“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’
“For everyone will be tested with fire. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.”
To Hell
With Me Or...?Hell was the garbage dump outside Jerusalem. Fire always burned their. Flies always hovered over decomposing refuse. This disgusting place became the picture of a place people garbage ended.
It’s hard for me to think of people as garbage. At first glance it contradicts the notion that “God doesn’t make junk,” and the self worth gospel popularized in the 20th century. Still, here it is; a garbage dump for people instead of banana peels and chicken bones.
By Jesus’ definition, I belong there. My hand has performed against God’s will. So have my feet and my eyes. I work hard not to cause young believers to stumble, but I have a very difficult time living at peace with some “more mature” believers.
Perhaps that’s why God allows me to go through fiery tests. These experiences shake me to the core and force me to confront my own sins and failed attempts to cut them out of my life. So, once again, I throw myself, not into Gehenna (the Greek word for this dump) but onto God’s grace and his promise that he is faithful and just to forgive me. His grace makes me useful and a blessing, despite my failures, rather than garbage.
Father of Grace, I place not only my hands, feet, and eyes, but for me, especially my mouth, in your gracious hands. Thank you for the testings that reveal my sin, purge it, and through me back onto your grace every day! - Mike Leamon
Replacement Surgery
I don’t think anyone actually takes these words of Jesus literally, at least no one in the church I pastor. Sin happens in all of our lives and no one I know has cut their hand off, or their foot off, or gouged their eyes out. Perhaps it is because we have a more theological understanding of sin. We understand that our hands do not cause us to sin, our feet do not cause us to sin; even our eyes are innocent of causing sin in our lives. Sin originates in our mind, our heart or our will. Thus the commands to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, (Rom. 12) or acknowledging that the heart is deceitful above all things, (Jeremiah 17:9) and recognizing right teaching never comes from the will of humans, but from God (2 Peter 1:21).
Some people blame all their sin on the devil. He is the root of all sin and therefore they do not have to bear the consequences or guilt of sin, Satan should. This is, “The devil made me do it” language. While we certainly can “thank” the snake for helping us down the road of sin, if we are honest, we as human beings have done a fine job of sinning on our own. Adam and Eve could have obeyed God, as Jesus did, they chose instead to disobey.
So how do we live out the words of Jesus in real life today? Blaming the devil for our sin is wrong. Ripping our heart out of our chest or surgically removing our brains is not wise. (Although I sometimes think some people I know may have actually done just that.) So are the words of Jesus here simply metaphorical or literal? What do we do?
I think the answer is yes. Take them seriously, but not on our own. I think what Jesus is pointing us towards is replacement surgery. Since sin originates in our lives in the mind, will, and heart, these need to be surgically replaced. We can’t do this! Christ can! “If anyone wants to save his life he must lose it,” Jesus says. In other words, you want to save your heart, lose it and Christ will give you a new one. You want to have the mind of Christ? Allow Christ to renew your mind into the image of the invisible God. You want a will that is surrendered to God? Die to the old self and let Christ put a new self on you.
Master surgeon thank you for operating in my life with your scalpel the Bible and your organ transplants made available through Christ. I ask that you continue administering spiritual medicine in my life via the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the wonderful healing you work in my life. - Dan Jones
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