but there are two problems with it. First, it assumes
that Jesus was exaggerating and Jesus never exaggerated. Preachers sometimes
exaggerate to make a point, but Jesus always meant what he said and said what
he meant. He is Truth personified. It is inconceivable that he would play with
words for the crude purpose of ramming home a lesson.
The second
problem with this interpretation is it suggests we can do things to avoid hell.
Maybe we don’t have to self-amputate, but we can confess, abstain, renounce,
and generally be good. There’s nothing wrong with being good, but if you think
you can save yourself by being good then, forgive me, you’re as dumb as a
Pharisee.
“Wait a
second, Paul. Are you suggesting Jesus was being literal? That he really wants
us to self-amputate?” Yes to the first question and no the second. Of course,
Jesus does not want us to chop off our hands. We are sanctified by the blood of
the Lamb, not our severed limbs (Hebrews 10:29). Self-mutilation does nothing
to deal with sin, for sin is conceived in the heart not the hand (Matthew
5:28). Besides, if you chop one hand off, you’re left with another. You can
still sin!
So what’s
going on here? Why would Jesus tell us to do something he doesn’t really want
us to do? He’s doing it so that we may appreciate the absurdity of trying to
impress God with our acts of self-righteousness. “You want to live by law?”
says Jesus. “Fine. But if you persist in this pathetic course of self-reliance,
you had better be prepared to go the whole way, even if it means sacrificing an
eye or a hand.”
Was Jesus
serious? You bet he was. Salvation is a serious business. You risk much by
trusting your own self-righteous performance.
Does Jesus
want us to amputate our own limbs? Not at all. Jesus is not preaching the law
because he wants you to keep it. He’s laying down the law so that you will stop
pretending you are.
Why did Jesus preach the law?
Like every grace-preacher,
Jesus esteemed the law and the purpose for which it was given. The law was
given to silence every mouth and hold the whole world accountable (Romans
3:19). The purpose of the law is to make us conscious of sin and reveal our
need for a Savior.
Since Sinai,
the Jews had had fourteen centuries to learn what the law would teach them—that
we are incapable of dealing with sin. However, the law-teachers and Pharisees
had diluted the Law of Moses with their traditions and interpretations. By
honoring their traditions ahead of the law, they emptied the law of its power
to condemn. As a result, the menace of sin was not fully recognized, and the
self-righteous weren’t silenced.
If the law
had been allowed to do its proper work, the Jews would have been primed and
ready for a Savior. But since the law-teachers had been negligent, Jesus had to
do their job before he could do his own. Before he could save the world from
sin, he had to preach the law that makes sin utterly sinful.
The law is
not a standard to live up to. It’s a mirror that reveals our shortcomings. In
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus polishes the mirror. He takes the knocked-down
law and raises it higher than it has ever been before. “You have heard it said …
but I say unto you …”
Why did the
Lord of grace preach the law? Because some people will never appreciate the
good news until they’ve heard the bad news, which is this:
Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom
of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)
The Pharisees and law-teachers
were good men, but Jesus said they were not good enough. They prayed, fasted,
and traveled over land and sea winning converts, but Jesus said they fell short
of God’s righteous standard. They would never enter the kingdom.
Jesus’ words
are sobering. You may ask, “If they can’t make it, who can?” The brutal answer
is no one. All fall short.
You may say, “I’m
a decent
that Jesus was exaggerating and Jesus never exaggerated. Preachers sometimes
exaggerate to make a point, but Jesus always meant what he said and said what
he meant. He is Truth personified. It is inconceivable that he would play with
words for the crude purpose of ramming home a lesson.
The second
problem with this interpretation is it suggests we can do things to avoid hell.
Maybe we don’t have to self-amputate, but we can confess, abstain, renounce,
and generally be good. There’s nothing wrong with being good, but if you think
you can save yourself by being good then, forgive me, you’re as dumb as a
Pharisee.
“Wait a
second, Paul. Are you suggesting Jesus was being literal? That he really wants
us to self-amputate?” Yes to the first question and no the second. Of course,
Jesus does not want us to chop off our hands. We are sanctified by the blood of
the Lamb, not our severed limbs (Hebrews 10:29). Self-mutilation does nothing
to deal with sin, for sin is conceived in the heart not the hand (Matthew
5:28). Besides, if you chop one hand off, you’re left with another. You can
still sin!
So what’s
going on here? Why would Jesus tell us to do something he doesn’t really want
us to do? He’s doing it so that we may appreciate the absurdity of trying to
impress God with our acts of self-righteousness. “You want to live by law?”
says Jesus. “Fine. But if you persist in this pathetic course of self-reliance,
you had better be prepared to go the whole way, even if it means sacrificing an
eye or a hand.”
Was Jesus
serious? You bet he was. Salvation is a serious business. You risk much by
trusting your own self-righteous performance.
Does Jesus
want us to amputate our own limbs? Not at all. Jesus is not preaching the law
because he wants you to keep it. He’s laying down the law so that you will stop
pretending you are.
Why did Jesus preach the law?
Like every grace-preacher,
Jesus esteemed the law and the purpose for which it was given. The law was
given to silence every mouth and hold the whole world accountable (Romans
3:19). The purpose of the law is to make us conscious of sin and reveal our
need for a Savior.
Since Sinai,
the Jews had had fourteen centuries to learn what the law would teach them—that
we are incapable of dealing with sin. However, the law-teachers and Pharisees
had diluted the Law of Moses with their traditions and interpretations. By
honoring their traditions ahead of the law, they emptied the law of its power
to condemn. As a result, the menace of sin was not fully recognized, and the
self-righteous weren’t silenced.
If the law
had been allowed to do its proper work, the Jews would have been primed and
ready for a Savior. But since the law-teachers had been negligent, Jesus had to
do their job before he could do his own. Before he could save the world from
sin, he had to preach the law that makes sin utterly sinful.
The law is
not a standard to live up to. It’s a mirror that reveals our shortcomings. In
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus polishes the mirror. He takes the knocked-down
law and raises it higher than it has ever been before. “You have heard it said …
but I say unto you …”
Why did the
Lord of grace preach the law? Because some people will never appreciate the
good news until they’ve heard the bad news, which is this:
Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom
of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)
The Pharisees and law-teachers
were good men, but Jesus said they were not good enough. They prayed, fasted,
and traveled over land and sea winning converts, but Jesus said they fell short
of God’s righteous standard. They would never enter the kingdom.
Jesus’ words
are sobering. You may ask, “If they can’t make it, who can?” The brutal answer
is no one. All fall short.
You may say, “I’m
a decent
Similar Books
