Mind and Body Obedience

Photo by Naqi Shahid

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who looks at a married woman with the intent of coveting her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your right eye (your good one) causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand (your strongest one)—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:27–30).

So said Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew’s famous “Sermon on the Mount.” Let’s start by addressing the easier question commonly had about this passage first. No, Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation. This saying is an example of a quite common figure of speech employed by Jesus called “hyperbole.” Hyperbole is a way to drive home a point by using an obvious exaggeration that would not be meant literally. But what exactly is Jesus’ point?  

Before answering that question directly, we should also observe that Jesus’ exhortation concerns one of the ten commandments given to God’s people, namely, number seven: the prohibition against adultery (Exodus 20:14). And although referencing the seventh commandment, Jesus also affirms here the tenth commandment prohibiting “coveting” or strongly desiring with the intent of having what does not properly belong to you; it reads: “You will not covet your neighbor’s wife” (Exodus 20:17).

Unfortunately, this passage from Matthew has endured a good deal of misunderstanding by theologians and Christian leaders through the centuries, which has, in turn, greatly obscured its meaning for everyone else. For example, some interpreters have pressed Jesus’ words to suggest that one’s thoughts are equal to one’s actions in God’s eyes—that is, even things done in the “heart”—one’s inner self—are the same thing as actually carrying out those actions.

Some other interpreters assume that Jesus lays out here (and throughout the Sermon on the Mount) a series of practically unfulfillable demands. In this view, Jesus is expecting his hearers to understand that God’s standards are far beyond what we are capable of accomplishing, and thus our desperate need for God’s grace to forgive us our shortcomings.

Usually, those who misinterpret this passage in these sorts of ways are aided by misguided English translations (compare my translation above with most any English translation) and therefore think that Jesus is directly equating sexual attraction with adultery.   

A more accurate interpretation of the passage understands that Jesus is elevating what takes place in our heart—not only what others can see—as integral to what it means to obey God. But he is surely not suggesting that what one actually does is not ultimately more concerning. To conclude that being angry enough to kill someone is the same thing as far as God is concerned as actually killing him or her is, I think, to seriously miss the point (see Matthew 5:21–25).

Moreover, it is true that all human beings are utterly dependent on God’s grace to experience salvation and avoid being “thrown into hell.” But it properly follows that, rather than a substitute for thinking and doing what is right, God’s grace is the very means through which we may be empowered accordingly. Indeed, Jesus makes very high demands upon his followers in keeping with God’s original design for human beings and thus God’s commands for his people (see Matthew 5:17–20).

What is likewise critical for rightly understanding this passage is recognizing that the specific issue it raises concerns the intentions of having sexual relations with another person’s spouse (or, by extension, of having sexual relations with someone other than one’s own spouse), not simply finding a member of the opposite sex attractive or sexually desirous, which is part of our God-given human identity (see Genesis 2:18­–25; and especially the Song of Solomon).

So, again, what is then the fundamental point of Jesus’ teaching?

First, the desire to act in ways that violate God’s good purposes for the world is the root of the problem (see Romans 7:7–25). One’s thoughts and not merely one’s actions must be governed by God’s desire for his people (see Deuteronomy 6:1–6; 10:12–16; and 2 Corinthians 10:5). While sinful actions are certainly worse than sinful thoughts, the latter may ultimately lead to the former, especially as patterns of thinking become entrenched in one’s mind (see Romans 12:1–2).

Second, while the temptation to do wrong is not itself sinful, once one sets his or her intentions on fulfilling wrongful desires, sin has already begun to take hold (see James 1:13–15 and Genesis 4:7).

Thus, even otherwise very important things should be put aside if the result of having them inspires a person to engage in bad behavior, which if becoming the bent of one’s life finds its inevitable end in condemnation (see John 3:16–21).

In all, hearing Jesus’ call to take radical measures to ensure our thought life fully aligns with our actions and that both are fully submitted to God need not bring us to feelings of defeat, despair, or indifference, as if it is all but impossible to do what he asks. Rather, the severity of the matter—figuratively gouging out eyes and cutting off limbs—is intended to serve as motivation to take positive steps, however difficult they may be to navigate, toward greater faithfulness—both inside and out. Yes, God requires our whole person to live for him and so be a blessing to others.