We are in a series of messages that we are calling “Say What?!... Some Head-Scratching Statements of Jesus.” One reason Jesus’ teachings has caused people both then and now to scratch their heads in amazement, wonder, or bewilderment is because His teachings revealed KINGDOM TRUTHS. In Matthew 4:23, we read, “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” The teachings and principles of God’s Kingdom are both counter-cultural and counter-intuitive.
The Kingdom of God was so central to Jesus ministry, that in the model prayer he taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
LAST WEEK, we considered Jesus’ statement, “Love your enemies.” We saw how this teaching was totally opposite of the WORLD’S understanding. The world tells us to divide and conquer. It’s strategy is to pit people against each other. JESUS, however, calls his followers to do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who persecute you.
TODAY, we are going to take a look at one of the most outlandish statements Jesus made:
Mark 9:47, “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 with two eyes to be thrown into hell”
I’m sure you realize Jesus did not mean this literally. If this were the case, every man I know would be blind… including me! Interestingly, there have been those who took these kinds of statements literally. One such person was a man named Origen, who was one of the Early Church Fathers. Having struggled to overcome lust, he took the drastic measure of castrating himself, only to find out that this literal approach to cutting off and tearing out body parts that caused problems didn’t really solved the root problem!
Jesus was using HYPERBOLE to get an important point across. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement for the sake of emphasis. It is also a statement that is not intended to be taken literally. I’m sure you’ve heard examples of hyperbole: “He’s as old as dirt”… “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”… “This suitcase weighs a ton”… “He’s as dumb as a rock”…
In JESUS’ DAY: HYPERBOLE was a form of HUMOR. This means that Jesus was quite the comedian, and for good reason. He understood that laughter is a powerful tool for bringing down people’s defenses and opening up their emotions so they will receive truth. Hard truth is often more easily received if it is delivered with some humor. That’s why Mary Poppins sang, “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!” Truth can be hard medicine and it does the hearer little good if they spit it right out.
We have two dogs, Duke and Belle. Every month I have to give them a Heartworm/Parasite/Flea preventative called Trifexis. It must taste awful, because they will not take it by itself. I’ve tried mixing it in their food, but they’ll eat around it. I’ve tried sandwiching it between two pieces of cheese, but they’ll eat the cheese and spit out the pill. One thing I’ve found that works is PEANUT BUTTER! If I make the pill into a peanut butter ball, they’ll wolf it right down… because a spoonful of sugar (or peanut butter) helps the medicine go down!
In order to get the full impact of Jesus statement, “if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out,” let’s look at it in the teaching context where Jesus used it: MARK 9:42-50. As we work our way through this passage, I want to ask TWO QUESTIONS:
What was Jesus’ point?
Why is this so important?
The first few verses help us answer the first question:
Mark 9:42-48, “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. 43 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. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 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 with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
Jesus’ POINT: Take RADICAL ACTION to AVOID SIN.
In order to take radical action to avoid sin, we need to ask ourselves four things:
1) Am I influencing others for good or for evil? (Mark 9:42)
2) Is what I’m holding on to lifting me up or pulling me down? (9:43)
3) Do I tend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? (9:45)
4) Does Jesus enjoy surfing the internet with me? (9:47)
Now, WHY is this important, and why should we attempt to live this way?
It’s NOT that we should just be good people. Too many have reduced the Christian life to simply being good. Be good for goodness sake. God has much bigger plans for us than to just be good and stay out of trouble. Simply being good for goodness sake is BORING, and God is not boring.
It’s also NOT because we don’t want to DISAPPOINT GOD. I’ve been told, “If you sin, you’ll disappoint God.” I don’t think that it is theologically possible to disappoint God. Think about it for a moment: disappointment is the result of an unmet expectation. For example, you go to a restaurant expecting 5-star service and the food is below average. You are disappointed. Your child has convinced you that he is making all “A’s” but his report card is all “C’s” and “D’s.” You are disappointed. Last year you received a $500 bonus from work at the end of the year, but this year you only received $150. You are disappointed. Why? Because you had an expectation that was not met. God is OMNISCIENT, He is all-knowing, which means he has never had an unmet expectation. He already knows the outcome! So, while there is a reason why we should take radical steps to avoid sin, to keep from disappointing God is not one of them.
THEN WHY? Why is Jesus teaching to take radical steps to avoid sin so important?
CONTINUE READING TEXT:
Mark 9:49-50, “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
What do SALT and FIRE have to do with each other?
SALT:
Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”
I’ve heard many sermons on salt. I’ve heard people say that just as salt was used to cure meat, we are to be a preservative to this world. I’ve heard that just as salt was used for seasoning, we are to spice up the world around us. Those sound great, but there’s one problem: neither of these uses of salt were the primary use for salt in Jesus’ day. Meat was scarce, the average family only ate it once a week, and what they ate was usually alive earlier the same day it was eaten! As far as seasoning is concerned; salt makes you thirsty and so in a land where it rarely rained, salt would not have been the primary seasoning for food.
“EARTH”:
The NT was written in GREEK, but Jesus spoke ARAMAIC, a form of Hebrew. He most likely used the Hebrew word for “earth” which was also used on at least two occasions in the OT to mean “an earthen oven.”
Salt was used in ancient earthen ovens as a catalyst to start the fire. The phrase “lost its TASTE” literally means, “to become foolish” that is, “to lose it’s strength/quality.” In other words, If salt loses its saltiness, it loses its fire-starting ability.
Are you with me? We have an oven… and we have salt… what about the FUEL?
COAL—scarce… WOOD—scarce… arid climate/few trees
Luke 14:34-35, “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil (earth) or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
For us, in the 21st century, this makes no sense. However, for Jesus’ listeners in the 1st century, it made perfect sense. The #1 source of fuel for ovens during this time was MANURE. This means that when these folks barbequed, they didn’t use hickory or mesquite! Instead, they used either donkey, camel, or cow! (Hey honey, how do you want your ribs smoked tonight?)
With this correlation between an Earthen Oven, Manure and Salt, let’s look again at Mark 9:49-50.
Mark 9:49-50, “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Here’s the lesson: “Everyone should be and behave as salt for a fire”
God’s purpose: to inject you as a catalyst into the manure of this world… He wants to use you to start a fire
BUT: You cannot be a CATALYST if you are just like the MANURE … therefore, RADICAL ACTION…
FIRE LIGHTER OR FIRE FIGHTER? (PPT PIC)
My influences… hands… feet… and eyes…
Are you a catalyst?
What in your life is keeping you from being a catalyst?
