Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Mark 9:42-50
My Oxford Annotated Bible suggests that the references to sins caused by the hand, feet, and eyes suggest that Jesus is talking about sexual sins. (Oftentimes when you see feet mentioned in the Bible, especially the Hebrew scriptures, it is a euphemism for genitals.) Some commentators suggest that Jesus’s words about protecting “little ones” is a warning against sexually abusing minors, something that for a long time, the Church did not take seriously enough.
Our passage ends with the words “be at peace with one another” (9:50). Earlier in Mark 9 we read that the apostles were arguing about who was greatest among them. For me these concluding words hit home how we are not just dealing with what we might consider personal sins. Instead of selfishly satisfying our own needs, I believe that Jesus is calling us to look after each other, a recurring theme in the New Testament.
- Matthew Kieswetter
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