Matthew 18:8

And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.

Most commentators, ancient and modern, make Christ's word here a metaphor applicable to the individual who should give up the most cherished friendship, indulgence; or habit, if such hinders spiritual life. It is also applied to the church itself which should put away evil members, even of the highest positions, lest the whole body of the church be contaminated. Thus, Dummelow has, "This giving up of what is pleasant and lawful, because to us personally it is a spiritual peril, is what our Lord means by plucking out the right eye and cutting off the right hand."[3] Tertullian said that these words were uttered "by way of similitude.[4] Irenaeus wrote, "Those who led vicious lives and put other people astray, were condemned and cast out, so also, even now, the offending eye is plucked out, and the foot and the hand, lest the rest of the body perish in like manner."[5]

In the physical realm, amputations of various kinds daily illustrate the validity of our Lord's words. Removal of a mortally infected member is required for the preservation of life. The use of strong metaphor, as in the case here, frequently marked the teachings of Christ. Another example is "This is my body!" (See also under Matthew 5:29,30).

[3] Ibid., p. 642.

[4] Tertullian, On Idolatry in the Ante-Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Company, 1957), Vol. III, p. 64.

[5] Irenaeus in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. I, p. 500.