Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Okay. We're back here in Mark chapter 9. And we're gonna be reading from verse 42. We've just had John come to Jesus and say that there's someone preaching in his name and doing miracles in his name. And John said, oh, I told him to stop it.

And Jesus said, well, don't tell him to stop it because He's doing he's doing it in my name. He's he's with us. He's for us. He's he's he's living the Christian life. He's preaching the gospel.

And we're from verse 41. 4 41. 41. Yeah. Yeah.

Verse 41. So this is Jesus picking up that conversation. 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. If anyone causes 1 of these little ones, those who believe in me to stumble, it'll be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It's better for you to enter life maimed than with 2 hands to go to hell where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It's better for you to enter life crippled than to have 2 feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out.

It is better you to enter the kingdom of God with 1 eye and to have 2 eyes and be thrown into hell where the worms that eat them do not die and the fire is not quenched. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? Have salt among yourselves. And be at peace with each other.

There's lots of stuff here. Yeah. I mean, there there there are things here. But you used to have well, I used to have young men coming to me and applying this cutting off of the hand to masturbation actually -- Yeah. -- that they would say, you know, what should I do?

And you think, well, hold it. Yeah. So there's lots of stuff here. We get to it. That we we we're not to take literally, but we are to take utterly seriously.

Yes. Aren't we? Yep. So it starts off in verse 41. This this wonderful thing that if you're doing something to the children of God, to the children of the Messiah, the little ones -- Yeah.

-- however small, even a little cup of water -- Yes. To a brother or sister is recognized in heaven. Yeah. Isn't that amazing? That is amazing.

It's not recognized in this world. Is it? No. No. And we don't even maybe recognize it.

No. Because there is another gospel that says, when did I give a couple more? I can't remember doing that. That's right. Yeah.

Yeah. But but God knows it. Right. And not only that, it's rewarded. Yeah.

It's extraordinary. Yeah. It's like there's a, you know, a Hollywood except, you know, you you come up with you're in heaven, you'll come up and Well, that's what a glass of water you gave that bloke. Well done. And that's just a lovely thought, isn't it?

That we don't have to be massively skilled, clever, intellectual -- Yep. -- have certain abilities, just just a very simple thing to a brother or sister. Yep. God loves it. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. That's the first thing, I think. Anyway, But then conversely to that.

So that so that is what you ought to do. But if anyone causes 1 of these little ones those who believe in me, so this bloke has been preaching on the street. Anyone causes him or others like him to stumble it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. And he's saying that to John. So John I mean, John has just told this bloke to shut up, hasn't he?

Yeah. And, you know, he he I think he's gone red in the face here, isn't he? Because Jesus is sort of saying to him don't You know, you're causing him to stumble because he's preaching in my name, and you told him to stop. So, you know, now he's confused. So be careful.

And I'm really careful. So we have to be very careful how we treat brothers and sisters that way. Yep. And that's why there are things in the bible, isn't it like, you know, love covers a multitude of sins in a sense, doesn't it? Yeah.

In other words, I'm not picking on everything. And I'm not out to destroy a brother or sister. Yes. Be very, very careful Jesus is saying. Yeah.

Because it is extraordinary illustration, isn't it? Yes. And then it goes on again. And this is where you get this. If your hand causes you to stumble cut it off, it's better for you to enter life maimed than to have 2 hands and go into hell.

Where the fire never goes out. Then he says the same about the foot and then the same about the eye. It's pretty strong stuff. Now, it can't be literal, can it? Otherwise, I would have you know, to let's be honest, I would have I would have no arms and no legs and no eyes.

Yeah. Everything causes you to stumble. Yeah. But he is saying, hey. Yeah.

You have responsibilities to yourself -- Yes. -- in how you live following me, and that has consequences in how others are looking at you and perhaps little ones. So particularly, you know, if you're a parent and you're living an ungodly life, your children are watching, and you're maybe causing your children to stumble. Yep. So let's be careful here.

Yeah. So what does it mean? Yeah. Well, I mean, what what it is good at is getting you to the crux of the matter. Would would I rather live a pure life with Jesus or would I rather have my hand?

Yeah. And and most of us actually would rather have our hands. Yeah. So it it kind of exposes that within us, doesn't it? And often we want both.

We want Well, I want to keep my hand, but I also, you know Yeah. I mean, because is it the right hand? Does he actually say the right hand? I know in 1 1 of the gospels, it says, the right hand or the right eye. There's nothing wrong with your eye, isn't it?

No. There's nothing wrong with your hand. Yeah. There's nothing wrong with your foot, because they're God made. Right.

Yeah. Yeah. But Even if a good thing -- Yes. -- a God made thing causes you to stumble. Yeah.

So it's like a computer, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. How does that cause you to stumble? Yeah.

And actually, are you prepared to get rid of it? Yeah. Are you prepared to chop it off and get rid of it if it's causing you to stumble. And actually, I mean, that you would think our computer. Come on.

Yeah. But it's a god given thing. It's very useful. Yeah. How do we get on in life without a computer, you know, but if you're watching pornography on that and you're absolutely obsessed, then you need to do something -- Yep.

-- that chops that out. Yeah. Don't you? Now, chucking the computer out is 1 thing -- Yeah. -- throwing the TV out, chucking the box sets out, Yeah.

You may physically want to do that. So there is a literal thing there, isn't there? But there may be other ways of going to a brother and saying help me with this and, you know But it's about it's about I mean Jesus is trying to get you to see the severity of these things. Yeah. Because if we can often sort of float through life and just not really deal with our sin properly.

Mhmm. But Jesus wants us to take it very seriously. Yes. Like look, Do you do you want Do you What's more important to you? Yeah.

Your hand. Come on. Yeah. Or eternal life. Yes.

Yeah. So which are you gonna choose? Because at the moment, you're choosing a hand. It's a little hand. Yeah.

But it's also things like not just your computer, but perhaps you're the friends that you hang out with or -- Yeah. -- the voices that are being spoken into you -- Yeah. -- in in the world. Who who are you choosing to spend your time with and and who's -- Yeah. -- influencing the way to think.

Some music, isn't it? Sometimes it can be very violent and very aggressive and very self. Centers and -- Yeah. -- you've got to think about those words going into you. Yep.

And if that's causing it I mean, some it some may be able to listen to it. But if it's causing you to sin -- Yeah. -- chop it off -- Yeah. -- or alcohol. Yeah.

You know, about the people that turned to alcohol -- Right. There's nothing wrong with alcohol. God creates alcohol for our enjoyment -- Yeah. -- but if you're using it, you know, like a drug, it's -- Yeah. Calming you down and you you're in trouble on here.

Particularly if you are no longer if it's making you no longer salty -- Yeah. -- because Jesus goes on. If salt's good, but if it loses saltiness, how can it how can you make it salty again? So have salt among yourselves. Jesus wants us to be salty to have flavor of the gospel to to be encouraging.

And if we if we are constantly stumbling, it's it's harder to help a brother who's stumbling and help them along, isn't it, if you're stumbling along yourself? Yeah. Absolutely. Don't don't just be an unsalty -- Yeah. -- a salty glass of water.

Well, in other words just following the world, isn't Yeah. So be distinctive -- Yes. -- to bring flavor to the world in 1 sense because you're different and you're distinctive. Yeah. And that means caring for your brother and that might be a glass of water.

Won't be salty water, but fresh water. Yeah. And And in order to do that, to encourage in those little ways, you live the life yourself -- Yep. -- and chop things out where it's it's it's dangerous for you. Too much whatever it is.

It's gonna be painful, isn't it? Sometimes we think, oh, I don't wanna chop that off because it hurts too much. But the eye, the hand, the foot. These are all things that you will notice you're without. Yeah.

But again, Jesus wants you to know this is serious. Yeah. Yeah. And how encouraging to a brother? Mhmm.

If I see you really battling with something and then I see you're you're you're really want to deal with it. Yeah. You're really putting effort into deal with it. Encourages me to say, okay. Well, I need to do the same.

Absolutely. Alright. We'll leave it there, I think.