Is Self-mutilation the key to kicking lust out the door? Matthew 5:29-30

photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/

If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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 causes you to stumble, 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 go into hell. 

Matthew 5:29-30

Regarding Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 about looking at a woman to lust after her, Dallas Willard says this:

"In other words, all the elements of a genuine act of adultery other than the  overt movements of the body are present in such a case. The heart elements are there. Usually the only thing lacking for overt action is the occasion. When the heart is ready, the action will occur as occasion offers. Just as the thief is the person who would steal if circumstances were right, so the adulterer is the one who would have wrongful sex if the circumstances were right. Usually that means if he or she could be sure it would not be found out. This is what Jesus calls 'adultery in the heart.' In it, the person is not caring for, but using, the other. The condition is wrong even though sexual relations do not occur."    (The Divine Conspiracy. p. 161)

In our verses 29-30, Jesus lays out what I feel are very practical teachings for how to best avoid sexual temptation....and it makes absolutely perfect sense. What happens if your leg is infected to the point that it cannot be saved? No one wants to lose a limb, but almost all of us recognize the common sense of sacrificing a diseased limb in order to save the rest of the body.

If only we could see that principle so clearly when it comes to the part of us that is eternal!

But of course, we rarely see that and, therefore, Jesus' comments about cutting off hands and plucking out eyes seem to be simply exaggerations. But the truth is that it would actually be better to cut hands off and pluck eyes out if that would ensure entrance into the kingdom of heaven!

Now practically speaking, I'm not suggesting that we do that. But if we felt like that were the only way, wouldn't it be worth it!? Most commentators lean more towards the understanding that there are certain relationships and/or circumstances that need to be cut out of our lives if we know they are causing us to sin. If your boyfriend/girlfriend is tempting you to think things you shouldn't...break up with them! Isn't it better to be lonely and "miss out" than to be thrown into hell!? If you cannot keep away from certain sites or ads on the internet, then get rid of the internet! Isn't it better to miss out on a convenience than to have your whole body thrown into hell because you can't say no to the pop-ups!? If someone at work dresses inappropriately and you can't avoid them and can't quit thinking about them...switch jobs! Isn't it better to sacrifice job security than to sacrifice your eternal security!?

I think we would all do well to apply these principles for ourselves and our children in whatever way we need to...no TV or internet in bedrooms, no internet on phones if necessary, no late-night TV, restrictions on what types of movies are worth paying money for and what types will cost us out souls...whatever steps we need to take.

But the truth is that we could cut all of those things out- indeed, we could go so far as to take Jesus literally and cut limbs off and pluck eyes out- and still not have our heart in the right place. Willard takes a different view of Jesus' teaching that I think is worth looking at.

"Jesus is saying that if you think that laws can eliminate being wrong, you would, to be consistent, cut off your hand or gouge out your eye so that you could not possibly do the acts the law forbids.

Now, truly, if you blind yourself, you cannot look on her at all. And if you sufficiently dismember yourself, you will not be able to do any wrong action. This is the logic by which Jesus reduces the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees to the absurd.

...Of course being acceptable to God is so important that, if cutting bodily parts off could achieve it, one would be wise to cut them off....But so far from suggesting that any advantage before God could actually be gained in this way, Jesus' teaching in this passage is exactly the opposite. The mutilated stump could still have a wicked heart. The deeper question always concerns who you are, not what you did do or can do. What would you do if you could? Eliminating bodily parts will not change that....

 The goodness of the kingdom heart, by contrast, is the positive love of God and of those around us that fills it and crowds out the many forms of evil. From that goodness come deeds of respect and purity that characterize a sexuality as it was meant by God to be. (The Divine Conspiracy. pp. 167-168) (Emphasis added)

Where is your heart? Is it just fear of getting caught by your family or others...or even God that is your primary motivator in avoiding lust? If it is, then you are doomed to fail as long as you have any members attached to your body that can overcome their fear and long for sex outside of God's plans. On the other hand, if you fill your life with so much love for God by burying yourself in His words for you (the Bible), by filling your time with His purposes for you, and by filling your heart with God's love for others through you, then the battle will already have been decided because Jesus has already defeated sin and has given you the victory.

I have no doubt that we would all do well for ourselves and our children to think about what areas need to be cut off or plucked out because they consistently trip us up. But I am also absolutely convinced that we will always be able to find a way around our precautions if our heart is not filled with God. Therefore, what will you do today to fill your heart and the hearts of your sons and daughters with enough Love and Light that the Light will drive out the darkness?