Literal versus figurative
use of words.
·
“Little ones”
·
“Better for you
if a great millstone were hung around your neck,…”
·
“If your hand (foot)
(eye) causes you to stumble, cut (tear) it off,…”
·
“It is better for
you to enter life maimed (lame) (with one eye) than… to be thrown into hell.”
·
Hell – “where
their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.”
Using “little ones” with a
child in his arms or nearby (9:36-37),
Jesus again refers to one who has lower status among people like servants,
beggars, the disabled, foreigners, women,… “Don’t discourage anyone from the
message of Good News! It is for all
to hear. No matter whom they are, where they come from, their position in the
world, we must lift them up and embrace them; help them along this journey.”
“Don’t put (or be) a
stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me.” Why?
Because they may be childlike or new to the faith along this walk that we are
all taking together. Furthermore, why should we take advantage of anyone?
Patrick * added a wrinkle for
thought mentioning the Prosperity Gospel preached by some high-profile
evangelists. “Watered-down Christianity can be a stumbling block for many.” In
regard to the message Jesus conveys, where does such a gospel of “prosperity”
lead us? It’s a reward system, and when someone feels they haven’t been appropriately
rewarded, they could feel betrayed and used; lesser than; discouraged.
“To discourage or tempt my children, to place a
stumbling block before them, you’d be better off having a millstone around your
neck…”
As Norma * stated to the
study group, it’s ironic Jesus used the millstone as an example. It was a tool of
life as a stone used for grinding grain – that which feeds us, and gives us
strength. But it was also a tool of death.
In this context, Jesus was
making a dramatic point with “a stone so large it took a donkey to turn it” [i] as “a means of execution
both in Rome and in Palestine.” [ii] Those being punished in
such a manner would be tethered to the millstone…
“…and thrown into the sea.”
Continuing with the
dramatic – “If your hand (foot) (eye)
causes you to stumble, cut (tear) it off (out),…”
Did Jesus really mean for
us to cut off our limbs if they get in the way to God? Uh,… no. Yet Jesus is
emphasizing the seriousness of that which causes us to be “separated from that
to which we belong. Our lives are [then] estranged from God.” [iii]
You might find it more meaningful
to substitute words in verses 43-47. For example, substitute “job” for “hand”;
“relationship” for “foot”; “habit” for “eye.” These, too, can cause a
“disconnect” with God.
It reminds me years ago
when I worked as an auditor for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. We
would audit restaurants and bars that sold alcohol to verify taxes were
accurately paid. In about 50% of my audits, establishments would owe money.
There came a day when the
owner of a chain of prominent strip clubs, of which there were four locations
in Houston, approached me and offered a job – to give financial oversight of
his organization. I remember him saying, “I’m better off hiring you so my
company is better run. Plus every time you audit me, I owe the state a load of
cash.”
The money being offered
was double my salary at the TABC. Plus the owner promised travel to his
other clubs in Chicago and New York, beautiful women, fun times,…. Oh, the temptation,
especially at the age of 25! There was such inner turmoil in weighing financial
security, luxury, the high-life versus just scraping by. Ultimately, the
decision was made in being separated from that to which I belong. The
temptation was huge, but my connection to God was greater. I declined his offer.
Then there’s Hell – where the “worm never dies, and the fire is
never quenched.”
Here are the facts about
Hell or Gehenna – a ravine south of
Jerusalem – known as the Valley of Hinnom. It was “a garbage dump where fires
constantly burned, furnishing a graphic symbol of eternal torment.” [iv] How did it get into such
a state? Let’s go back to around 732 BC and the reign of King Ahaz of Judah.
At the age of 20 years
old, Ahaz ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. During his reign, Ahaz did plenty of
stumbling. As it was written, “he did not do what was right in the sight of the
Lord.” He “made molded images for the Baals [idols].” Taking it a wayward step
further, in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, Ahaz “burned his children in the
fire” [v] -- as a sacrificial
offering. “The site of rites condemned in Jeremiah 7:31
became the term for hell.” [vi]
NOTE – For more about Ahaz, read 2 Kings 16, and then see
what his son Hezekiah did after his father’s death “to do what was right in the
sight of the Lord” – 2 Kings
18:1-8.
As for the Valley of
Hinnom, it “had been declared so unclean and had been so desecrated, it was set
apart as the place where the refuse of Jerusalem was burned. The consequence
was that it was a foul, unclean place, where loathsome worms bred on the
refuse, and which smoked and smouldered at all times like some vast
incinerator.” [vii]
The worm and unquenchable fire are referenced in Isaiah 66:24.
Also, the use of “worm”
indicates “internal” and the use of “fire” indicates “external.” It is all
consuming – “in” and “out.”
All of this – the millstone,
the cutting off of body parts, hell – was using an extreme to make the most
important of points. If anything stands in the way between you and God, it must
go. This may be the hardest decision we’ve ever had to make, but to know true
happiness and peace, we must act accordingly. We must step out in faith and
away from that which discourages us, that which blocks our way. It’s a choice
between “life” and “death.”
I choose life… with God.
NEXT
It’s all about Salt: a preservative
and a blessing
