If Your Hand Causes You to Stumble

A Concerning Command?

Matthew 18:8-9 – ⁸ “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. (NRSV)

The imagery is undeniably disturbing. Are we really supposed to amputate limbs to avoid sin? Of course not. Jesus is using vivid imagery to drive home a critical point about the drastic measures needed to combat the insidious nature of sin.

More Than Hyperbole

While the passage above isn’t a literal instruction, it’s also more than just a hyperbolic warning. It’s a call to radical action against anything that leads us to sin. Let’s explore this through an analogy.

Imagine yourself struggling with lust. You find yourself constantly drawn to places that fuel your lustful desires. You engage in inappropriate physical contact. So, you take the drastic step of amputating your hands and feet. But soon, you discover your tongue whispering suggestive words, and your eyes linger on inappropriate images. In desperation, you remove your tongue and your eyes.

Even in this profoundly handicapped state, your ears are consumed with listening to sexually explicit audiobooks as you fantasize about lustful desires. You become aware that even the scent or perfume of another person can trigger inappropriate thoughts. You conclude that your ears and nose must go too. Yet, even with all your senses seemingly removed, your mind continues to be plagued by lustful thoughts. It’s not simply about our actions; it’s about the desires, thoughts, and intentions that reside deep within our hearts.

By taking this verse to its disturbing conclusion, Jesus forces us to confront the futility of trying to conquer sin through sheer willpower or external restraints. He compels us to look inward, to acknowledge the deep-seated nature of sin, and to seek a solution that goes beyond the physical. This illustration highlights the truth that the problem isn’t our physical bodies. The root of sin lies much deeper, in the heart and mind.

The Two Horizons New Testament Commentary summarizes, “Hyperbole is a common and effective device used by Jesus in his teaching (e.g., 6:2–4; 7:3–5; 19:24; 23:24). Here, it is the lack of efficacy of the proposed action that signals the hyperbole: hands, feet, and eyes are not themselves the root cause of sin and so their removal will not alleviate the problem.^[1]

The Heart of the Matter

Jesus Himself identified the source of sin earlier in Matthew.

Matthew 15:18-20 – ¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” (NRSV)

Donald Hagner in the Word Biblical Commentary states, “The true problem of sin is not to be found in a failure to perform correctly some external minutiae of human making; sin is an interior matter that concerns the evil thought, words, and deeds that come from the heart.”^[2]

If our hearts are the breeding ground for sin, then Matthew 18:8-9 takes on a new meaning. Jesus isn’t calling for physical mutilation; He’s calling for a radical heart surgery. We need to remove, or surrender, our old, sin-ridden hearts to God.

William Barclay points out, “It is very much easier to abstain from certain foods and to wash the hands in a certain way than it is to love the unlovely and the unlovable . . . What matters to God is not so much how we act, but why we act; not so much what we actually do, but what we wish in our heart of hearts to do. ‘Man’, as Thomas Aquinas had it, ‘sees the deed, but God sees the intention.’”^[3]

In biblical terms, the heart represents the core of our being, encompassing our thoughts, desires, intentions, and will. It’s the control center of our lives, the wellspring from which our actions flow.

The Danger of External Change

Matthew 15:8 – ⁸ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; (NRSV)

Alan Carr pointed out in a sermon, “The Pharisees thought that cleaning up the outer man would take care of the inner man. However, Jesus says the opposite is true! … what we do is determined by who we are. Not the other way around!”^[4]

Focusing solely on outward actions misses the true nature of sin. We can meticulously follow rules and regulations, but if our hearts remain unchanged, we’re merely masking the problem, not addressing its root cause. This is why Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. They were obsessed with external purity while neglecting the inner state of their hearts.

Genuine change, therefore, must begin with the heart. We need a radical transformation that goes beyond mere behavior modification. This is where God’s grace comes in. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can receive a new heart, a heart cleansed and renewed by the Holy Spirit.

A New Heart, A New Spirit

The prophet Ezekiel speaks of this very transformation centuries earlier.

Ezekiel 36:26 – ²⁶ A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (NRSV)

Leslie Allen in the Word Biblical Commentary describes the transformation: “Yahweh would creatively endow Israel with new wills that were to be sensitive rather than stony and hard in their reactions to Yahweh’s will. Thanks to him, their lives would be governed by a new impulse that was to be an expression of Yahweh’s own spirit. He would re-make their human natures, so that they marched to the music of the covenant terms that expressed Yahweh’s nature and will. Only thus could the covenant relationship become a living actuality rather than a doctrinal truth.”^[5]

This is the heart of the Gospel message. The transformation from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh involves a profound shift in one’s entire being. It includes moving from a self-centered nature toward a love-centered nature, where selfish desires are replaced by a desire to love God and one’s neighbor. This change affects motivations, desires, and priorities. Furthermore, the heart transitions from insensitivity to sensitivity, becoming aware of God’s presence and the needs of others. Instead of resisting God’s truth, the transformed heart becomes receptive, eager to learn and obey. This transformation brings freedom from slavery to sin, allowing one to walk in the Spirit and experience true liberation.

The Journey of Transformation

Jesus invites us to surrender our hearts to Him and receive a new heart and a new spirit. This is not a onetime event, but an ongoing process of transformation. As Paul strongly states in Romans 7:15-17: “¹⁵ I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (NRSV)

The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture quotes Origin (200-254): “The kind of person Paul is talking about here is not one in whom Christ does not dwell and who is a stranger to good works but rather someone who has started on the path of wanting to do what is right but has not yet been able to achieve his desires.”^[6]

Paul acknowledges the ongoing struggle with sin that we all face. Even as believers, we may find ourselves doing things we hate. But it also points to the hope of complete transformation. As God works in our hearts, softening them and making us more sensitive to sin, we begin to dislike our sinful actions and recognize their destructive nature.

James Dunn states: “This is by no means to say that Paul seeks to escape the responsibility for his wrongdoing; it is still he himself who does what he hates. Rather he confesses his consciousness of sin as a power which can still exercise its lordship over himself as a man of flesh, a constraining power from which he has not yet fully escaped since he is not yet fully redeemed. By thus defining the true nature of his impotence at this point Paul avoids the mistake of allowing self-depreciation to deteriorate into self-detestation.”^[7]

This isn’t about self-hatred or being crushed by our failures. It’s about recognizing the reality of sin’s presence within us and continually surrendering our hearts to God, allowing Him to complete the work He has begun.

• Acknowledge the Struggle: The first step towards transformation is recognizing that we are imperfect, that we have weaknesses and tendencies towards wrongdoing. This honest self-assessment, devoid of self-condemnation, is crucial for growth. It allows us to see our need for God’s grace and healing.
• Identifying the Triggers: We need to identify the specific triggers that lead us to sin. What are the situations, emotions, or relationships that make us more vulnerable to temptation? Recognizing these triggers is crucial for proactively avoiding them or preparing ourselves to face them with God’s help.
• Repentance and Forgiveness: We should genuinely repent of our sins (missing the mark) to God and, when necessary, seek forgiveness from those we have wronged. Transformation also involves forgiving others who have wronged us, just as Christ forgives us. This process allows us to experience God’s forgiveness, freeing us from guilt and shame, and empowering us to move forward in wholeness.
• Seeking God: We cannot overcome sin on our own. We need God’s help. This involves actively seeking Him through prayer, meditating on the words of Jesus, and spending time in His presence. As we draw near to God, He empowers us through His Holy Spirit to resist temptation and make decisions that align with His will.
• Embracing Community: The journey of transformation is not meant to be taken alone. We need the support and encouragement of other believers. Being part of a safe community allows us to share our struggles, receive prayer, and hold one another accountable. It provides a safe space for growth and healing.
• Practicing Self-Control: Transformation requires the development of self-control. This involves disciplining our thoughts, emotions, and actions. It means saying “no” to temptations and choosing to walk in obedience to God. This is not about legalistic rule-following, but about cultivating a lifestyle that reflects our love for God and neighbor.
• Cultivating Gratitude: Gratitude plays a vital role in the transformation process. As we focus on God’s goodness and faithfulness, our hearts are filled with thankfulness, making us less likely to be drawn towards sin. Gratitude shifts our perspective from what we lack to what we have been given, fostering contentment and joy.
• Accepting Imperfection: The journey of transformation is not about achieving immediate perfection. It’s about ongoing growth and progress. We will stumble and fall along the way. But God’s grace is sufficient for us. He picks us up, dusts us off, and empowers us to continue moving forward.
• Surrendering to God’s Will: Ultimately, transformation culminates in surrender to God’s will. It’s about recognizing that He knows what’s best for us and trusting Him to lead us in the paths of righteousness. Surrender involves relinquishing control and allowing God to work in and through us.

Ultimately, the battle against sin is a battle for the heart. To truly combat sin, we must acknowledge its origin in the heart and commit to a lifestyle of self-examination, regularly assessing our inner thoughts and desires. But with each step we take in surrender, we move closer to the life of freedom and fullness that Jesus promises.

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^[1] Jeannine K. Brown and Kyle Roberts, Matthew, ed. Joel B. Green, The Two Horizons New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 167–168.

^[2] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14–28, vol. 33B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1995), 437.

^[3] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Third Ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2001), 139.

^[4] Alan Carr, “The Heart of the Problem Is the Problem of the Heart (Matthew 15:1–20),” in The Sermon Notebook: New Testament (Lenoir, NC: Alan Carr, 2015), 218.

^[5] Leslie C. Allen, Ezekiel 20–48, vol. 29, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1990), 179.

^[6] Gerald Bray, ed., Romans (Revised), Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 186.

^[7] James D. G. Dunn, Romans 1–8, vol. 38A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1988), 407.