When Peter spoke about all that he and the disciples had given up in order to follow Jesus, Jesus replied by assuring them that no one who had left house, brothers or sisters, mothers or fathers, children, or fields because of Him or the gospel would fail to be compensated one hundredfold now, and in the age to come eternal life. This conversation took place on the road to Jerusalem.
Jesus was leading the way, and those who were following Him were not only astonished, they were afraid. It is curious to me that after assuring His followers of the blessings that would be theirs as His followers, He now began to tell them what would happen to Him when He got to Jerusalem. “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priest and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death. Then they will mock Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him, and He will rise after three days” (Mark 10:33,34).
What was the response of Jesus’ followers to this sobering pronouncement? John and his brother James approached Jesus and asked Him for a favor. I think they must have still been thinking about what they would receive since they had given up their fishing boat and left their father Zebedee to follow Jesus. “Allow us to sit at Your right and Your left in Your glory” (Mark 10:37). Jesus didn’t rebuke them. Instead, He pointed out that they didn’t know what they were asking. The other disciples were furious when they heard what the two brothers had requested! They were indignant! But why were they indignant? I think it was because they all expected the place of honor. When Jesus had promised that they would receive 100 times more at this time—houses, brother and sisters, mothers and children, and fields—somehow they had missed the last thing Jesus had said, “with persecution.”
Jesus used this opportunity to teach them about the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of men. “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their men of high position exercise power over them. But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all” (Mark 10:42-44).
There was the promise, but with it persecution, There was to be power executed with the heart of a servant. There was the fulfillment of the prophecies written in Isaiah. The disciples were going up to Jerusalem knowing that Jesus was the promised Messiah. They were hoping that finally Jesus would make His name known to their adversaries and that the nations would tremble at His presence! But their spiritual eyes had not yet been open and they couldn’t yet see that the king was coming as a man of sorrows. He had told them that He would be despised and rejected, but their spiritual ears had not been opened. They didn’t understand that in order for them to inherit the kingdom of God that the Messiah would first have to pour out His soul in death and be numbered with the transgressors. He was going to Jerusalem to bear the sins of many by His death on the cross. But there was also the promise of the resurrection. But as yet their spiritual eyes were blind and their spiritual ears were deaf.
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Thursday, December 5, 2019
All Things Are Possible With God (Mark 23-27)
The offer was accepted and she reached out and took what was forbidden. With her first bite her eyes were opened. Eyes that before had only seen the goodness of God now saw evil. With the knowledge of evil came the death of innocence. The curse was spoken and sorrow and grief were born. The creation that God had declared good now became infested with thorns. Man whom God had made in His image and declared to be “very good” was now destined to die and to return to the dust from which he had been formed. Cherubim were stationed with flaming, whirling swords to guard the way to the tree of life. Paradise was lost. It was now impossible for a sinful man to have access to a holy God. But with the curse a promise was given that one day a Deliverer would come. “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
Time passed, and the promise was given to Abraham that it would be through his descendants that the Deliverer would come. But the years came and went until hope was lost. Abraham and his wife Sarah were cursed with infertility. “But by faith even Sarah, when she was barren, received power to conceive, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful.” “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27)
What happened to the descendants of Abraham through whom this promised Deliverer was to come? In only a short time they were in Egypt, bound as slaves to Pharaoh. Pharaoh, who was not only ruler of one of the most powerful nations on earth, but who was considered by others and by himself to be a god. Abraham’s descendants were in Egypt, powerless and without hope of ever being set free. “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). After 400 years in Egypt God said to Moses, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6). How was deliverance accomplished? It was with the blood of a lamb and the death of the firstborn son.
For generations both the promise and the curse strove together until in the fullness of time the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah. Again a woman past the time of childbearing, who had suffered with infertility, was to be the mother of a son. Next, Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would conceive and give birth to a son, whom she was to call Jesus. Her son would be called Son of the most High, and He was to have a kingdom that would have no end. When Gabriel told Mary that her relative Elisabeth had conceived a son in her old age he added, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
At last the promised Deliverer came. There was the pain of childbirth, but with it came the promise of hope. Jesus entered into a world that was enslaved by sin and sorrow. He heard the desperate cry of mothers and fathers who watched their children being destroyed and were helpless to save them. He stood at the grave of His friend and heard and felt the grief of death. The sweat of His brow became blood as He accomplished the work of salvation. The curse of thorns that infested the ground became a crown that He wore while on the cross. It was impossible for man to break the curse that came with the knowledge of evil. But what is impossible with man is possible with God. When Zechariah’s son John saw Jesus he proclaimed, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Jesus told His disciples that with men it was impossible for anyone to be saved. “So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Looking at them, Jesus said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:26,27). So the curse has been broken and what was impossible has now been made possible by God. Now what is offered is not the knowledge of good and evil but a breaking of the curse that evil brought, and entrance into the Kingdom of God!
Time passed, and the promise was given to Abraham that it would be through his descendants that the Deliverer would come. But the years came and went until hope was lost. Abraham and his wife Sarah were cursed with infertility. “But by faith even Sarah, when she was barren, received power to conceive, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful.” “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27)
What happened to the descendants of Abraham through whom this promised Deliverer was to come? In only a short time they were in Egypt, bound as slaves to Pharaoh. Pharaoh, who was not only ruler of one of the most powerful nations on earth, but who was considered by others and by himself to be a god. Abraham’s descendants were in Egypt, powerless and without hope of ever being set free. “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). After 400 years in Egypt God said to Moses, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6). How was deliverance accomplished? It was with the blood of a lamb and the death of the firstborn son.
For generations both the promise and the curse strove together until in the fullness of time the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah. Again a woman past the time of childbearing, who had suffered with infertility, was to be the mother of a son. Next, Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would conceive and give birth to a son, whom she was to call Jesus. Her son would be called Son of the most High, and He was to have a kingdom that would have no end. When Gabriel told Mary that her relative Elisabeth had conceived a son in her old age he added, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
At last the promised Deliverer came. There was the pain of childbirth, but with it came the promise of hope. Jesus entered into a world that was enslaved by sin and sorrow. He heard the desperate cry of mothers and fathers who watched their children being destroyed and were helpless to save them. He stood at the grave of His friend and heard and felt the grief of death. The sweat of His brow became blood as He accomplished the work of salvation. The curse of thorns that infested the ground became a crown that He wore while on the cross. It was impossible for man to break the curse that came with the knowledge of evil. But what is impossible with man is possible with God. When Zechariah’s son John saw Jesus he proclaimed, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Jesus told His disciples that with men it was impossible for anyone to be saved. “So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Looking at them, Jesus said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:26,27). So the curse has been broken and what was impossible has now been made possible by God. Now what is offered is not the knowledge of good and evil but a breaking of the curse that evil brought, and entrance into the Kingdom of God!
Monday, December 2, 2019
The Goodness of God and Eternal Life (Mark 10:17-22)
The definition of identity is who you are, the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world, and the characteristics that define you.* In the book of Mark there was a man who came and knelt before Jesus. We don’t know his name, only his identity. He was rich, he was young, and he was a ruler. He identified Jesus as “Good Teacher,” and I believe he also saw himself as good. He wanted to know how to be good enough to inherit eternal life.
Jesus responded to his question with a question, “Why do you call me good? Then He went on to say, “No one is good but One -- God” (Mark 10:18). I see myself in this story. When you’re from a large family it’s very important to claim an identity. My nickname was “Saint Sarah,” which might give a hint as to the identity that I was going for. Like the rich young ruler I didn’t just want to be good, I wanted to be good enough for God.
Jesus then listed what I would call the “horizontal commandments,” the ones about how we are to relate to each other. The young man responded that he had kept all these from his youth. Jesus gazed with love at this young, rich ruler, and told him that he was lacking one thing: “Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come follow Me.” With this the man went away sorrowing because the truth was revealed. He didn’t love God with all his heart. He had made his wealth an idol that he couldn’t let go of.
If the rich man had sold everything he owned and given it to the poor, would he have purchased eternal life? If he had followed Jesus, where would Jesus have led him? Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem where He was to be crucified. At the cross everyone who had followed Jesus fled. No one proved good enough to obey the commandment to love God with all your heart...no one. Why? Because no one is good but One -- God.
I believe the truth is that we all cling to one idol or another. There is the desire that was born in the garden, offered by the serpent, that we might be like God. I know I wanted to be good enough for God, but I learned that it was, “when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).
*YourDictionary
Jesus responded to his question with a question, “Why do you call me good? Then He went on to say, “No one is good but One -- God” (Mark 10:18). I see myself in this story. When you’re from a large family it’s very important to claim an identity. My nickname was “Saint Sarah,” which might give a hint as to the identity that I was going for. Like the rich young ruler I didn’t just want to be good, I wanted to be good enough for God.
Jesus then listed what I would call the “horizontal commandments,” the ones about how we are to relate to each other. The young man responded that he had kept all these from his youth. Jesus gazed with love at this young, rich ruler, and told him that he was lacking one thing: “Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come follow Me.” With this the man went away sorrowing because the truth was revealed. He didn’t love God with all his heart. He had made his wealth an idol that he couldn’t let go of.
If the rich man had sold everything he owned and given it to the poor, would he have purchased eternal life? If he had followed Jesus, where would Jesus have led him? Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem where He was to be crucified. At the cross everyone who had followed Jesus fled. No one proved good enough to obey the commandment to love God with all your heart...no one. Why? Because no one is good but One -- God.
I believe the truth is that we all cling to one idol or another. There is the desire that was born in the garden, offered by the serpent, that we might be like God. I know I wanted to be good enough for God, but I learned that it was, “when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).
*YourDictionary
Monday, November 18, 2019
Childlike Faith (Mark 10:13-16)
Sitting on my bureau in my bedroom is a statue of Jesus embracing a little lamb. Sometimes when I look at it my mind travels back to a time when I was a little girl sitting by my grandfather’s bed.
My grandfather had come to America from Italy as a young man to help build the railroads. When World War I began he went back to Europe to fight. He was gassed in the trenches in France. After the war he immigrated to the USA and worked as a coal miner. He survived the Great Depression and then sent his two sons to fight in World War II. When I was a little girl I was quite sure that my grandfather was the strongest man who ever lived. That is, until the Summer that he had his stroke. When he was finally able to come home it was in a wheelchair. They set up a hospital bed in the living room, and his world was reduced to the kitchen, living room and front porch.
After his stroke I spent many hours sitting with him listening to stories about the “old country”. He told me how he missed the country of his childhood. One day when he was telling me about his father, his voice choked with emotion. That’s when I remembered the picture that he had in his bedroom upstairs. I knew that he would not be able to climb the stairs again, so I brought his father’s picture downstairs and hung it where he could look at it from his hospital bed.
My grandfather filled my mind with stories about his childhood in Italy. As I listened to him it was as if the years were melted away. All the hardships that he had known, the war, the struggle to survive, his concerns about providing for his family, faded into the background. It was also during this time that I began to read the gospel to him. I can still hear his voice in my memory saying, “Sada, tell me again the story of Jesus.
One day I found granddad crying. I now know that depression often comes when people have had a stroke. One of the stories my grandfather had told me was about how he had cared for sheep when he was a boy. I found a picture of Jesus holding a little lamb and brought it to him. “Granddad, you are like this lamb Jesus is holding in his arms. When you were young and strong you were like the other lambs in this picture, running all over the field. But now Jesus holds you close to His heart.”
I think about my grandfather when I read that Jesus said, “Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will not never enter it” (Mark 10:15). I can still hear the echo of my grandfather’s childlike faith saying, “Sada, tell me again the story of Jesus.”
My grandfather had come to America from Italy as a young man to help build the railroads. When World War I began he went back to Europe to fight. He was gassed in the trenches in France. After the war he immigrated to the USA and worked as a coal miner. He survived the Great Depression and then sent his two sons to fight in World War II. When I was a little girl I was quite sure that my grandfather was the strongest man who ever lived. That is, until the Summer that he had his stroke. When he was finally able to come home it was in a wheelchair. They set up a hospital bed in the living room, and his world was reduced to the kitchen, living room and front porch.
After his stroke I spent many hours sitting with him listening to stories about the “old country”. He told me how he missed the country of his childhood. One day when he was telling me about his father, his voice choked with emotion. That’s when I remembered the picture that he had in his bedroom upstairs. I knew that he would not be able to climb the stairs again, so I brought his father’s picture downstairs and hung it where he could look at it from his hospital bed.
My grandfather filled my mind with stories about his childhood in Italy. As I listened to him it was as if the years were melted away. All the hardships that he had known, the war, the struggle to survive, his concerns about providing for his family, faded into the background. It was also during this time that I began to read the gospel to him. I can still hear his voice in my memory saying, “Sada, tell me again the story of Jesus.
One day I found granddad crying. I now know that depression often comes when people have had a stroke. One of the stories my grandfather had told me was about how he had cared for sheep when he was a boy. I found a picture of Jesus holding a little lamb and brought it to him. “Granddad, you are like this lamb Jesus is holding in his arms. When you were young and strong you were like the other lambs in this picture, running all over the field. But now Jesus holds you close to His heart.”
I think about my grandfather when I read that Jesus said, “Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will not never enter it” (Mark 10:15). I can still hear the echo of my grandfather’s childlike faith saying, “Sada, tell me again the story of Jesus.”
Monday, November 11, 2019
The Challenge (Mark 10:1-10)
It was to be a place to know and to be known, a place where you could be completely vulnerable and safe because you were loved. It was God’s design; a miracle where He would take that which was ordinary and by His presence make it extraordinary. It was a subject close to the heart of God, a perfect target for the Pharisees to strike. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” (Mark 10:2)
Into whose face did the Pharisees spit this challenge, this question about their right to break the covenant of marriage and send away one whom they had promised to love and cherish? It was Jesus, whose first miracle was to change water into wine at the wedding feast. Jesus, who represented God’s faithful unfailing love despite His creation’s unfaithfulness. Although Jesus knew the law He asked, “What did Moses command you?” (Mark 10:3)
Jesus asked what was commanded by Moses, but they responded with what was permitted, not commanded. The law written on stone tablets had been given to show an unholy people how to relate to a holy God. Jesus used this exchange to expose the hardness of their self-righteous hearts. The Greek word that Jesus used for hardness of heart is sklerokardia. It means “hard because dry”, hardness of heart because of a lack of moisture (lubricant); an obstinate, hard heart which lacks the oil of the Holy Spirit and hence implies rebellion -- i.e., someone refusing to be receptive ( obedient) to God’s inworking of faith.*
Then Jesus took them back to the garden before man’s heart had become hardened by sin, before the rebellion. He took them back to the time when the Creator had surveyed all that He had made and had declared with great satisfaction that it was very good. He had given to the man someone who was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. The gift of love was given, a place to know and be known, where they could be naked and unashamed.
What the Pharisees didn’t know was that this same Jesus with whom they spoke was the very one who spoke the world into being. He had been there after the serpent came to tear the hearts apart that He had joined together. He had grieved when the dream of love had turned to shame. They had sought permission to rip two hearts apart, but Jesus had come to restore what was lost in the garden. He came to heal every broken heart. He came to turn the water into wine.
*HELPS Word-Studies
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
“Salted By Fire” (Mark 9:49,50)
There was tension among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest, and so the argument ensued. This was possibly due to Jesus’ taking Peter, James and John up on the mountain while the other disciples were left in the valley. However, when Jesus asked what they had been arguing about they were silent. Jesus’ response to their prideful jealousy reminded me of Isaiah 66:2: “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” In other words, God looks with favor on those who have a correct view of themselves because they have a correct view of God.
Jesus ended this chapter by say, “For everyone will be salted with fire” (Mark 9:49). As I meditated on this verse another story came to my mind that involved both jealousy and fire. As the Israelites were traveling across the wilderness to the Promised Land an argument arose among the sons of Levi. The tribe of Levi had been chosen by God to serve Him, but Aaron and his sons were appointed as priests. Korah was also a Levite, but he became jealous of both Moses and Aaron which led to a rebellion. Korah came against them and said, “You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” (Numbers 16:3).
The book of Numbers says of Moses that he was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. So the contest was a picture of how, when we are called into God’s service, we should present ourselves. God Himself settled the issue that arose between Korah and Moses and Aaron. He told Moses and Aaron and all the followers of Korah to meet before the tent of meeting. Each man was to take a firepan, place fire in it and put incense on it. When God’s glory appeared a fire came out from Him and consumed the 250 men who were presenting the incense. The fire of the Lord sanctified His humble servants but destroyed those who came before Him in pride.
Chapter 9 in Mark begins by talking about the kingdom of God coming in power and it ends with a warning about judgment. “Everyone will be salted with fire” (Mark 9:49). Fire can be purifying. When I look at Peter’s life I see how his faith was tested and purified by fire. He rebuked Jesus when Jesus spoke of His suffering. However, when the test came and Jesus was being mocked by the high priest, Peter denied that he knew Him. Fire came in a blaze and exposed Peter’s heart. He wept as the fire burned away his pride, leaving him humble and contrite.
“Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50). Pride causes dissension. But where the fire is truly burning, all that can be seen is the blaze. So it is with the glory of of God. When we see Him in His gory we will have a right understanding of who we are, because we’ll have a right understanding of who He is. Where there is humility towards God and others, there is peace.
Chapter 9 in Mark begins by talking about the kingdom of God coming in power and it ends with a warning about judgment. “Everyone will be salted with fire” (Mark 9:49). Fire can be purifying. When I look at Peter’s life I see how his faith was tested and purified by fire. He rebuked Jesus when Jesus spoke of His suffering. However, when the test came and Jesus was being mocked by the high priest, Peter denied that he knew Him. Fire came in a blaze and exposed Peter’s heart. He wept as the fire burned away his pride, leaving him humble and contrite.
“Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50). Pride causes dissension. But where the fire is truly burning, all that can be seen is the blaze. So it is with the glory of of God. When we see Him in His gory we will have a right understanding of who we are, because we’ll have a right understanding of who He is. Where there is humility towards God and others, there is peace.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
How Do You Respond? (Mark 9:42-49)
How do you respond to a warning? Maybe it depends on where the warning comes from. What if the warning comes from God?
God sent warnings in the Old Testament, “And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place” (2 Chronicles 36:15). It was God’s compassion that was the impetus for the warnings. But how were they received? Look at Jeremiah. He is known as the weeping prophet. He was God’s messenger. His heart was full of compassion, and his heart broke as he watched those who heard his message refuse to change their ways. Instead they became objectives of God’s wrath.
Jesus also gave us warnings. He had taken a child in his arms when He told His disciples that whoever received a child in His name received Him. But that wasn’t all He said. I believe that Jesus was still embracing the child when He gave this warning, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42). Jesus warns of a severe punishment to anyone who would cause a child to sin.
“And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:42-48).
STOP! STOP! Let’s talk about hyperbole! Surely Jesus was using an intentional overstatement and didn’t mean what He said! Yes, I do believe it was hyperbole, it was an intentional overstatement to express the severity of the warning. How would you sin with your hand? Would it be theft, or murder? How would you sin with your feet? Could that mean going somewhere to undertake a sinful activity? Is Jesus really saying that the sins we do with our eyes--such as coveting, lusting or adultery--are so odious in His sight that it would be better to be blind? An even more important question is this, how do we respond to the warnings Jesus has given us?
There is another question raised by these words of Jesus. He talks about being thrown into hell. This too is a warning, but is it hyperbole as well? I believe that the best way to interpret Scripture is to use other Scripture. So come with me to the end of time and look at what is shown to us in Revelation 20:11-15. “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
And so we have been warned, But how do we respond to this warning?
God sent warnings in the Old Testament, “And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place” (2 Chronicles 36:15). It was God’s compassion that was the impetus for the warnings. But how were they received? Look at Jeremiah. He is known as the weeping prophet. He was God’s messenger. His heart was full of compassion, and his heart broke as he watched those who heard his message refuse to change their ways. Instead they became objectives of God’s wrath.
Jesus also gave us warnings. He had taken a child in his arms when He told His disciples that whoever received a child in His name received Him. But that wasn’t all He said. I believe that Jesus was still embracing the child when He gave this warning, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42). Jesus warns of a severe punishment to anyone who would cause a child to sin.
“And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:42-48).
STOP! STOP! Let’s talk about hyperbole! Surely Jesus was using an intentional overstatement and didn’t mean what He said! Yes, I do believe it was hyperbole, it was an intentional overstatement to express the severity of the warning. How would you sin with your hand? Would it be theft, or murder? How would you sin with your feet? Could that mean going somewhere to undertake a sinful activity? Is Jesus really saying that the sins we do with our eyes--such as coveting, lusting or adultery--are so odious in His sight that it would be better to be blind? An even more important question is this, how do we respond to the warnings Jesus has given us?
There is another question raised by these words of Jesus. He talks about being thrown into hell. This too is a warning, but is it hyperbole as well? I believe that the best way to interpret Scripture is to use other Scripture. So come with me to the end of time and look at what is shown to us in Revelation 20:11-15. “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
And so we have been warned, But how do we respond to this warning?
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