Matthew 18:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

NIV: And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

NASB: And if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fiery hell.

CSB: And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire.

NLT: And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

KJV: And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

NKJV: And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

Jesus has pronounced "woe," God's judgment, on those who place temptation in the path of His "little ones," believers in Jesus. He has said temptation is a necessary part of life, but He is now telling believers to go to great lengths to keep themselves from giving in to temptations to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Does Jesus really want His followers to cut off hands or feet or to tear out their eyes in order to avoid sinning? No. He is using the communication technique of hyperbole to communicate to His disciples the degree of seriousness with which they should deal with sin. Jesus did not want any of them to have a casual attitude to the deadly consequences of sin.

Was Jesus really warning that any believer who sins—ever—will go into the "hell of fire"? Again, we would say no. If He had meant these two things to be taken literally, first-century Christians would have been maimed and blind, and all of us would be destined for hell. Jesus will restore Peter after his sin of denying Christ and, by His death on the cross, will make it possible for all people to be forgiven for all their sin through faith in Him. In fact, Jesus will illustrate in the following verses the great lengths the Father will go to in order not to lose a single one of His little ones who have gone astray (Matthew 18:12–14).

Jesus is showing, though, that sin is the reason for the coming wrath of God. Those not forgiven for sin will face God's judgment in hell. Those who believe in Him must not tolerate giving in to the temptation to sin or, especially, leading anyone else into sinfulness. Jesus does not allow for any casualness about sin or its consequences.

Matthew 18:7–9 contains Jesus declaration of woe—the promise of judgment—to the world for temptations to sin, though He says that temptations are necessary. Still, Jesus uses hyperbole to warn the disciples to go to extremes to avoid sin. If your hand or foot or eye causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Better to be crippled or blind in this life than to be thrown into the fire of hell.

Jesus uses two questions from the disciples to teach important lessons. The "greatest" in the kingdom is the one who humbles himself like a child. Temptation is unavoidable in earthly life, but it's worth going to extremes to avoid falling for it. Even so, those who fall should not be hated and despised. God the Father values them highly and wants none of them to perish. In fact, Jesus lays out a clear, careful process to confront sin in others before removing them from the community. Christ also replies to Peter's question about forgiveness with a parable. This story represents both God's amazing forgiveness, and the way we ought to respond as Christians.

Matthew 18 follows the action of the previous chapter with teaching from Jesus on several issues. These include humility, using the example of a child. Jesus also teaches about avoiding sin and offering forgiveness to others. Interestingly, the following chapter will also feature references to children and to wealth, as Christ continues to explain the will of God to His disciples.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.