Most of us take the passage Matthew 18:8-9 and apply it to the separation of sin. Which to say it is true. "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." However, looking at why Jesus said these words gave me a different view of Matthew 18:8-9.
This chapter starts when Jesus called a child and placed him in front of the disciples. "He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me'" (2-5). Right after this, Jesus speaks warning about negatively influencing children. "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (6). Then Jesus point on the world and it's influence. "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!" (8). Then we see Jesus talks about the hand, foot, or an eye which serves sin. The passage Matthew 18:8-9 is placed in the conversation about children, not just sin. Right after the words, "It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell," Jesus says this, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones" (10). Another words, the illustration of cutting off hand, foot, gouging an eye and throwing away speaks in the context of bad influence towards the little ones.
We know that children model other behavior. They learn good or bad behavior from someone else, then act it out in their life. This reminds me of my cousin Denis how in his simple mind, invited most of the church to his fifth birthday. He called the pastor, me, and other people who are fifteen and twenty years older then him thinking all would come. The simple heart is open to those who surrounds him. Being the source of wrong influence, Jesus says it is better "to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (6). Next time when we are around the little ones, we should think about what influence do we have on them?
"'If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:6-10
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