IF YOU HANG around churches or Christian groups long enough, sooner or later you’ll pick up on the spoken and unspoken expectations about what makes for a “good” Christian. When I first became a Christian in college, for example, one of the campus ministries to which I belonged had its own expectations, though they were often lightly held. The truly faithful, it was taught, should have what was known as “quiet time,” a daily time of devotion that typically included Bible study and prayer. And they should not only read and study Scripture, but also memorize it. People may not use the language of “quiet time” much anymore, but similar ideas can be found in congregations, along with expectations of regular attendance, tithing, and so on.

These are all good things, and I would happily encourage any and every follower of Christ to do them consistently. But here’s what I want you to notice about what Jesus teaches about righteousness in Matthew 5: it’s not simply about what we do in relationship to God, but what we do in relationship to each other.

Imagine a church in which every member faithfully prays every morning and memorizes a whole chapter of Scripture every week. But when they come together, the men steal lecherous, lustful glances at the women, and everyone speaks rudely about the people who make them mad. Is that the kind of righteousness Jesus teaches? Obviously not.

Then how serious are we willing to be in pursuing the kingdom of heaven? Serious enough to manage our anger and our words, and to seek to be reconciled with the people we’ve offended? Serious enough to admit our covetousness and lust and do something about it?

Because Jesus is about to make what sounds like an impossibly radical demand.

AS WE’VE SEEN, Jesus wouldn’t allow his hearers to get comfortable or self-satisfied when it came to their own righteousness. From the standpoint of a holy God, it’s not enough to be legally innocent of murder or adultery if you’re guilty of treating others with contempt or leering at them with covetous desire. Neither behavior treats others as people of intrinsic worth, created in the image of God. Neither behavior befits the kingdom of heaven.

And in case anyone thought he couldn’t possibly be serious about setting such a high bar for righteousness, he immediately laid those doubts to rest. Here again is what he said about adultery — but this time, with the strikingly demanding verses that follow:

You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (Matt 5:27-30, NIV)

When Jesus speaks of the right eye or the right hand, he’s drawing from a cultural metaphor that values the right over the left. Although that distinction may not resonate as much today as it would have then, we might say that even now sacrificing the right hand is a bigger demand because the vast majority of people are right-handed. But losing any eye or hand, of course, is already a big deal. Imagine what would happen if every man who had ever looked at a woman with even just a moment of lust in his heart took Jesus literally and gouged out an eye. Is that what Jesus wants?

No. (You can breathe now.)

First of all, note that this isn’t the only place Jesus uses the metaphor of maiming oneself. In Matthew 18:8-9, he even includes sacrificing your right foot, not just a right eye or hand. But the context there has nothing to do with covetousness or lust; it’s about causing others to stumble. What Jesus does in both places is use exaggerated language to drive home the importance of something he’s just taught, something surprising or counterintuitive that his hearers might have a hard time accepting. It’s hyperbole, with a purpose.

Second, remember what he’s already said in Matthew 5. In that context, it wouldn’t make sense to take eye-gouging and amputation as a new behavioral criterion for righteousness. And of course, one can still sin with whatever eye or hand remains. Are we then required to get rid of those too?

Again, no. Murder, adultery, and covetousness are at root sins of the heart which then manifest in how we relate to others. Righteousness, then, is also a matter of the heart and not just of behavior. The question is, deep down where only God sees, what do we really want? We can make a show of righteousness in the sight of others, or we can be righteous in the eyes of God. If we want the kingdom, if we seek to be righteous in the way Jesus describes, we will need to discipline ourselves. How far are we willing to go? What are we willing to sacrifice?

I’LL ADMIT IT: I’ve never liked the term “spiritual discipline.” It’s not because I find the term useless or illegitimate. It just sounds like homework — and I never wanted to do my homework. Unfortunately, this also means that some of the behaviors that are typically labeled as spiritual disciplines, such as Bible study, can feel like homework too, like things to check off a to-do list.

We need to remember, though, that the word “discipline” is a close cousin of the word “disciple.” The two go hand in hand. One cannot be a disciple of Jesus without discipline.

But what kind? Again, Jesus doesn’t give us a list of spiritual or religious behaviors to cultivate. In the context of teaching people that kingdom righteousness goes far deeper than what they had been taught, he’s pushing his hearers to take whatever steps are necessary to discipline themselves, even if it means sacrificing something important.

At the end of the previous post, for example, I suggested that we can be entangled in an emotional affair with someone other than our spouse, even if the relationship never gets to the point of physical intimacy. And that extramarital relationship, though emotionally gratifying, is a stumbling block.

What to do? We don’t have to gouge out an eye or cut off a hand. But it may be necessary to cut off the relationship. It will be a painful sacrifice, and we can come up with a host of rationalizations as to why we shouldn’t have to do it. In the end, it’s our decision.

But I think Jesus would say that if we don’t end the relationship or set up whatever clear boundaries are needed, we shouldn’t kid ourselves into thinking that we really want God’s righteousness.

So think about it. What sacrifice might God want you to make as a disciple of his kingdom?