What Jesus Did! 'Shock!' — Matthew 5:29-30

Although treated as an antiquated concept in much of Western society, sin is very much a concern to Jesus. Sin is dangerous because it harms us in our walk with God. Sin is dangerous because, through us, it can cause others to sin. Sin is dangerous because our sin can directly hurt others. Sin is disastrous because it separates us from God. Jesus wanted to get his disciples' attention. He wanted us to know that sin is horrid and dangerous. So he used language that is best described as hyperbole to shock us into realizing that we must deal with sin in our lives. We must deal with it seriously and get rid of it. Jesus emphasized that sin is what comes from the heart and causes the actions on the outside (Matthew 15:17-20). It seems to me unwise to think he is speaking literally here about maiming ourselves since he went to great lengths to emphasize that mere external changes don't create lasting changes in us. What is needed is an internal change that works itself out into the external lifestyle. Just because God is gracious doesn't mean he takes sin lightly. We must never presume upon grace and use it as an excuse to keep falling back into the same old sinful failures (Romans 6:1-2). Jesus wants us to deal with the sin in our lives today.