For the above title, I reach back across Matthew's more detailed record of the same message where he recalls that Jesus specified the right hand, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off" (Matthew 5:30). That might be significant because research indicates the somewhere around 85% of humans are right-hand dominant, and it could mean that Jesus is not just saying that a sinning hand should be excised but that even if it is the dominant hand that sins it must go! Let us think about it, and especially what it means for us.
The Harshness Of Jesus Christ
The words before us bring into balance the syrupy notion of a weak and sweet "Gentle Jesus meek and mild...." Is Jesus Christ gentle? Yes, of course.
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.— Isaiah 40:11
Of himself, he says,
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.— Matthew 11:28-29
Jesus Christ is gentle beyond compare to any other person who ever lived. But, Jesus Christ is also severe and we see it here in this striking call to self-discipline.
If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."— Mark 9:42-48
If it is gentility you desire, you can find it in Jesus and if it is severity you desire, you can find it in him, too.
The Christian faith is inclusive in ways that no other belief system or philosophy can equal. Study this faith of the Bible and you will find goodness, love, holiness, compassion, and grace that is precious beyond description. In the family of God all people are welcome and all are promised love. There is a tenderness and compassion that is uniquely Christian. But the Christian faith is also severe, or harsh in ways that only a fool would deny.
Here we find it is one-armed, one-footed, and one-eyed — not by accident at birth but by intentional excision! There is a call to separation in Christ's gospel that should never be underestimated. When Nicodemus comes to Jesus under cover of darkness, Jesus makes no bones about the standard this teacher of the Jews needs to meet to enter God's kingdom: "You must be born again" (John 3:7). In one fell swoop, Jesus places the entire company of the Jewish religious leaders outside the kingdom of God! The Jewish leaders are not born again. Therefore, they are not counted in Christ's family. That is no lightweight statement. Then there is the rich young ruler whom Jesus tells to get rid of all his possessions — not just some of them, not a mere tithe, not even half or most of them, but all of them! Jesus sets up a struggle within the heart of that young man and "he went away sad, because he had great wealth" (Matthew 19:22). It is his moment to decide.
Thomas Cranmer was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Henry VIII, the first-ever Protestant so appointed. After Henry VIII died and "bloody" Mary took over the throne, Cranmer signed an article of recantation, which he later denounced. Bloody Mary had him tied to a metal post by a metal chain and ordered a fire lit beneath him. Physically, Cranmer could not escape and spiritually, he would not be moved. When the wood was kindled and the fire began to spark and burn beneath him, Cranmer stretched forth his right hand, the one with which he had earlier signed his recantation. As an act of defiance against Bloody Mary and an act of penance for having momentarily compromised his faith, he thrust his hand into the flames and held it there so the gawking gathering might see it burn to a cinder before his body was consumed. It was Cranmer's self-imposed sentence that identified him to Christ who had died on the cross for him. In the midst of his suffering, he lifted his eyes toward heaven and cried out, "This unworthy right hand!" Then, using the words of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Cranmer prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Cranmer found that Jesus Christ is no easy master but that he is worth dying for. His standards are severe. There is always a cost to following him.
In Mark 9:43-48, Jesus speaks about injuries we may cause ourselves and his words are as radical and urgent as any he ever utters. He expects his disciples to take prompt and decisive action against anything that might lead them from their allegiance to him. Everything about us shrinks from the solutions Jesus presents here. But he wants us to know that only the amputation of an evil part will save our soul at the last. Now, before someone goes looking for a hacksaw, consider what Jesus is really saying.
Hand Sins!
This gentle one of whom scripture says, "He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out" (Isaiah 44:2-3), now says, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off ... And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off ... And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out"(Mark 9:43-47). What does he mean?
Let it be remembered that Jesus Christ, who never sinned, is nevertheless no stranger to temptation for "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus Christ is not unaware of and insensitive to what it is to be tempted to the hilt for he is "tempted in every way, just as we are." Walking on Earth, Jesus knows everything about real-life living in this fallen world that we know. He is not some kind of pseudo-man. He is complete in every way and while he is generous toward sinners, he is hard as hard can be about sin! He says it is better to suffer severely, even to die, than to sin.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.— Mark 9:43-44
What is a hand sin? Hand sins are what we do. They are, first of all, the sins of illicit friendships. We use our hands when we are first introduced to someone we have not met before. We also extend our hands to people we consider friends. The hand is the first symbol of offered friendship in our society. We do not reach out our hands to people we consider enemies. When we have had a strained relationship with another person, our outstretched hand is the sign that we are willing to reconcile.
"A man of many companions may come to ruin" (Proverbs 18:24). Howard Hughes, with a reported net worth of about $4 billion, said, "I'd give it all for one good friend." Jesus Christ is saying, "Make sure that the friends you have are good for you." Friendship is one of life's sweetest joys but it can also be one of life's greatest dangers. How many parents of young people have said, "Our child was a good child who fell in with the wrong company"?
We are judged by the company we keep. Dr. Ben Carson has a unique way of illustrating this. He grew up on the streets of Detroit in a single-parent home and broke out of that environment to rise and become one of the world's top pediatric neurosurgeons. Dr. Carson tells young people to go down to the fish market and look at the live crabs in the crab barrel. The merchants at the fish market never have to put a lid on the crab barrel because if one crab starts to crawl out, the other crabs will grab onto it and pull it back down. That's what negative friendships do to us, too! Jesus says that is what we should fight against. Every friendship we have begins with a handshake. Be careful with whom you shake hands for the sake of Christ because "friendship with the world is hatred toward God" (James 4:4).
Hand sins are not only relationship sins, they are also work sins. We use our hands to do our jobs. Hands are the medium through which almost all of us make our living. Our hands may do good work or they can be used to steal or cover up a flaw in the item we made. Moreover, there are some people in the workplace who will expect moral compromise and truth-twisting from us. Avoid them! There are jobs where sexual modesty and purity of thought are compromised. Stay away from those jobs! They may promise us a higher salary or a more comfortable future but they carry with them the kiss of eternal death, for Jesus asks, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26). Jesus says it would be better that we cut off our hands than to undertake those positions. It is hard talk from a loving Savior, but there it is.
Foot Sins!
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news" (Romans 10:15). Feet have always been important as the primary human vehicle of transportation. Jesus pointedly contrasts Simon the Pharisee's neglect of giving him water for his feet with the woman's washing his feet with tears and wiping them with her hair (Luke 7:44). On the last evening of his life, Jesus washes the disciples' feet (John 13:1-16). His act of abject humility actually cleanses their hearts of selfish ambition, kills their pride, and teaches them the lesson of love. Feet are very important and beautiful feet are a signal that one holds a high office.
At the other end of the spectrum are ugly-feet sins. "If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell" (v. 45). What are the sins of the feet? Feet sins are where we go. With our feet we travel. Are you traveling in the right direction or the wrong one? Lot sought a place of worldly prosperity regardless of its temptations. He chose the wrong way. Jesus says that if we choose to walk in the wrong way, we will end up in the wrong destination.
Ray has a history of cocaine addiction. It has cost him two jobs. His cocaine use almost cost him his marriage and the loyalty of his children. For three years, Ray was free of any cocaine use. His wife and children were glad to have their husband and daddy back from his destructive lifestyle. Not long ago, Ray needed to make a business trip that allowed for a shortcut through the small southern town where his supplier — a childhood friend — lives. That shortcut would cut perhaps a half-hour off the journey. Ray chose the shortcut and as he drove through that town he called his supplier, ostensibly, he says, just to check on an old friend. Before the conversation was over, Ray and his friend arranged for Ray to purchase some cocaine.
After a three-day binge in a hotel room, Ray, filled with remorse and shame, tried to muster up the courage to go back home and seek his family's forgiveness one more time. That half-hour time saving cost Ray three days at work. What's more, it cost him the three years of credibility he had worked hard to rebuild with his wife and children. It will cost him his soul if Ray does not choose to avoid his old paths. Ray's is a foot sin.
We are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate," says the Lord. — 2 Corinthians 6:16-17
God says to Ray and to us if we are walking in places where we should not and cannot live for him, that we are to walk away from those relationships and self-defeating behavior patterns.
Sandie has difficulty resisting buying things that are on sale, even though they often are things she does not need. Her bargains become costly when she overextends on her credit cards and cannot pay the bill. Sandie needs to direct her feet away from unnecessary trips to the mall.
Emily knows that when her bridge club meets they will engage in unhealthy gossip that will tear down other people. Emily needs to find another group.
Are you going to places that will bring you harm? Places that make you less than God intends for you to be? Places where, if other people see you there, you will be embarrassed, your reputation will be damaged, your witness for Christ will be compromised, and where temptation is rife? Stay away! Stop going there! Walk another way! "It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell" (v. 45).
Eye Sins!
"If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell" (v. 47). What more precious gift do we have than the ability to see clearly? Yet, according to Jesus' words, these eyes that behold nature's wondrous beauty are also capable of taking us to hell. What are the sins of the eye? Eye sins are what we look at. It is through the eyes that almost all sinful offenses enter our body. Eve looks, longs for, and reaches out to take the forbidden fruit, and all creation falls in the wake of that one sin that begins in her eyes. David sees Bathsheba on the roof, he lusts for her, and then enters an adulterous relationship with her, which, in turn, leads to the murder of her husband, Uriah. In Joshua 7, Achan is put to death for stealing some of the devoted spoils of the city of Jericho. Stealing is a sin of the hand and it was for that Achan died. In truth, however, in Achan's case and in the case of most thefts, they begin as sins of the eye. Achan sees, covets, then takes something that he knows is not his. It would have been better for Achan if he had been born without sight.
How many people who have walked with the Lord have ended up in deep sin because they allowed themselves to look and lust? How many go to places where conscience or a good friend urges them not to go, yet they go anyway under the guise of going "just to see what it is like there." Those books and magazines placed cleverly on many a store checkout stand are temptations to sin with our eyes. Avoid them. They are a plague to the soul. The Internet has unbelievable potential for good and equally unbelievable potential for evil. Pornography! Violence! Jealousy! Lust! All these are sins of the eye. Avoid them at all costs for hell is at stake.
Hell!
"Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (v. 47). Following Jesus is no easy life. It is a life of making hard choices and abandonment of self and all that destroys the vestiges of God's image within us. It costs.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." — Mark 9:43-48
There is, as was stated earlier, a certain harshness, a narrowness, a severity to this message from Jesus. I either pay the price of following Christ completely or I pay the price of eternal damnation in hell.
It is an amazing thing that in the gospels Jesus speaks more about hell than about heaven. Why would this be? The answer is really rather simple if we ask ourselves why God's Son left heaven to come to earth and live among us. Why would he do that? Was it to promote a better societal order or a new code of ethics? Was it to establish a new religion? We can say that all these are part of the Christian message when it is properly understood and applied. Yet, none of them is the foundational reason that Jesus Christ came to earth. Rather, Jesus Christ came to earth because sin had entered the world and captured every human heart and the result of that was sinful living at every level of society. Sin brings death and eternal separation from God, and Jesus Christ came that we might miss that separation and know the Father's house in heaven. In short, Jesus came that we might avoid hell's judgment. Two things, then, make Christ's words harsh. One is that they leave no room for escape; and, two, that he speaks with urgency and authority because the stakes are high and the sentence long. Jesus Christ believes in hell. That is why it is necessary and urgent that we are careful what we do, where we go, and what we look at for right now counts forever! Amen.