My guess is that it is still somewhat relevant since many religions draw their teachings from real-life stories passed down over generations. Maybe the names are wrong, and the numbers inflated, but I've seen this exact same scenario plenty of times in my life. That's why we have expressions like "burn bridges," "sever ties," or "quemar naves" in Spanish, all more or less indicating a point of no return where the outcome could be equally negative for all involved parties.
