Urgency



Matthew 18:5-9
5“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!
8And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.
9And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.


As Jesus continues to teach His disciples, He also knows that His Passion is drawing ever closer. The amount of time He has to teach them is short. In our reading for today there is a feeling of urgency. These are important concepts and He uses hyperbole to get His point across.

There are two warnings in these verses. First, if you are going to be a person who influences others know that doing so comes with responsibilities. Your message must be one that comes from God for the punishment for purposely leading others astray is dire. For me personally, these verses are a serious warning every time I read them. There are consequences for putting this information (and my spin on it) out there! It is not to be taken lightly but with all seriousness.

The second warning is for the person who leads or teaches others. (Another personal note - that includes everyone for we all influence at least a few people in our lives. You don't have to carry the title teacher or preacher to be included in these warnings!) Jesus points out that we must be self-aware enough to realize that we are all leading someone. People are watching you and copying your life in some way. If you are embracing your sin others will assume that is a good way to go. Once again, the consequences for that are dire.

This is a tough passage. But we have to always keep everything in balance. Yes, we are responsible to those we lead to show them a path that lead toward God rather than away from Him. But we are also a people who are deeply loved and constantly guided ourselves by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We are only two days into the Easter season where where we remember that Jesus died for our failures and brings redemption when we sin. The passage for today isn't meant to bring condemnation ("for this is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" - Romans 8:1) but warning. We cannot slide through life unaware of the impact of our actions; nor can we condemn ourselves. The balances lies in Jesus.
 


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