the Greek word used here is skandalon. The meaning is “action causing you or another to stumble into sin”.  The meaning is similar to the English word “scandal”.

Jesus was teaching during a time when Greek and Roman culture and religion was prevalent so to understand this parable of Jesus you must understand the Goddess Ananke from that culture.

The Greek word used here is Ananke. Ananke is a common greek noun meaning constraint, force or necessity. In Greek religion though, Ananke is the personification (goddess) of compelling necessity or ultimate fate, to which even the gods must yield. BUT she isn’t the goddess of constraint. (Merriam Webster).

So, here’s the issue. The Almighty God says sin ultimately sends you into hell fire and your hand is causing you to sin. (lets say by stealing) Ananke, the Goddess, says your hand has a compelling necessity to steal, that’s the reason it steals, and if your ultimate fate is hell fire because of the stealing, you must yield to your fate. (This idea is very similar to “Que, sera sera, whatever will be, will be.” from the movie The Sound of Music, in our popular culture.)

So, the only option to escape hell fire left to you by the Goddess Ananke is “if your hand isn’t part of your body anymore, then your hand isn’t compelling you to steal anymore, so now, you can stop stealing and escape hell fire.

Ananke the noun gives you the option to “constrain” yourself from sinning because you are not being forced to steal and it isn’t necessary to steal but Ananke, the Goddess, doesn’t give you that option.

So, there in lies the scandal (stumbling block to forgiveness). Ananke the Goddess says you must comply with your lot to steal with your hand and comply with your fate to be thrown into hell fire.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, says “constrain” your hand from stealing and escape hell fire. He does this by pointing out the absurdity of amputating your hand as your only option to stop sinning and escape hell fire.

1 Corinthians 1:23-25 (reconsidered)
We preach the anointed Messiah, that was crucified (and rose from the dead). To Jews, indeed, this is scandalous, and to the Greeks absurdity. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the anointed Messiah is the power of God, and the wisdom of God because the absurdity of God is a wise man; and the frailty of God is a powerful man.

“Amputate it” is used here as a figure of speech and a bit of scandalous sarcasm, as it relates to the idea of “constraint (ananke) being a stumbling block (the goddess Ananke) to not sinning”.