Child and Choice.
Choice is an important part of salvation. We choose to receive Jesus into our lives, or we choose to reject His claims to be our Saviour and Lord.
Verses From Mark
I will read several verses from Mark chapter 9 about a Child and a Choice.
“And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’”
Mark 9:36-37 ESV
A Child
A child was the least important person in Jesus’ world. By using a child as his object lesson, Jesus is saying that serving God involves caring about people, even little people like children. Concern for the protection of children was not invented by the government: It goes back to the teaching of Jesus.
Coming to God “as a child” does not mean kids are innocent. Watch children playing together and that idea will go out the window. I don’t think, “coming as a child” means coming with trustfulness or wonder, even though those are beautiful qualities. I think Jesus is talking about what every child feels who has ever lived, no matter what race or culture or background: Helplessness. Dependence. That’s how we need to come to Jesus.
The “Old Rugged Cross” says it so well: “Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace: Foul, I to the fountain fly – Wash me, Savior, or I die.”
In Mark 9:41 Jesus said,
“For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.”
Mark 9:41
A Choice
The encouraging words about a cup of cold water are replaced by fearful words in the next verses. Jesus sometimes uses extremely upsetting and graphic wording. Massive, burning, garbage heaps that never stop burning. Eternal hell as unquenchable fire. Jesus says this in a strong way, so that we don’t take it in a light way.
“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. 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. 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.”
(Mark 9:43, 45, 47)
The hand, foot and eye are involved in pretty much every part of our lives: The Hand – What we Do. The Foot – Where we Go. The Eyes – What we See.
Jesus Uses Pictures
Jesus uses pictures here that are so graphic that they can make people cringe and turn away. I myself find these strong words hard to read. But I don’t believe that Jesus is saying, “If you commit a sin with your hands, or feet or eyes, you should cut them away from your body.” I think the message is this: “If it came right down to it, would you let the use of your hand, or foot or eye send you to hell?” Or, “Would you let any part of you keep you out of heaven?”
The word for hell here is Gehenna. It appears 12 times in the Gospels, and every time it is used by the Lord Jesus. In fact, Jesus says more about hell than he does about heaven.
Fake News Versus True News
We hear a lot about “Fake News”. Jesus just gives us the “True News”, the bad news and the good. Here is that news in one verse of the Bible: Bad News: “For the wages of sin is death.” Good News: “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). A Child and a Choice. God gives us the choice to come to Jesus like a little child. “Helpless, I look to Thee for grace: Foul, I to the fountain fly – Wash me, Savior, or I die.”
What choice are you making? Have you decided to follow Jesus? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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Child & Parent – shanghaistoneman
News & Coffee – Pexels
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