied directly by the early Church in removing or "cutting off" any individual who was part of the "body" of Christ (Romans 12:5) and who caused others in the Church to sin (1 Corinthians 5:1-13; etc.).
Finally, we must remember that the law of God forbade selfmutilation or disfigurement (Leviticus 19:28; etc.) and that Jesus never taught against the principles of that law (Matthew 5:17).
So the lesson for us is to always be sure to look at the direct context of the sayings of Jesus in the teachings he gave rather than taking single thoughts or verses out of that context. We must remember that Christ often taught using analogies and parables that convey important lessons rather than literal directives. We also must remember that in considering all his sermons and teachings together, Jesus never gave his followers instructions that would be contrary to the spirit of the law of God as it was expressed in the Scriptures. Keeping these basic principles in mind will help us to understand many of the seemingly difficult parts of the sermons Jesus gave that are recorded for our benefit.