Matthew 5:29
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus isn't telling us to literally remove body parts; he's emphasizing that "offend" here means to be a "stumbling-block" or a snare that leads you into sin. It's about ruthlessly cutting off whatever, no matter how precious, causes you to fall away from God. This radical imagery highlights the immense value God places on our spiritual wholeness over any temporary pleasure or possession.
Jesus is expounding on the Law, shifting from outward actions like adultery to the inward desires of the heart, building on his previous statement that even looking lustfully is sin. He's now using extreme, vivid imagery to emphasize the absolute necessity of cutting off anything, no matter how precious, that leads to sin. This bold command is the foundation for understanding his intense warnings about eternal judgment.
Jesus uses a shocking image: 'If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out.' What does this extreme language really mean for how we approach temptation?
The word 'offend' here doesn't mean simply to displease someone. In the original language, it means to be a 'stumbling block' – something that trips you up and causes you to fall into sin. Jesus is saying that anything, no matter how precious or seemingly harmless, that leads you away from God's path needs to be dealt with.
Think of it like a snare or a trap designed to catch you. Your eye, your hand, or even a deeply ingrained habit can become that trap, ensnaring your soul.
Jesus isn't literally commanding us to self-mutilate. The commentary scholars point out that the language is hyperbole, an exaggeration used for emphasis. The point is the radical nature of the solution required for spiritual survival. It’s about a decisive, unwavering commitment to remove anything that hinders your relationship with God.
Jesus presents a stark choice: lose a part of your body now, or face eternal destruction. What does this tell us about the value God places on our souls?
The reason Jesus uses such a drastic image is to underscore the immense, eternal stakes involved. He's not just talking about avoiding earthly consequences; he's contrasting temporary loss with eternal damnation ('hell,' or Gehenna, a place of fiery judgment).
Losing a 'member' – an eye or a hand – is presented as a profitable loss. It's an investment in your eternal well-being. The temporary pain or sacrifice is infinitely better than the everlasting consequence of allowing sin to corrupt your entire being.
This emphasizes God's ultimate desire for our salvation. He requires us to prioritize our spiritual health above all else, even above things we hold dear and useful, because our eternal destiny hangs in the balance.
Understand the original words
skandalizō · Greek Verb
To entrap, trip up, or cause to stumble. It refers to anything that provides an occasion for falling into sin or leads someone away from the path of faith and righteousness.
geenna · Greek Noun
A term for the place of final, eternal punishment for the unrepentant. Derived from the Valley of Hinnom, it signifies a state of complete separation from God's presence and the judgment of fire.
sōma · Greek Noun
The physical human frame. While created good and destined for resurrection, it is often viewed as the instrument through which a person interacts with the world for either holy or sinful purposes.
melos · Greek Noun
This passage speaks about crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires, which directly parallels Jesus' radical call in Matthew 5:29 to cut off anything that causes sin, emphasizing the need for decisive action against sinful inclinations.
Romans 8:13Paul's instruction to put to death the deeds of the body through the Spirit echoes the severity of Jesus' metaphor, highlighting that true life in Christ requires actively overcoming sinful desires, even when it demands drastic measures.
Colossians 3:5This verse calls believers to 'put to death' their earthly 'members' such as sexual immorality, impurity, and greed, reinforcing the theme of radical self-denial and the urgent need to eliminate sin's influence, just as Jesus urges with the eye and hand.
Matthew 18:8-9This parallel passage directly repeats Jesus' teaching, but includes the foot as well, emphasizing that any part of us that leads to sin, no matter how essential or cherished, must be removed to avoid eternal destruction.
vincentMatthew 5:29: "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."
Offend (σκανδαλίξει)The word offend carries to the English reader the sense of giving offence, provoking. Hence the Rev., by restoring the picture in the word, restores its true meaning, causeth to stumble. The kindred noun is σκάνδαλον, a later form of σκανδάληθρον, the stick in a tra…
bensonMatthew 5:29: "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."
Matthew 5:29-30 . If thy right eye offend thee — If any person or thing, as pleasant and as dear to thee as thy right eye, should be a stumbling-block in thy way, and an occasion of thy falling, or should be a means of insnaring thee, and leading thee into sin, pluck it out — With inexora…
Jesus isn't telling us to literally remove body parts; he's emphasizing that "offend" here means to be a "stumbling-block" or a snare that leads you into sin. It's about ruthlessly cutting off whatever, no matter how precious, causes you to fall away from God. This radical imagery highlights the immense value God places on our spiritual wholeness over any temporary pleasure or possession.
Jesus is expounding on the Law, shifting from outward actions like adultery to the inward desires of the heart, building on his previous statement that even looking lustfully is sin. He's now using extreme, vivid imagery to emphasize the absolute necessity of cutting off anything, no matter how precious, that leads to sin. This bold command is the foundation for understanding his intense warnings about eternal judgment.
Jesus is expounding on the Law, shifting from outward actions like adultery to the inward desires of the heart, building on his previous statement that even looking lustfully is sin. He's now using extreme, vivid imagery to emphasize the absolute necessity of cutting off anything, no matter how precious, that leads to sin. This bold command is the foundation for understanding his intense warnings about eternal judgment.
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A limb or part of the body. Theologically, these represent the various faculties or 'tools' of a human being used for either righteousness or sin.
"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell." — Jesus isn't telling us to literally remove body parts; he's emphasizing that "offend" here means to be a "stumbling-block" or a snare that leads you into sin. It's about ruthlessly cutting off whatev…
