Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 5:29-30

"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. And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell." — Matthew 5:29-30 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: Because we ought to avoid not only actual sin but also every occasion for sin, He, after teaching that adultery is to be avoided in deed and in heart, then teaches us to cut off the sources of sin.¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But if, according to the Prophet, there is no whole part in our body (Psalm 38:3), it would be necessary for us to cut off every limb we have, so that the punishment might be equal to the depravity of the flesh.

Is it possible, then, to understand this as referring to the physical eye or hand? Just as the whole person, when turned to God, is dead to sin, so likewise the eye, when it has ceased to look with evil intent, is cut off from sin. But this explanation does not fit the entire passage. For when He says, thy right eye offends thee, what about the left eye? Does it contradict the right eye and is therefore preserved as innocent?

St. Jerome: Therefore, by the right eye and the right hand, we must understand the love of brothers, spouses, parents, and relatives. If we find that these relationships hinder our view of the true light, we ought to sever them from ourselves.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Just as the eye denotes contemplation, the hand fittingly denotes action. By the eye, we must understand our most cherished friend, as people are accustomed to say when expressing deep affection, "I love him as my own eye." It can also refer to a friend who gives counsel, just as the eye shows us our way. The "right eye," perhaps, is only meant to express a higher degree of affection, since it is the one people most fear losing.²

Alternatively, the right eye may be understood as one who counsels us in heavenly matters, and the left eye as one who counsels in earthly matters. The meaning, then, would be this: Whatever it is that you love as you would your own right eye, if it offends you—that is, if it is a hindrance to your true happiness—you must cut it off and cast it from you. For if the right eye was not to be spared, it was unnecessary to speak of the left.

Likewise, the right hand is to be understood as a beloved assistant in divine actions, and the left hand as an assistant in earthly actions.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, Christ would have us be careful not only about our own sin, but also ensure that those who belong to us keep themselves from evil. If you have a friend who looks after your affairs as your own eye, or manages them as your own hand, and you learn of any scandalous or base action he has done, cast him from you; he is an offense. For we will give an account not only for our own sins, but also for the sins of our neighbors that were in our power to prevent.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Thus, a higher standard of innocence is set for us, in that we are admonished to keep ourselves free not only from our own sin, but also from sins that might affect us from the outside.

St. Jerome: Alternatively, just as He previously identified lust with looking at a woman, so now He calls the thought and sense that wanders here and there "the eye." By the right hand and the other parts of the body, He means the initial movements of desire and affection.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The physical eye is the mirror of the inner eye. The body also has its own sense, that is, the left eye, and its own appetite, that is, the left hand. But the parts of the soul are called "right," because the soul was created with both free will and under the law of righteousness, so that it might both see and do what is right.

The members of the body, however, not having free will but being under the law of sin, are called "the left." Yet He does not command us to cut off the sense or appetite of the flesh. We may have fleshly desires and yet not act on them, but we cannot eliminate the desires themselves. But when we willfully resolve and think of evil, then our right desires and right will offend us, and therefore He commands us to cut them off. And these we can cut off, because our will is free.

Alternatively, we ought to cut off from ourselves everything, however good in itself, that offends us or others. For example, visiting a woman for religious purposes—this good intention toward her may be called a "right eye." But if by visiting her often I fall into the net of desire, or if any onlookers are offended, then the right eye—that is, something in itself good—offends me. For the "right eye" is good intention, and the "right hand" is good desire.

Glossa Ordinaria: Alternatively, the "right eye" is the contemplative life, which offends by causing laziness or self-conceit, or because in our weakness we are unable to sustain it in its pure form. The "right hand" is good works, or the active life, which offends us when we become ensnared by society and the affairs of life.³

If, then, someone is unable to sustain the contemplative life, he should not lazily cease from all action. On the other hand, while he is occupied with action, he should not dry up the fountain of sweet contemplation.

Remigius of Auxerre: The reason why the right eye and the right hand are to be cast away is added next: For it is better...

Pseudo-Chrysostom: For as we are all members of one another, it is better that we should be saved without one of these members than that we perish together with them. Or, it is better that we be saved without one particular good purpose or good work, than that we perish altogether while seeking to perform all good works.

1. non occ.
2. Serm. in Mont., i, 13
3. ord.