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“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you
to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut
it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with
two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to
sin, pluck it out…” Mark 9:43–47
Sometimes we need to wake up to the horror of sin. Sin and sin
alone is capable of sending you to hell. Hell is real, and going
there for eternity is a real possibility. Therefore, we must do
whatever it takes to avoid that frightful possibility. This
teaching from Jesus might not, at first, be thought of as one of
His most inspiring teachings, but it should be. It’s not inspiring
in the sense that it is quite graphic. But it is very inspiring in
the sense that it has the potential to motivate us to action.
Are you motivated to do all that you can to avoid sin? Would you
even go so far as to cut off your hand or foot, and to pluck out
your eye so as to avoid sin? First of all, this should not be seen
as a literal command in which Jesus is telling us to mutilate
ourselves. But He is the one Who chose such graphic language.
Therefore, we should not shy away from pondering these images in a
prayerful way so as to more clearly see those things that lead us
into sin. When we see them, we must take the radical step of
completely eliminating them from our lives.
Many of the Church Fathers say that the hand, foot and eye in this
teaching refer to our friends. Just as a hand, foot and eye are
good in and of themselves, so also are friends. We are made for
friendship with God and with others. However, not every friendship
helps us grow closer to God. Therefore, when an earthly friend
becomes a source of sin, we must eliminate that friendship.
Friendship is different from charity. We owe charity to all people,
even those who are the most sinful. But acting with charity toward
others is different from being friends with them. To be a friend
implies mutual giving and receiving. And though we must always give
of ourselves to others, we ought not always receive from them when
what they have to offer is an invitation to sin. This is how we
“cut it off” and “pluck it out.” When another person tries to
relate to us in such a way that they lead us into sin, we must take
that temptation very seriously and reject it with much vigor.
The hand, foot and eye in this teaching also represent every
situation in life that tempts us to sin. For example, consider
material possessions. If buying a very expensive car, house, or
electronic gadget tempts you to become more materialistic, then you
must avoid buying it. People are drawn to nice things. But does
possessing nice things help your soul to become holy? One could
argue that they can have nice things, while at the same time remain
spiritually detached from them. But this is difficult to live. The
more luxurious our material possessions, the more tempted we will
be to rely upon them for our happiness. Therefore, choosing to live
simply is almost always better for your soul than choosing to live
in luxury. This teaching also applies to anything else that could
become a source of temptation.
Reflect, today, upon those things or persons in your life that have
become an occasion of sin for you. Do not fool yourself into
believing that you can handle the temptation. If you have some
source of ongoing temptation in your life, you need to eliminate
it. Ponder this very graphic teaching from Jesus and try to apply
it to your life. Identify those things that lead you into sin and
eliminate them with much determination.
My radical Lord, You call all of Your children to a life of
holiness and perfection. Please help me to take Your teachings
seriously so as to eliminate all occasions of sin from my life. May
I have the eyes to see these temptations and the courage to reject
them with all my might. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: Jesus Christ preaching on a boat on the
sea of Galilee By Fulcanelli, via Adobe
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