What does Matthew 5:29 mean by "tear it out and throw it away"? Canonical Text “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:29) Immediate Context: The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5–7 records Jesus’ public exposition of true righteousness. Verses 27–30 form a single unit: the prohibition of lust and the command to deal radically with anything that leads to it. In vv. 27–28 Jesus internalizes the seventh commandment; in vv. 29–30 He illustrates the seriousness of rooting out sin. The phrase “tear it out and throw it away” sits between the inward act (lusting) and the consequence (Gehenna)—linking radical removal with eternal destiny. Original-Language Insight Greek: “εἰ δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ὁ δεξιὸς σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ” (lit., “if your right eye is causing you to stumble, drag it out and hurl it from you”). • σκανδαλίζω = to trip, ensnare, entice to sin (cf. Matthew 18:7). • ἔξελε = a forceful verb meaning “pull out,” used of forcibly uprooting trees (Luke 17:6). • βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ = “throw it away from yourself,” emphasizing distance and finality. Figure of Speech: Deliberate Hyperbole, Not Literal Mutilation 1. Metaphor and hyperbole were common rabbinic tools (cf. Talmud, b. Ber. 61a “pluck out my eye if I see evil”). 2. Jesus forbids bodily harm elsewhere (Matthew 26:52; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Leviticus 19:28). 3. Parallel image of “cutting off a hand” (v. 30) would render a person blind and maimed yet still sinful; therefore the command targets the will, not the anatomy. Old Testament Echoes • Job 31:1 – “I have made a covenant with my eyes”; lust begins with the gaze. • Psalm 101:3 – “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” • Proverbs 4:25–27 – guard eyes, keep hands from evil paths. Jesus gathers these strands into one decisive mandate. Inter-Testamental and Cultural Background: Gehenna Ge-Hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom south-west of Jerusalem, became a refuse dump by the late Second Temple period, perpetually smoldering. Excavations (e.g., Ketef Hinnom, 1979) reveal ash layers and pottery slag consistent with continual combustion. Rabbinic literature (m. GeHinnom 1:1) adopted it as a concrete symbol of final judgment. Jesus uses that image to ground His warning in an observable reality. Comparative New Testament Passages • Matthew 18:8–9; Mark 9:43-47 repeat the amputation imagery with foot, hand, eye. • Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death (νεκρώσατε) what is earthly in you.” • Hebrews 12:1 – “throw off (ἀποθέμενοι) every weight and the sin that so easily entangles.” These links confirm a consistent NT call to radical self-denial for holiness. Theological Implications 1. Total Depravity: Sin originates in the heart (Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19). External organ removal cannot save, yet the metaphor reveals how deeply sin must be excised. 2. Sanctification: Cooperation with the Spirit requires intentional, costly choices (Romans 8:13). 3. Eternal Stakes: Hell (Gehenna) is real; therefore sin is not trivial (Revelation 20:11-15). 4. Christ’s Authority: Only the incarnate Son can authoritatively link moral action to eternal destiny (John 5:22-29). Historical Illustrations • Early Christian text Shepherd of Hermas (Mandate 4.2) counsels believers to “cut away from your soul” evil desire. • Church Father Origen allegedly took the passage literally and later condemned the act as misinterpretation, underscoring the Church’s consensus that Jesus spoke figuratively. Answering Common Objections • “Isn’t this extremist?” – Eternal stakes justify radical measures; Christ sacrificed more (Philippians 2:6-8). • “Self-harm contradicts love of self.” – The command targets sin, not self. The ultimate good (salvation) outweighs temporary loss. • “Couldn’t one be saved and still indulge occasionally?” – Jesus’ warning is to disciples; habitual unrepentant sin evidences an unchanged heart (1 John 3:6-10). Pastoral Counsel 1. Confess sin immediately (1 John 1:9). 2. Seek Spirit-filled accountability (Galatians 6:1-2). 3. Replace lust with love: serve the body of Christ, focus on God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). 4. Trust the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement; radical action is fruit, not root, of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10). Conclusion “Tear it out and throw it away” is Jesus’ vivid, authoritative call to take drastic, even costly, action to eradicate anything—thought, habit, relationship, or medium—that incites sin. The hyperbole underscores the gravity of transgression, the reality of hell, and the worth of eternal life. The faithful response is decisive repentance empowered by the Holy Spirit, grounded in the finished work of the resurrected Christ. |
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