Mark 9: 38-50 v 41 “If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.”
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop as he wasn’t in our group.” Don’t stop him Jesus said. Anyone who is not against us is for us. If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where the maggots never die, and the fire never goes out. You must have the qualities of salt and live in peace with each other.
The bible was written two thousand years ago and at a time when certain punishments were standard for certain crimes. As a society and as followers of Jesus, the evolution of crime and punishment has changed. Many things in the bible are as relevant today as they were then but others are not. The literal mutilation of another person’s body due to the crime they committed is not something I would support. But I do understand the concept. Change your ways! Do not tolerate in yourself behavior that offends others. Do a small thing in Jesus’s name and be rewarded. Commit a crime and be punished, in earthly terms and eternally. Keep on trying, like salt that can change the taste of a meal by adding such a small amount. to live everyday as Jesus would want, with just a small amount of kindness, a small amount of forgiveness, a small amount of restraint, with the goal of living in peace with each other. Be for what Jesus stood for not against Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father we thank you for the example of your Son , Jesus and we ask that you will encourage His good qualities in us today, in his name. Amen.
CrossWalk 