But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea

 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where

'Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.'

"And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where

'Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.'

"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where

'Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.'

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

- Mark 9:42-50

Yesterday, we read that Jesus and the disciples departed from the region of Caesarea Philippi and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'"  We recall from yesterday's reading that "these little ones" include those who are poor in spirit, those who are humble:  that is, the "little ones" in the Church who will be members of the flock.  These men, the Twelve, are the ones destined to lead the Church in all kinds of ways.  But Jesus stresses their job is caring and service.  This warning to the disciples is therefore extremely dire.  They are the ones who have been with Him, trained with Him, and their responsibility is therefore appropriately grave.  In that context, as those who are eminently responsible for their conduct in His name, as apostles and disciples, comes the warning about hell fire, sacrifice, and testing.  And this warning is about how they use their power to care for the "little ones" -- the people who are not in the strong positions in their flock, those who are vulnerable and need their care, teaching, and leadership.  So strong is this warning that three times we receive the quotation regarding hellfire, from Isaiah 66:24.

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."  My study bible suggests that being seasoned with fire means being tested to see if one's faith and works are truly genuine (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15).  It says, "In saying every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt, Jesus is quoting Leviticus 2:13, in which salt stands for the remembrance of God's covenant with His people."

Jesus' words today are inspirational in terms of the quality of leadership that He wants to see in His Church.  These words He's addressing to those men who will go on to be the founders and leaders of the Church:  the first apostles and disciples, who have been directly trained by Him.  Repeatedly in the Gospels we're given the understanding that those who have received the greatest teachings become the most responsible as the effect of having received such blessings.  In other words, the greater the gift of teachings and instruction, the greater responsibility rests on those who have been so blessed.  These men, therefore, are being reminded of just how solemn their undertaking really is, how binding their discipleship, and how strict judgment will be with them in particular.  And it all hinges on their treatment of the "little ones."  In yesterday's reading, we began with the fact that having immediately decided that the fulfillment of the Kingdom was at hand  (based upon Jesus' words about His rise on the third day) -- the first thing the disciples did was to dispute one another about who would be greatest in that Kingdom.  Thus, His teaching to them begun in yesterday's reading and completed in today's really reflects a distinction about what we do with our instincts for power.  We can see the acute warnings made in today's reading as that which is the strongest possible discouragement against abuses of power, against an impulse to exploit those weaker in a hierarchy in any possible way.  Given the responsibilities conferred upon these men by virtue of their training with Christ, His dire warning -- repeated three times -- about the dangers of hellfire should they be guilty of  "causing a little one to stumble"  comes as a blessing to all of us.  It's a warning about the temptations to power, the greatest caution possible against using their positions of authority and influence for personal gain -- as opposed to His teaching that the greatest among them would be the servant of all.  This is why radical teachings on humility are embraced traditionally by the Church and why humility is considered the crown of all virtues; it becomes particularly necessary for those who are in a position to influence and lead the "littlest ones."  Jesus' system of hierarchy posed here teaches us that, indeed, the greater the blessings of knowledge and instruction, the greater the responsibility for putting it into action, and for remembering always His commandments.  In Matthew's Gospel, when Jesus teaches the disciples to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven," my study bible adds a note that such virtues as those we are discussing have both a personal and a public function, because such virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  Therefore, in such a "light," we also understand how important their use of power will be, how important this issue will always be in the Church.  We can certainly see from current issues and concerns its essential nature as Jesus' basic teaching to us.  We might well add the teachings on salt here -- that salt, used as a preservative, is a symbolic reminder of covenant, and therefore potently acts as a remembrance for them of these His teachings, these His commandments.  Therefore keeping peace with one another becomes another facet of this remembrance of covenant, His commandments to them, particularly regarding humility and the use of power.  After all, these teachings came as they disputed who would be greatest at their first conclusion of the coming of His Kingdom in its fullness.   What we have, then, is a system of privilege that conveys responsibility for the whole, and especially never to forget the care of the littlest and least powerful, those at the edges, who follow in faith and in trust.  How could we get a more dire warning to leadership that fails in keeping the responsibility of privileges?  Let us remember, also, that we are each given these teachings.  Therefore, we each have such a responsibility, and the blessings of His instruction.  How do we keep our salt and remember in our daily lives?  How do we practice His commands, both personally and privately?  It is something important and essential, just like salt -- and we must remember the testing of fire.  The drastic teachings about cutting off what offends:  a hand, a foot, an eye, are about ridding ourselves of those things that interfere with following His words about power and humility with purity of heart.  Whatever interferes or conflicts with our remembrance and practice has to go!