When my mother would say “I’ve told you a thousand times” we would object, “not a thousand.” To which she would respond, “Hyperbole added for emphasis.” Jesus was using hyperbole for emphasis when he said, If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. His point was that we should avoid those people, places, situations that causes us to be less than kind, forgiving and compassionate. I have a friend who calls full of spit and vinegar because of something she saw on a certain news channel. Cut it off! It is is causing you to lose your serenity so you need another news source. We need to cut our of our lives those people and those circumstances harmful to our life in God.
