why i won't pluck out my eye, besides that it's freaky

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Matthew 5:29-30

I have always heard that this passage is hyperbole, an exaggeration that only cult members and the priest in the Scarlet Letter would do. However, I am one of those Bible-thumpers who believes you must take a verse literally unless there is good reason to do otherwise. I have never heard a good reason. But last week one hit me.

Notice it says to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand, not to take a knife to your *uh-hmm* or wear a chastity belt and throw away the key. Why? If you pluck out one eye, will you stop gawking at hot people? If you cut off one hand will you be unable to use a mouse to surf the net for porn? Notice the two things we are told to remove we have two of (two hands and two eyes), not one of. Removing one can’t remove the problem. If he said to emasculate yourself, that would be a logical and painful solution to the problem, so that’s not what he said. Instead, he is using hyperbole to tell us to take action. Real and drastic action to keep us from sin.

In dismissing the idea that we should mutilate ourselves we cannot dismiss Christ’s important message to take drastic action. John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Christ is saying, to take action before you are destroyed by lust.