“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” – Matthew 5:29-30, NIV

Sermons about hell have become rare in the contemporary Church pulpits, for obvious reasons.

Preachers don’t want to scare people.

To make matters even worse, some preachers claim that the Bible only uses the term ‘hell’ figuratively, that it not a real place of torment. 

Some even say that hell was reserved for Satan and his demons only and that a holy and merciful God cannot send people to hell.

However, the Bible clearly shows that our Lord Jesus and the Early Church consistently presented hell as a serious reality, indeed contrasting it with heaven (Matthew 10:28, Luke 16:23).

‘Gehenna,’ the Greek word that our Lord Jesus used for ‘hell,’ is portrayed as a fiery place of torment, eternal punishment and separation from God.

Revelation 20:14-15 makes a reference to the “Lake of fire,” the “second death” – which will be the final destination of the unrighteous people.

Jesus frequently described hell as a place of “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), “unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43), and a “blazing furnace” (Matthew 13:42).

The imagery of fire suggests intense and unending suffering.

Hell is as real as heaven is!

It’s a place of “torment” (Luke 16:23); of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42); of unending pain (Revelation 14:11).

It’s presented as a place of”eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46) and “everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9),” prepared for the devil and his angels,” and the people who align themselves with evil would share the same fate (Matthew 25:41).

In our meditation today, our Lord Jesus vehemently warns people against the danger of being “thrown into hell” and suggests that one must be prepared to do whatever it takes to avoid it.

By advising that one should rather cut off his right hand or gorge out one’s right eye if they are leading them astray, Jesus was using hyperbole – an intentional exaggeration to make a strong point.

It highlights the absolute seriousness of sin and its eternal consequences – thus urging the people to take drastic measures to avoid anything that leads them away from God.

The ‘right hand,’ and ‘right eye’ represent the almost indispensable and invaluable aspects of our lives – relationships, possessions, religion, traditions, work, etc – that can hinder us from following Christ.

The salient message here is that if something valuable in your life is consistently causing you to reject Christ’s love, you should consider throwing it out, no matter how valuable or indispensable it might be.

Jesus contrasts that temporary loss with the eternal loss of being thrown into eternal torment in hell.

He emphasizes that it is far better to sacrifice anything in this life if it is the only way to secure eternal life.

In another place, He wondered what a person would “gain if he wins the whole world and loses his soul.”

As we all know, living for God in this fallen world involves making incredible sacrifices.

Yet, it must be done because our priority must be eternal life not temporary earthly comforts and pleasures.

Practically, think of it this way: If your legally married spouse is leading you into backsliding for example into witchcraft, you need to “cut off” that relationship, however painful it might be.

Similarly, if a particular job or business consistently leads you astray, you might need to “cut it off” from your life!

Jesus’ warning is a powerful call to the pursuit of righteousness and godliness, no matter the cost, given the eternal stakes involved.

Hell is as real as heaven is!