Doves On Distant Oaks

Grounded for Life

One of the more controversial things that Jesus spoke about had to do with our attitude toward sin. He said:

Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

That's serious stuff. Non-believers latch onto this as proof that Jesus wasn't all about love as He is made out to be. Believers look at it as Jesus talking metaphorically and He didn't really mean it. In my humble opinion, he both meant it and didn't mean it. The Holy Spirit brought to my mind a personal experience that guides me in my opinion and helps explain that dichotomy.

Many years ago, when our two sons were in their mid-teens, we decided that they could be left home alone for an hour after they got out of school and before I got home from work. They had chores to do and homework to start, and they assured us that all would be well. It was only for an hour, so what could go wrong? I would soon find out.

Not long after, I walked in the back door after work to see my youngest son sitting on the couch, pressing a bloody rag onto his wrist. My oldest son was standing in the middle of the living room, both hands held halfway up as if to stop me. He said, anxiously, "Dad, everything's okay. We had a problem, but everything's okay now. Don't freak out."

I freaked out.

Through gritted teeth I asked them to explain what happened. Evidently they had come home already fighting. We lived about a mile from their school and they had been arguing the whole time walking home. My youngest son had carried the trash outside to put it in the bin and my oldest son, who should have known better, decided he would end the argument by locking him outside. After banging and yelling at each other through the back door for several minutes, they both evidently got the same idea at the same time: the front door was wide open.

My oldest son tore through the inside of the house while my youngest son ran around the outside. They both arrived at the open front door at the same time. My oldest son proceeded to slam it shut as my youngest son held up his hand to block it. Our front door was made of window panes and his hand went through one of panes of glass, which cut his wrist.

Awful thoughts ran through my mind at the time. All I could picture was my youngest son bleeding out on the floor and my oldest son carrying the weight of that the rest of his life. I could have cared less about the window pane … only about the pain the loss of my son might bring. After checking to see that it was only a few minor scrapes, I said in a strained and seething voice, "Both of you are grounded for life. Now go upstairs and never come out of your rooms for as long as you live."

Did I mean it? You bet. Is it a punishment that I expected to follow through on? No. What I wanted to convey to them at that moment was the seriousness of their actions. I didn't use hyperbole on purpose—it just came out. But they needed to know that actions can cause serious consequences, and exaggeration to the point of absurdity was the only way that I knew to get that point across.

I would never have the arrogance to speak for our Savior, but I suspect this is the point Jesus was trying to make. Symbolism and metaphor is used throughout the Bible and they are powerful literary mechanisms. Jesus had just finished telling his disciples that even though they don't do anything wrong on the outside, if they think it in their heart, they have already committed sin. If they felt anger toward someone, it was the same as murder. If they lusted after someone, it was the same as adultery.

Perhaps his words stung and caused murmuring among his disciples. This was all new to them and set a standard far exceeding that which they had been taught their whole lives. Or perhaps, knowing the sin that was in their hearts, the full weight of that sin came down to bear on them. Jesus loved these followers of His and He might have wept internally what He knew was the consequences of their sin.

I can picture Jesus with those thoughts running though His mind. I can see Him rising from a sitting position, pointing directly at them, and saying those words with the same kind of ache in his voice that I had experienced with my sons. He meant those words, but He would never intend for us to mutilate ourselves. He had to let us know how serious this was and hyperbole is what he used to get His point across.

Too often, I think that we look at our own sin in an off-handed manner. "Whoops, I did it again. Sorry Lord," and then just move on. We don't stop to seek redemption, or even consider the serious consequences of our sin. Perhaps we all need that finger pointed at us and the words "If your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out," said to us so we wake up to the seriousness of our sin.

The rest of the story is that my sons no longer bicker. They get along very well as adults. However, the incident of when Dad grounded them for life has achieved mythical proportions in our family. I've never taken back those words, though, and don't intend to. I pray Jesus never does as well.

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

— 1 John 1:8-9

Keywords: Heart, Redemption, Sin

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