Hyperbole
“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.
“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 18:8-14)
Does Jesus want his followers to procure small guillotines to get rid of offensive body parts? Certainly not. Jesus used a literary technique called hyperbole: he exaggerated in order to make his point. What was his point? If something is standing between us and the kingdom, then we’d do well to get rid of it. Better that, than to lose our way or to stumble to our destruction. Which is better? To lose something precious and live, or to keep it and die? Like those trapped in rubble who are forced to choose amputation or death, life always takes precedence. We are willing to give up anything in order to save our lives.
The question is, do we really understand what is at stake? Do we really understand what we have with the kingdom of God? If so, then it’s a no brainer to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. We wouldn’t think of eating grass and drinking polluted water when we could be feasting in a fine restaurant on our favorite food. We’d never sleep under a rainy sky on a cold rock when we have a house and a warm bed. In gaining the kingdom of God, we give up nothing but sadness, pain and death.
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