In one of my teen-age-smart-alecky moods when my mother said, “I’ve told you a thousand times not to do that.” I responded, “Not a thousand.” To which she answered, “Hyperbole added for emphasis.” Jesus adds hyperbole for emphasis when he tells us to chop of our hand or foot or eye if it causes us to sin. His point is the not chopping but avoiding those things that keep us from living a godly life. Don’t watch that show, don’t hang out with that person, don’t go to that place if it will lead you away from virtuous behavior. One Easter I told my dentist that my teeth were sensitive when I ate jelly beans. “Stop eating jelly beans,” he said. Duh.
