Matthew 18:7-11: a reflection

7“Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. 9If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire. 10See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 11For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.

Jesus speaks with startling seriousness about the things that lead us into sin. If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, he says, cut it off and cast it from you. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. He is not commanding us to maim our bodies; he is using vivid, extreme images to show how seriously we should deal with whatever leads us into sin. Better to part decisively with something dear, he says, than to be led by it into destruction. Sin's occasions are not to be toyed with or kept close; they are to be dealt with decisively, cut off, cast away, whatever the cost. The seriousness of Jesus' images matches the seriousness of sin; what leads us into it is to be handled with radical decisiveness, not indulged.

Notice the decisiveness Jesus calls for toward whatever leads us into sin: cut it off, cast it away. He does not counsel a gentle, gradual loosening of our grip on the things that cause us to stumble; he uses the language of cutting off, plucking out, casting away, decisive and even drastic action. Better to part with something as dear as a hand or an eye, he says, than to let it lead us into destruction. What causes us to stumble is not to be kept close, negotiated with, indulged; it is to be dealt with decisively. The images are extreme because the danger is real; sin is serious enough to warrant radical action against its occasions. To deal decisively with whatever leads us into sin, cutting it off rather than indulging it, is what Jesus urges with these vivid words.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are called to deal decisively with whatever leads us into sin, not to indulge it. We can be gentle with the things that lead us into sin, keeping them close, toying with them, unwilling to part with what causes us to stumble; but Jesus calls for decisive action, cutting off, casting away, whatever the cost. What leads us into sin is serious enough to be dealt with radically, not indulged. Do not keep close and indulge the things that lead you into sin; deal with them decisively, cutting them off, as Jesus urges. Deal decisively with whatever leads you into sin, cutting it off rather than keeping it close and indulging it, as Jesus said it is better to enter life maimed than to be led by what causes you to stumble into destruction; for sin is serious enough to warrant radical action against its occasions, and it is better to part decisively with something dear than to let it lead us into ruin.

Lord Jesus, you speak with startling seriousness about the things that lead us into sin. If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, you say, cut it off and cast it from you. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. You are not commanding us to maim our bodies; you are using vivid, extreme images to show how seriously we should deal with whatever leads us into sin. Better to part decisively with something dear, you say, than to be led by it into destruction. Sin's occasions are not to be toyed with or kept close; they are to be dealt with decisively, cut off, cast away, whatever the cost. Show me the decisiveness you call for toward whatever leads me into sin: cut it off, cast it away. You do not counsel a gentle, gradual loosening of my grip on the things that cause me to stumble; you use the language of cutting off, plucking out, casting away. Better to part with something as dear as a hand or an eye, you say, than to let it lead me into destruction. What causes me to stumble is not to be kept close, negotiated with, indulged; it is to be dealt with decisively. Take that to my heart, for I am called to deal decisively with whatever leads me into sin, not to indulge it. I can be gentle with the things that lead me into sin, keeping them close, toying with them, unwilling to part with what causes me to stumble; but you call for decisive action. Keep me from keeping close and indulging the things that lead me into sin; help me deal with them decisively, Lord, cutting them off, as you urge, for it is better to enter life maimed than to be led into destruction.