Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 5:29

"And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell." — Matthew 5:29 (ASV)

And if your right eye offends you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.

That which is the cause of sin is to be given up as well as the sin itself. It is not sinful to have an eye, or to cultivate keen perception; but if the eye of speculative knowledge leads us to stumble into intellectual sin, it becomes the cause of evil and must be mortified.

Anything, however harmless, which leads me to do, think, or feel wrongly, I must get rid of as completely as if it were evil in itself.

Though giving it up would involve deprivation, it must nevertheless be dispensed with, since even a serious loss in one direction is far better than the loss of the whole person. Better a blind saint than a quick-sighted sinner.

If abstaining from alcohol caused weakness of body, it would be better to be weak, than to be strong and fall into drunkenness.

Since vain speculations and reasonings lead people into unbelief, we will have none of them.

To "be cast into hell" is too great a risk to run, merely to indulge the evil eye of lust or curiosity.

That which is the cause of sin is to be given up as well as the sin itself. It is not sinful to have an eye or to cultivate keen perception, but if the eye of speculative knowledge leads us to offend by intellectual sin, it becomes the cause of evil and must be mortified.

Anything, however harmless, which leads me to do, or think, or feel wrongly, I am to get rid of as much as if it were in itself an evil. Though giving it up would involve deprivation, it must still be dispensed with, since even a serious loss in one direction is far better than losing the whole person. Better a blind saint than a quick-sighted sinner.

If abstaining from alcohol caused weakness of body, it would be better to be weak than to be strong and fall into drunkenness. Since vain speculations and reasonings lead people into unbelief, we will have nothing to do with them. To be cast into hell is too great a risk to run merely to indulge the evil eye of lust or curiosity.