Most mornings I pop in Johnny Cash and listen to him read the NT. As I was following this routine the other day I listened to Johnny read Matthew. Specifically, he read Matthew 5:27-30. So I’m listening to Jesus instruct His disciples to essentially dismember themselves in order to avoid sin.
There are only 3 possible interpretations (that I’m aware of) of this teaching. The first is the literal. In other words, Jesus quite literally instructed His disciples to avoid any hint of sin in their lives, at all costs. The second is the non-literal. Jesus was simply trying to make a very dramatic point that sin is really bad. Obviously Jesus wasn’t referring to mutilation of our bodies. The third interpretation is that Jesus was referring to His body. That is the body of Christ, His bride the church.
I would guess most, if not everyone, would disagree with the first literal translation, except a few crazy monks back in the day. I was taught, as I believe most folks have, the 2nd interpretation (or a close version), especially in light of verses 27 & 28. Now I’m not totally convinced the 2nd interpretation is bad, but it doesn’t seem to hold up with solid doctrine.
Regarding man’s useless designs to avoid sin read 1 John 1:8-10. Isn’t the severity of sin more dramatically demonstrated as truly wicked and evil in that Jesus had to die for ours? I would think this would be a better demonstration then a discussion on a non-literal teaching of dismembering oneself. However, due to our myriad of sins and self focus, Jesus did employ several different perspectives and stories to get across His point.
The 1st interpretation abdicates desecration of the temple of God. Yes Jesus’ body was tortured to the point of death, but He didn’t do it to Himself. He allowed this event to happen and it wasn’t to avoid His own sin, but to achieve forgiveness of sins for the world. This wasn’t desecration, but glorification of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, where Jesus was born without sin, we are born into sin. Therefore, if we hold to the 1st interpretation, then all Christians would either have to dismember themselves or be taken up by God prior to birth given Ephesians 1:4-7. Also another result of this line of thinking, both with the 1st & 2nd interpretations, we would have to isolate ourselves from the unbelieving world. In fact we know this is impossible as it’s being implemented and utterly failing in America in nearly every church (a bit more on this in my next posting). Not to mention the Great Commission in Mark 16:14-18, in which Jesus Christ directly teaches against this. Then the Holy Spirit teaches against this in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, via Paul. So following either the 1st or 2nd interpretations how are we to be the salt of the world or the light on the hill?
Again another issue I have with the 2nd interpretation is that it seems to abdicate works over faith. In other words, if I figuratively pluck out my eye, I can become more pleasing to God. I now have the power to do something to directly effect the way God looks at me and thereby manipulate Him, much as others use suicide attacks or confess sins to a priest, to please God. My problem with this is that God is pleased with Christians, not because of anything any of us could ever do, but because of what Jesus Christ has already done. Though it seems James teaches works over faith, this is a false interpretation of these teachings. Works are a fruit of faith in Jesus Christ. The good works of a Christian have nothing to do with mans’ inherit goodness, or ability to achieve righteousness apart from Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). Any righteousness we could boast in are lost as we cannot boast in self, but only in the good works of Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:11-15). So the true church of Jesus Christ is only capable of performing the good works of Jesus Christ, through faith in Him. We, His church, are members of His church in which Jesus Christ is the head.
Now for the defense of my flawed possible interpretation that Jesus Christ is referring to the church body, versus the literal body of one person. To be sure this is by no means an interpretation I’ve set in stone for myself. As a result I would covet opinions on this interpretation.
I use the following scriptures to back up this interpretation: 1 Corinthians 12:12-28, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, 2 Corinthians 2:3-11. Also the entire Bible teaches of false teachers and prophets and how they should be dealt with. In fact the Bible teaches that the false teacher or immoral brother or any other “member” of the body in open sin should be cast from our mists. Read Exodus and Leviticus for further references to this form of judgment & punishment. This is done for the good of the member (in the case of 1 Corinthians 5) and the good of the body.
If its God will I pray that I will better understand these verses in Matthew 5. It’s funny how the gospels seem to be lauded as the most basic books in the Bible and yet I’m continually challenged by their meanings. The gospels, to me at least, seem to be both the most basic books as well as the most difficult. Matthew 11:25-26
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