Skip to main content

Stumble

             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, (Mark 9:47)

            Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)

 

            There are two almost parallel verses just before this one, both of which talk about it being “better to enter life” in a reduced capacity than to be thrown into hell whole. These are difficult statements, even in a time when prosthetics are so readily available. Most people would probably say Jesus was engaging in hyperbole (exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.) Perhaps He was, but let’s consider. What price would you be willing to pay to get into Heaven or avoid Hell?

            In the preceding chapter of Mark, Jesus had challenged those who heard him to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him. If you’re going to carry the instrument of your death with you, are you likely to consider the loss of an eye, if the result is Heaven?

            The problem is that when it comes to heaven we’re blind anyway. But when it comes to the world, the flesh, and our lives, we are very able to see. It’s clear how much of a difficulty being without an eye because it caused us to stumble would be to our lives. At least, we think it’s clear. We’ve seen or read the stories of people who go blind or are paralyzed. We hear about the depression they suffer, and their thought that it would be better to be dead than to live like that. I’m not suggesting it’s not difficult, but life is possible. It can even be a good and full life.

            The key, I suspect, is that we grow in our belief in heaven, not just as a pie in the sky by and by thing, but as real and worth whatever price we may have to pay to gain it. But I should also point out that I’m not suggesting that we can work our way to heaven, but in any relationship, things will cause problems. If that thing, whatever it is, comes between you and God, or between you and Heaven, you have a decision to make. Which is more important?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...