Woe to the world because of offenses!

 

 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly,  say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

 

- Matthew 18:1-9 

 

Yesterday we read that while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to the disciples, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful.  When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  He said, "Yes."  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"  Peter said to Him, "From strangers."  Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first.  And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

 

  At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly,  say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me."  My study Bible says that this question, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" indicates a selfish interest in worldly power.  Jesus points to a little child as the model of true discipleship, and thereby emphasizes the virtues required for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.  These are, as listed by my study Bible, humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.  St. Ignatius of Antioch is depicted in Orthodox iconography as this child.  In certain legends of saints, he is the boy who gave the loaves and fishes (John 6:9).

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."  My study Bible explains that little ones include all who have childlike humility and simplicity; all those are poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3).  Jesus made similar statements in the Sermon on the Mount, likening the need for decisive action to avoid sin to the necessary amputation of a diseased limb to prevent the death of the whole body (Matthew 5:29-30).  My study Bible adds that this illustration of avoidance of sin also refers to harmful relationships that must be severed for the salvation of all parties (see Luke 14:26; 1 Corinthians 5:5).

Today is a day in the United States when traditionally families and friends gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday declared by President Abraham Lincoln in the midst of a violent civil war.  In President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation we can read his desire that such a day to give thanks to God would help to bring unity and restore the things that make for peace amidst so much loss.  But in that context, we might try to ask what it means to cut off harmful relationships that must be severed for the salvation of all parties, to which my study Bible refers us in Christ's vivid illustration.   Jesus takes the image of a hand, an eye, a foot which is diseased -- it causes one to sin -- and so must be amputated for the salvation of the whole body (in this case, implying the soul).  If we think of patterns of behavior in the terms of Christ's metaphor, we see the genius at work in these words:  a hand can reach out for what doesn't belong to it, it can strike someone, or commit other abuses.  A foot can walk where it is not welcome, trespassing over boundaries that should not be crossed.  An eye sees by beholding beauty or the good -- or through covetousness to look in predatory fashion, or glare with envy and evil upon another (this is what is meant by evil eye), leading to malice and great harm.  These are all examples of offenses, in particular those which are easily done to the powerless, the little ones, those who look up to leadership for guidance, good structure, care, and true shepherding.  In certain relationships, abuses and harmful behaviors only cause "offenses" to spread.  We might have friends who use a lot of drugs, and drag us into a destructive lifestyle.  Or perhaps there are those addicted to gossip.  We might not like it, but we are dragged into the malice of stories about things we haven't seen and don't know are true, things told out of a desire to malign and take down others who might have something good to envy, and without their side of the story.  Have you ever been hurt by a friend who listened to untrue gossip, and then behaved as if it were all true?  Imagine the harm in the eyes of God to treat a friend who's done nothing against you as if they are suddenly an enemy -- based on a lie someone told you.  We see such manipulation happening all the time, even on a grand scale, when false motivations are attributed to someone, when footage is manipulated and projected on social media, when words are twisted to mean something entirely unintended.  Such things go on everywhere -- in the most intimate of circumstances such as within family, and even to the greater scale of nations and the world in international dimensions (and frequently are done deliberately for this effect).  We have a responsibility to separate ourselves and even sever relations, as my study Bible indicates, to stop the progress of such evil things in their tracks.  This is because it is in the nature of such behavior and the things it spreads to progress; they do not remain simple one-time facts or events that have no effect.  It is similar to the spiritual path a person is on:  one is either going in a good direction or one needs to turn around, to repent.  There is no standing still.  Abuse within families leads only to greater harm the more it is enabled and allowed to continue.  Sin spreads and infects more relationships, even transmitting to generations.  Jesus' admonition to act decisively to amputate what is diseased and will in turn infect other parts of the body -- eventually leading to death of the whole body unless severed -- is an important illustration of the ways that sin works among us, within us, and in our communities of whatever size and depth of relationship we can name.  We say that family and friendships, and loyalties of all kinds are cherished and prized -- but not if they spread harm, or horror, or a kind of spiritual disease that does no one any good and only spreads trauma.  If the greater thing that results from being together is more harm, unfair treatment, anger, harsh strife or other new and additional sin, we must rethink what it means to cherish.  We have to consider where we go and what we do, and every word that proceeds from our mouths (Matthew 12:36), because our choices have effects which spread to others, and also damage the souls within ourselves.  We are to seek to live, on the other hand, by "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God," so that we walk a good path, make a  good contribution to the world, and strengthen the good among the relationships we prize and in those whom we love.  Let us be grateful today for the good things we can receive and share, and the power to discern what we do not want, for the greater good of us all.