I can read the words of the whole sermon, but how do I move from reading to making this the foundation for my life?
A few verses later on - after Jesus had finished speaking - there is this response:
"When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying"
It seems as though one of the reasons his words were so powerful was that he was living them out himself. Hopefully, as we continue through this, we'll see some very specific things that Jesus is calling us to do, some ways he is calling us to live, that will give us the opportunity to think through whether we are prepared to make those changes.
I don't fully understand why God would want you too gouge your right eye out & too cut your right hand off too avoid going too hell ?
Did Jesus literally mean this ?
Great question Stuart!
And, no, Jesus didn't mean this literally.
He was using powerful pictures to make a point - he was trying to make people realise the seriousness of what he was talking about. Maybe he was encouraging them to ask the question as to whether what they were trying to do was worth losing an eye or a hand.
He uses similar pictures when speaking about specks and planks in people's eyes (Matthew 7:3) and camels going through eyes of needles (Matthew 19:24)
