Thoughts on Matthew 5:27-30...on lust. Why does Christ exhort us to cut off our hand and pluck out our eye when it comes to lust? I think it’s of benefit to think about the embodied actions of plucking and cutting. These are what I would call ‘severe’ actions. They are immediate, decisive, to the point. There is no delaying or oscillating - they are physical acts like ripping off a band-aid. They brook no wobbling, no argument - they are done quickly, painlessly, without second-thought. So we are exhorted to pluck and cut because of the nature of lust. Once lust gets a foothold, it is a very difficult thing to shake. Take the experience of peeking/edging, for example. It’s been my experience that when I engage in either action, I will inevitably relapse - maybe not immediately, but sometime in the near future. It is because I gave lust a foothold and entertained it in my heart. What I allow into my heart, comes to fruition in my actions, especially when it has the powerful vibratory capacity of something like internet porn (which absolutely overwhelms my system). I would be an absolute FOOL to believe that I can watch porn out of “curiosity”, and not eventually lose control over self and discharge that lustful energy that’s been created. And then, I am left hollow. In all humility I must admit to myself that I do not have that sort of energetic discipline to feel that energy and not discharge it. So I think the metaphors of plucking out our eye if it causes us to sin (lust) and cutting off our hand if it causes us to sin (lust) is a beneficial one. The other thing is: think about it - lustful thinking, porn viewing and sexual behavior first enters in through our eyes. We gaze at a woman with lust. We look at a suggestive picture. We watch porn. These things enter into us via our eye, and then translate to activity with our hand. The eye and the hand are connected. What I entertain with my vision, I indulge in with my actions (hands). I’m not religious, in any traditional sense. But I do get a lot out of scripture. When Christ speaks, I have the tendency to listen, whatever my opinions about religion are. I think these verses are serious tools we can use to bring awareness to the entrance of lust into our heart, and what to do about it. The moment I start entertaining fantasies, or willingly going after suggestive material, is the moment I am on my way to taking actions that run counter to my retention/nofap goals. Maybe this all sounds obvious. But I got a lot out of exercising the disciplines of 'plucking' and 'cutting' when I read these verses yesterday. Plucking and cutting. Pluck out lustful thoughts immediately. Turn your gaze. Move a muscle. Divert yourself immediately. Cut off the inroads to lust. Cut off the habitual fantasizing, checking-out of females, the re-visiting old haunts (phub), etc. The relapse starts with the eyes, and ends with the hands. Hope this stimulates some thought and is helpful. Be well.
