Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Quick backstory. If you have been around Church or the Bible long, you may have heard somebody talk about the Sermon on the Mount. Usually, that references a set of Jesus’ teachings found in Matthew 5-7. Most scholars, however, believe that those teachings would have been used by Jesus multiple times throughout His ministry. Preachers always have their favorite sermons ready to go! As you read through the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) you will probably find very similar-sounding teachings spread throughout different parts of the story. That is because Jesus likely taught them over and over at various times, and the writers are recording moments that stuck out in their minds.

Mark 9:42-49 is a great example. It is clearly the same thing Jesus taught in Matthew 7 but at a different point in the story. Matthew and Mark aren’t disagreeing about when Jesus taught this, they are simply writing about one of the many moments Jesus taught this important lesson.

It makes sense why this teaching stands out in the minds of multiple Gospel writers. It’s wild! "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off... And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off... And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out."

If this text is new to you, your first reaction should be a little shock and awe. These are some serious words. “Cut it off.” “Tear it out.” Serious words chosen for a serious topic. In the Jewish culture where Jesus was originally teaching this, the hand, foot, and eye represented key areas of human action and desire. The hand symbolizes what we do, the foot where we go, and the eye what we see. Jesus is teaching that if any part of our lives leads us into sin, we must take radical action to remove it.

Obviously, this isn’t meant to be literal instructions for following Jesus. Nowhere does God honor self-harm. The metaphor highlights the seriousness of sin. It isn’t a thing to balk at or worry about one day. Kill your sin before it kills you.

Self-control, therefore, is not simply about resisting temptation or holding back from sinful behavior. It's about the willingness to take decisive action against sin in our lives. This might mean ending relationships that lead us away from God, giving up habits that desensitize us to sin, or setting boundaries to guard our hearts and minds.

Ultimately, Jesus is pointing us to the eternal consequences of our choices. "It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell." The stakes are high. Live with eternity in mind.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflections:

• Pause and pray about where you need to put guardrails in your life.
  
• What actions do you need to take this week to protect against the pitfalls of sin and temptation?
• Dear Lord, thank You for Your holy correction and guidance. Give me the strength to set boundaries for myself and fight against temptation today. In Jesus' name, amen.