Mark 9:38-50.             For or against God???                         30/9/12

 ³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

³⁹ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
⁴² “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’
 ⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

 Here in this reading Jesus is dealing with the important issue of whether we are for or against God. He very strongly points out the seriousness that we need to give to this issue. Get it wrong and we will be sent into hell, where the fire never goes out. So this is a big deal! His comments then, about cutting off arms and legs and plucking out eyes indicates the seriousness of the situation.

 So we had best be careful in our dealings and judgements of others, for there is serious consequences for our harming of the faith of others; particularly the ‘little ones.’ We need to be very careful about thinking that we can just cruise along and not get too caught up in this Christian ‘stuff’. Thinking that God is a loving God and so it doesn’t matter too much what I do, think or believe. So what if I sin, God will still accept me; as long as I am not too bad.

 Now it all starts here in this reading with some of the disciples being critical of a person who was driving out demons in Jesus name.  He is not one of us, so we made him stop: Because after all he was not one of the chosen disciples. So there has to be a problem here and it must be squashed.

 But Jesus has a completely different understanding. What did he say? “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. The important thing to note is that he was doing what he was doing in Jesus’ name. He was saying that it was because of Jesus that he was doing what he was doing. It was Jesus power that was doing the work, not his. So even though he may not fully know all that there is to know about Jesus, he was believing and trusting that here God is at work. So don’t destroy the little faith that he has.

 Along with that Jesus says, even though someone only gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. So it is not just the giving of a cup of water, but it is giving a cup of water or some other small deed because you are a Christian that is the critical point. Jesus recognises that there is a spark of faith here that is to be nurtured, rather than squashed. Here the person is wanting to give something to this God who has come into our midst, by giving a cup of water to one of his followers.

Something for us here to think about carefully!

Particularly then when we consider what Jesus then goes on to say.
If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

 So how serious is it if we cause someone to stumble in their faith? Here Jesus is not talking about the problem that it is for the ‘little one’, but for those of us who cause someone else to fall. He is trying to get us to be very careful in how we deal with our children and anyone one else who is still ‘little’ in their faith. Woe betide, any of us who does something that will lead to the loss of faith in any of these ‘little ones.’ The emphasis is on the consequences for us, for failing to do what we should be doing.

 So serious is it, that it would be better for us to die in the most horrible way, than to be responsible for the loss of a ‘little ones’ faith. Jesus then goes on to say that if there is anything in and about what we are doing or saying that is the cause of the problem we must get rid of it. Just as we would readily get rid of a hand, foot or eye if they were to be a major problem for our health and wellbeing; so we need to have the same attitude with regard anything that we might do or say that would cause a ‘little one’ to stumble.

 It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, or whatever ever else it is that causes others to fall, than to have two eyes or whatever, and be thrown into hell, where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ That is how serious the consequences are for us if we deliberately do the wrong thing. This is not something then that can treat lightly.

 Jesus then completes this section with some words about salt. He says; Everyone will be salted with fire. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”  Our first thoughts on hearing this, is what has this got to do with what he is just talking about. We are also tempted to think that this is another saying, like us being salt and light to the world around us. But this is not the case here.

 Here it is we who are being salted with the Good News of Jesus Christ and what he has come here to do. This Good News cleanses and renews through the assurance of forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Jesus Christ and his death on the cross are essential for the salvation of every one of us. In him and in him alone we all have the full assurance that we have been rescued from the fire of hell and given a place with our Lord in heaven.

 So this Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? When the message of Jesus Christ has been poisoned in a ‘little ones’ life because of something that we have said or done, this is disastrous. When the ‘little ones’ can no longer hear or are not being told of the importance of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross their salvation is at stake.

 I am sure we all know of situations where a person can no longer hear the Good News because they have been abused by someone in the name of Christianity: One example being, the sexual misconduct of a priest. But many times we hear comments along the line; ‘that if that is what it is to be a Christian, I don’t want any part of it.’ The actions and behaviour of some Christian is such that it obscures the goodness and importance of Jesus Christ and the importance of what God tells us in his Word.

 At the same time, how often is it happening that the message of Jesus Christ in not even being told to the ‘little ones’. Yes, there can be a lot of talk about ‘christian’ things, [we must be doing this and that; the gifts of the Spirit, outreach, and all kinds of things] but Jesus and his death on the cross is barely mentioned. As a result many of these ‘little people’ are hearing only that Christianity is about living good moral and decent lives. Sin and Jesus death on the cross for it are not being heard.

 Woe betide us, if we are the source of this kind of thing. Cut it off so that we are not sent to hell because we have caused the ‘little ones’ to stumble.

 No, let us have salt among ourselves, and be at peace with each other. Let us see to it that Jesus Christ and the importance of his death on the cross is at the centre of everything that we say and do. With that then, may this Good News be so important and central that it does not put anything in the way of the ‘little ones’ so that they stumble and fall.

In this way may it be seen that we are for Christ and all that he has done for us so that we can have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Then through this central focus on this Good News instead of working against our Lord and causing others to miss out on their salvation, may our Lord use it to draw the ‘little ones’ closer to our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. For to him alone belongs all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish