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“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 18:9
Does Jesus really want me to gouge out my eye or cut off my hand?
Bad Interpretation #1: “Don’t Take It Literally”
One unsatisfying way to interpret this passage is simply to insist on a non-literal reading:
“The point of these admonitions is clear without pressing for a literal understanding of the words.”
This approach seems to make some sense in that it relieves the difficulty of such a horrifying duty.
However, it does not work well when we remember the overall point Jesus is making throughout this section: the requirements of the law reach infinitely further than any of us would imagine.
If it is true that anger renders us liable to the death penalty (Matt. 5:22), is it so outlandish to believe that we should rather cut out our eyes and cut off our hands than go to hell?
We cannot smooth out this passage simply by wishing away its offensiveness. We need a better explanation than simply waving the difficulties aside.
Jesus forbids even unintentional lust (Matt. 5:27–28)
The Doctrine of Concupiscence in the Sermon on the Mount
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers his authoritative teaching on the law. Here, he argues against the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees—legalism that relaxed the infinitely high standards of God’s law (Matt. 5:19–20).
Bad Interpretation #2: “Literally Mutilate Your Body”
It is also unsatisfying to conclude that Jesus commands literal self-mutilation. We never read anywhere else in Scripture of people gouging out their eyes to prevent lust.
The closest example comes from Paul, when he commends the Galatians for their willingness to gouge out their eyes for his sake (Gal. 4:15). Yet Paul acknowledges that this would not have helped anything (“if possible”), and that they ultimately did not do it (“you would have”).
Clearly, the application of Jesus’ words is not to physically remove our eyes or cut off our hands.
So what, then, should we do with this passage?
Perhaps we must leave it to the Supreme Judge to give the final word.
PEACE ON EARTH
علي الارض السلام وفي الناس المسرة
PAIX SUR TERRE
FRIEDEN AUF ERDEN
PACE SULLA TERRA
PAZ EN LA TIERRA
VREDE OP AARDE
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