Mat 5:27-30; Cut Out Your Eye? Cut Off Your Hand?

Class Outline:

Sunday June 23, 2024

Introduction: Can we imagine that in the commandment “You shall not commit adultery,” is the solution to all human problems. 

 

God in Christ gives an overwhelming solution to broken relationships. Not by changing divorce laws or any other overt thing, but by changing hearts He gives Himself as Father, He gives family in the Trinity and in the church, He gives new birth, purpose, meaning, and destiny.  

 

Idea: The Lord expounds on commandments to show us life with a heart that He cleansed with His blood.

 

MAT 5:27-30

 

Does Jesus really mean for us to pluck out our eyes and cut off our hands? Yes … if …

 

Grammar:

First class condition: ei plus indicative. skandalizei  = to cause to be brought to a downfall, cause to sin. 

 

“Tear out” and “throw” are both imperatives! (it's not looking good). 

 

First class condition: “If and let’s assume it is true.” 

 

Jesus is saying, “If - and let us assume that it’s true for the sake of argument.” He then enforces His argument with, “Better to live with one eye and one hand than to take your body whole into hell.” If this is the true situation, this is an obvious conclusion. 

 

The religion of the Pharisees and scribes focused on overt righteousness. 

 

Jesus already stated the root of sin - the heart. 

 

The logical conclusion then is that we have to pluck out our hearts and throw them from us. Jesus is the solution, as He and the gospel and the NT will show, but He is not going to take the heart out. 

 

Jesus is going to take out the sin from the heart and throw that away, as far as the East from the West (ROM 3:21-26; 6:1-7; PSA 103:12). 

 

Imagine the old heart and the new heart.

 

What should you do with a new, cleansed heart? Sin? Nothing? 

 

The heart has intellect, will, conscience, love, emotion, desire, passion. Now imagine that at one time it was overrun with sin like cancer overruns a body. It could love, think, reason, imagine, dream, and desire great things, but in every endeavor it was held by the grip of sin.

 

Now imagine that the Lord Jesus, through His taking your sins upon Himself in judgment, cleansing your heart. He actually tore out the sin and cast it from you, as far as the East is from the West. That heart is still you. You did not become another person. But now, the heart was new, made new by the love of God. Now, intellect, will, conscience, love, emotion, desire, and passion are no longer enslaved to the cancer of sin. The heart is free to pursue them all, for the first time, in a pure manner. What should you do now? Sin? Nothing? 

 

The problem is ignorance - Christians do not know this to be true.

 

The problem is little faith - Christians are not convinced or committed to walking this path of life.

 

The problem is lack of desire - Christians are not willing to say no to temptations, beating their bodies, making them their slaves.

 

Heb 8-9:14; 10; EZE 36:25-28. 

 

Application: Love the way of the kingdom of heaven on earth because Christ has graciously cleansed you. 

 

What will you do with a clean heart? You are now supernaturally blessed to live like the Lord - beatitudes, morally, righteously, sanctified, humble, powerful in the truth of the Lord.

 

Live free. 

Do not return to slavery of sin.