# Today’s lecturer is co-pastor Mizuguchi

1. Disciples cause little ones to sin

Last Sunday we learned that Jesus predicted his death three times and why. The scripture portrayed reaction of the Twelve who could not understand Jesus’ intention to die on the Cross. Jesus said to them “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."(Mark 9:31) because they did not acknowledge the meaning of the first prediction and discussed about who would be the first in the Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus tried to put them right ;- Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” and “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:35,37))

Today’s reading portion is situated in that context and tells about the alert given by Jesus to those who “cause little ones to sin.”

After hearing Jesus’ teaching, John, one of his disciples changed the subject ;- “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."(Mark 9;38)

John was also called Son of Thunder which allow us to imagine easily his determined character (Mark 3:17). He did not let persons to perform healing acts under Jesus’ name without any permission and ordered them not to continue.

Then he reported it to Jesus because he thought Jesus should appreciate that conduct. But ;- “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:39-41)

Jesus told them repeatedly to welcome little ones, like children, and now he tells John to abandoning exclusive attitude and to accept those who are not of their group. Jesus says such a stance also cause neighbors to sin.

We should lean that teaching as to be taught to us too. Actually in Japanese protestant churches split in numerous denominations and each of them insists on its theological genuineness. They dispute among them by accusing each other as to be heretic. The tendency was once criticized correctly by a Dutch pastor Hendrik Kraemer* when he visited Japan. He said in one of his lectures that he could not understand why Japanese christians, despite the very small number of 1 % of the population, could not remain in harmony. He said that we must think sincerely about Jesus’ prayer, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one."(see John 17:11)

The Bible compels us to open our mind and hands.;- There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.(Deuteronomy 15:11)

We must be openhanded toward persons of any type. Those who are not offensive to us are friends as Jesus said. By throwing out persons who do not share the same thinking or cultural base we consequently throw out Jesus. Besides the atmosphere of a narrow-minded church makes christians very often arrogant then they begin to seek superiority to others. Jesus should leave such a church. He taught us to be tolerant and broad-minded. Today, after the worship, we will discuss about reconstruction of our church building. So let us pay attention to the appearance of the building which should symbolize the very spirit of openness.

2. Do not cause little ones to sin

The following part from 9:42 contains Jesus’ teaching concerning misleading behaviors . ;- “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.(Mark 9:42)

The word “cause to sin” here is translated in King James version ” offend,” which indicates also an opposite attitude to ” welcome” and “little ones” means the weak in faith and social status. We find a similar issue in Romans chapter 14, conflicts among believers inside the early church. Paul wrote ;- Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.(Romans 14:1-3)

In the time of Paul, meat which had been given to pagan temples as offerings were sold in shops after the rite. So some christians considered consumption of meat to be participation to pagan worships and condemned those who ate any meat as sinners. However, in contrast, those who thought that all foods were God’s gifs criticized such an attitude. Therefore Paul tells to all those people ;- If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.(Romans 14:15)

He said not to distress our brothers because of what we eat. Besides Acts reported another passage which concerns the similar issue of customs.;- So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them."(Acts 11:2-3)

Besides Peter was condemned by the church of Jerusalem for sharing table with uncircumcised new christians. The fact reveals that segregational thinking was dominant even in the church, for example “uncircumcised persons were impure” or ” christian must not eat with pagans.”

Certain Japanese protestant churches have the tradition to criticize consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. And very often those who do not drink or smoke attack alcohol drinkers or smokers. This way various stumbling blocks to the genuine faith are generated even inside the church, we admit it. But we must not offend neighbors for having different tastes or customs.

3. Do not sin

The passage from 9:43 concerns what we must do if we had sinned. Jesus says ;- If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell(Mark 9:43-47)

Strong words ! All those parts of body symbolize sinful desires which tempt us. Matthew wrote the same teaching in more explicative way ;- “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.(Matthew 5:27-29)

If adultery is committed when a man look at a woman lustfully, almost all men should be culpable because it is almost impossible for ordinary men to control sexual desire. But the lesson of that severe teaching is not about condemnation but of about forgiveness. Because it says that those sinful men could be forgiven ultimately if they repent. Judgement is not the final end but the opening of the path to the salvation. As Jesus said if we cut off our sinful desires, alluded with “hand, foot, and, eye,” we could be forgiven.

John treated the same theme in another episode ;- The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (John 8:3-5)

Women alone were accused and condemned for adultery, not men in that era. The scene describes how the teachers of the law and the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus. And Jesus’ reaction was totally unexpected ;- But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."(John 8:6-7)

What happened then is this;- At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.(John 8:9)

At that moment Jesus commenced conversation with her ;- “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin."(John 8:10-11)

Jesus knew very well how weak humans were therefore he did not condemn but forgave sinners if they repented and even encouraged them.

We should understand Mark 9 as the message of forgiveness. Thus judgement opens the path to a new life, not to the condemnation. We chose Mark 9:49-50 for today’s invocation verses ;- Everyone will be salted with fire."Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Matthew wrote the famous portion “Salt and Light” in accordance with the verses above ;- “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.(Matthew 5:13)

Matthew’s writing tells us that christians as Jesus’ followers should continue working as salt of the earth, which hinder the world from deterioration. In the context of Mark’s the salt is also referred to a directive of Leviticus ;- Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.(Leviticus 2;13)

Grain offerings must be seasoned and purified with salt. Mark alludes this way to life of Jesus who died on the Cross as the sacrifice in order to redeem sinful humans. Sacrifice on the Cross must be seasoned with salt. Thus his followers follow in footsteps of Jesus by keeping that salt inside them to live in peace without sin. Mark emphasizes that christians, redeemed by Jesus, can be severe with themselves but must be tolerant with brothers and not to cause others to sin. Paul also said;- Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.(Romans 15:7)

We will construct our church building in which the faith based on open and forgiving mind would be consolidated and spread to the world.
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*Hendrik Kraemer http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/323105/Hendrik-Kraemer