This passage is often misinterpreted as a literal command for self-mutilation, such as gouging out an eye, which contradicts Jesus' other teachings against legalistic externalism and promotes harmful physical harm; others dismiss it entirely as irrelevant hyperbole without recognizing its call to radical internal transformation, or apply it selectively to physical sins while ignoring heart-level issues like lust or pride that Jesus addresses in parallel teachings like Matthew 5:27-30.
Mark 9:47
King James Version (1769)
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Jesus uses stark, hyperbolic imagery to underscore the infinite value of entering God's kingdom over any physical loss, teaching that sin's consequences are so severe—eternal separation in hell fire—that believers must ruthlessly eliminate anything in their lives that leads them into temptation or stumbling, prioritizing spiritual purity and eternal life above bodily wholeness.