Matthew 5:30

Thursday, 5 December 2024

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Matthew 5:30

“And if your right hand, it entraps you, it – it hew – and it cast from you. For it conduces you that one of your members, it should perish, and not all your body, it should be cast into Gehenna” (CG).

The previous verse spoke of the right eye entrapping a person. If so, it would be more profitable to pluck it out and cast it away than to be cast into Gehenna. Now, Jesus continues with that same theme, saying, “And if your right hand, it entraps you.”

The right side in Scripture, as it is in society today, is considered the more noble, stronger, and more honorable side. As such, Jesus focuses on the right again, as He did with the previous verse. In particular, the right hand signifies the position of authority and power.

The intent here is going from sight (the right eye) to action (the right hand). The person first is entrapped by what he sees, he contemplates what to do, and then he acts, with his right hand, the instrument of his power, to obtain what he has now fixated on.

The right hand, being the hand that is normally the stronger and more used hand, is one of the chief and most important parts of the body. Despite that, Jesus notes that if it were to entrap you, “it – it hew – and it cast from you.”

Jesus uses the same word, ekkoptó, that John the Baptist used in Matthew 3:10 when he said, “And already also, the ax, toward the root of the trees it lies. Therefore, every tree not producing good fruit, it is hewn, and into fire, it is thrown.” It is a word that signifies complete detachment.

One could think of a person taking a big machete with his left hand, laying his right hand on a table, and then hacking it off. And then, as with the right eye, when the member is separated from the body, it should be cast away as if it were mere rubbish.

Jesus then explains why, using the same words as previously, saying, “For it conduces you that one of your members, it should perish, and not all your body, it should be cast into Gehenna.”

Priorities. What are your priorities? Is remaining in sin in this life better than being separate from God for eternity? Is the delight of the temporary sin better than an eternity in torment? This is the substance of what Jesus is conveying to His hearers.

Life application: The repetition of the same concept while using different, but both important members of the body is an instructional tool. By saying essentially the same thing twice while merely changing the focus from the eye to the right hand, Jesus is stressing the importance of the matter.

The Bible is filled with such repetitions, in individual words, in sentences, in similar concepts, and even in books of the Bible. For example, there are accounts in Kings and Chronicles that greatly overlap. Adding in the prophets, and there are even more instances of overlapping.

Having three synoptic gospels is another example of this. The same is true with how Acts and portions of the epistles weave together into a harmoniously presented record of what took place.

The Bible is sending us the same information, in various ways, to help us learn what is essential for understanding what is going on as well as what is obviously important to God. Different records of the same account also help us to know that what is conveyed has been reliably recorded.

And yet, when the same accounts have variations in the details, we are being asked to contemplate why the variations are there. For many, the immediate thought is, “See, there are contradictions in the Bible.” That is an easy out and it resolves the need for any serious brain effort at all.

But it is also shallow thinking. Such obvious discrepancies in accounts would show that the authors or compilers of the Bible were incompetent doofs. Rather, the differences are given to highlight different aspects of the same narrative, providing additional information to help us see the intricacies of what God has done in the unfolding plan of redemption.

When you come to such accounts, don’t just say, “These don’t match and so they contradict.” Rather, think about why the differences are there. Rich treasure is waiting to be uncovered. You will be rewarded in your studies according to the effort and contemplation you put into them.

Lord God Almighty, the detail and intricacy of Your word is incredible. People have been reading and studying it for thousands of years, and yet new insights come out of it from day to day. It is a treasure trove of wonder and delight. Thank You, O God for Your precious word. Amen.