Hell in the New Testament - Gospels and Jesus' Direct Teaching, Part 2

By Bart Breen

I'll continue to address passages in the Gospels where Jesus mentions Hell using the same approach in terms of identifying context and audience.  I'm purposely avoiding for the moment, making any defnitive conclusions based on individual passages.  Anyone is welcome to comment and make your own observations.  I'll save mine until after this element of review is done, and then we'll look at Acts, a few elements in the epistles (not much mention there of hell) and Revelation and then a look at the Patristic Fathers and speculation as to where other elements of the doctrine of hell may have been brought in from outside the Bible.

Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast intohell.  30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast intohell. General Context: Jesus' Sermon on the Mount

Whom speaking to:  A predominantly Jewish audience of people who have followed Jesus to hear Him teach.

Word Translated Hell: in both instances a form of the word Gehanna

Immediate Context:  Jesus is contrasting the Old Testament law against adultery with His teaching to those listening to Him now that not just the adultery is included within this stricture but that lust itself puts a person at risk of punishment.  This is a continuing of the thought earlier from Matt 5:22 where Gehenna is mentioned as well.  These thoughts should be seen as connected to one another and complimentary in nature.  This clearly is an instance as well, at least insofar as the physical mutilation goes, of hyperbole.  Jesus is making a point by overstatement, not suggesting that actual physical mutilation is an option to avoid hell.

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Thoughts:  My thoughts here are much the same as the earlier reference in Matt 5:22.  Some see the reference to Gehenna itself with it's connotation of punishment in a burning trash heap as an extension of the hyperbole Jesus uses in other elements.  I'm not sure that that is a fair conclusion.  The elements are different and the element of hell repeats as theme here.  Again however, the context of Jesus' speaking is not suggesting hell as a place for sinners per se.  The people being addressed, and the relative proximity of His disciples in the midst of this discourse, seems to put things in the context of the Old Covenant which Jesus is contrasting in preparation for the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven.

Conclusions: The thought that was likely in the minds of those hearing at the time was that Gehenna was a type of purifying or even a form of purgatory where such sins would be paid for under the Old Covenant.  Of course, Jesus knew He was coming to establish a New Covenant and He may have intended more to this than the audience hearing could understand.  Jesus often shrouded His teaching with an element of mystery and mysticism.  In any event the focus here appears to be upon those who are at least seeking to be right with God and Jesus is tying the idea of punishment (or at least refining) beyond the simple law and into the realm of heart attitudes.  That's the primary point here.  Gehenna is an illustrative element and not the primary focus in the sense we're considering.  

(To be continued)