Eye of the Beholder

If you are familiar with the movie A CHRISTMAS STORY, you know its premise is about a grown man’s memories of one Christmas when he was a young boy named Ralphie in the 1950s. The one thing young Ralphie wanted for Christmas was an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle, and every time he expressed this wish, whether to his mother, his teacher, or Santa Claus, the reply was always the same: “You’ll shoot your eye out!” Only one person truly heard his pleas and went against the warnings of many, getting him exactly what he wanted: his father. Excited about his surprise gift, Ralphie runs outside and prepares for target practice. After loading his new rifle, he carefully aims at the metal target, takes his shot, and wouldn’t you know it, the BB ricochets off the metal and hits him in the eye. His response? “I actually shot my eye out!” Fortunately, he was wearing glasses, and only his glasses were damaged.  
 
Shooting your eye out is probably one thing on a list of many things you wouldn’t want to do. However, in today’s text, Jesus tells us to do something far more radical than shooting our eye out—he tells us to cut off appendages and pluck eyeballs out. If you don’t want to shoot your eye out, I think I can safely assume you wouldn’t want to pluck it out either.
 
In today’s “Whatchu Talkin’ ‘Bout Jesus?” topic, Jesus discusses something that seems downright outrageous, dangerous, and harmful. Our text for today is found in Mark 9:42–48, and my hope is that we truly understand what Jesus was talkin’ about and how it can apply to us today.
 
Mark 9:42 - 48
In this passage, we are introduced to two ideas behind this graphic story that Jesus gives us. The first is a stern warning about the consequences of being a stumbling block to others. The second is about taking responsibility for our sins. 
To begin, we will look at Jesus’ first warning.  Jesus uses a child as an example and says, “If you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, then you will wish that you were never born because of the harsh judgment you will receive.” These are strong words as Jesus is speaking to his listeners.  He says, “IT WOULD BE BETTER for you to have a millstone tied around your neck and thrown into the sea.”  Is this a bit extreme?  Well… yeah!  But I think it is also one thing for certain; it shows how protective the Father is of His children against people who seek to harm them.  
 
The question has arisen as to whether Jesus was only talking about children, since he used a child as an example, or if he was addressing something more. Personally, I believe there is enough evidence in the texts and all the Gospel accounts to show that Jesus was referring to all followers of Christ or disciples. It may even be more specifically aimed at those who are newer in their faith, also known as new believers. Jesus refers to them as “little ones” or, in Matthew, He calls them “lesser ones” because they likely refer to the “lower class” of believers in Israel. This includes the uneducated, sick, impoverished, tax collectors, sinners, disciples, and those of lower social status. They weren’t considered little or lesser because they were unimportant to God; rather, they were seen as people of insignificance and not as well-versed in spiritual matters as the religious elite.
 
Jesus speaks about being a “stumbling block” to someone with weaker faith. The point isn’t that the “lesser,” “weaker,” or “little ones” are unimportant compared to the “greater ones” or the “mature in faith”; it’s that it doesn’t take much for a young believer to stumble because of someone else’s actions. For example, there are Christians who drink alcohol, smoke, swear, etc., and show little regard for those around them, not realizing how their “freedom” can cause pain to someone struggling with those issues. It would not be wise for a Christian with the freedom to drink alcohol to do so in front of someone battling alcoholism.
 
Our actions, often called “liberties,” can cause serious problems for those who are weaker in faith. Many justify their actions by saying, “I have the freedom to do this; it’s their fault if they can’t accept what I am doing.” However, I believe Jesus' warning still applies, and we should be cautious about how we exercise our liberties around younger believers or those who struggle in these areas. That person would be better off with a millstone around his neck and thrown into the depths of the sea than facing God.

The second point Jesus makes concerns taking personal responsibility for our sins. How many of you have heard the phrase, “the devil made me do it”? That is a lie, and we all know this. The devil can never MAKE us do anything. We are responsible for our own actions. This concept of plucking and cutting reminds me of a story about a man who goes to the doctor and says, “Hey doc, every time I move my arm up and down like this, it hurts. What should I do?” The doctor replies, “Stop moving your arm up and down like that.” This is similar to what Jesus says about our sins. He tells us that if our hands or feet cause us to sin, then stop doing whatever leads to sin. Or if your eye causes you to sin, then tear it out! Now, the big question is, “Does Jesus mean to LITERALLY cut off our hands and feet or tear out our eyes?” You can rest easy, my friends, because I believe Jesus was not being literal. Jesus told the people to get to the root of the problem. In modern terms, stop doing the thing that causes you to fall into sin.  
 
Some examples: if you are an alcoholic, don’t hang out at bars. If you are addicted to pornography, don’t surf the web without accountability. If you are married and someone is always flirting with you, then keep away from that person. Whatever it may be, Jesus tells us to stay away from the source of our sin. You might respond, “You don’t know how hard that is! All my friends are at the bar.” Or “I need to use the internet to do my research and stay in contact with others.” Or “The person who flirts with me makes me feel good about myself since my spouse ignores me. It’s not a sin to be liked and sought after as long as you don’t do anything about it.”
 
People often forget how serious sin and its consequences are. Sin is such a grave matter that any sacrifice you make is worth it. Jesus says anything that causes us to sin must be removed! The challenging part, according to N.T. Wright is “Not everything we are asked to give up is necessarily sinful in and of itself… We should be prepared to reject something that is good and God-given (such as hands, feet, and eyes) but which, at the moment at least, is leading us down the wrong path.” Wright explains that the act causing you to stumble or sin may not be wrong itself, but it naturally leads to sin and destruction, so those things need to go.
 
A personal example I’ve shared with you is that music was a huge part of my life. I would even say that at one point, it was my life. However, when I became a Christian, I felt compelled to give up music for a while. Why? Because if I had stayed in that lifestyle, I would have eventually ended up right where I started. I needed to break that link, even if only temporarily. For two years, I didn’t play a single instrument until I knew I was free from the bondage of music idolatry in my life. Is music bad? No. But at that point in my life, I needed to step away from it so I could be free from it, because it might have led me back to my previous sinful lifestyle.
 
What I find most intriguing about this passage is that Jesus never defines sin. He only talks about the cause of sin. So, I am not going to stand up here and give a list of sins you must cut off or tear out. That, my friends, is between you and God. I know there are many mentions of eternal fire, worms that never die, and the place called Hell, and I am going to step back from that today. Not because I don’t think it’s important, but because I do; and maybe someday I will talk about the reality of Hell in more detail. I will say that Jesus is very descriptive in explaining the consequences of allowing sin to control our lives. I believe Jesus is making the point in these 6 verses that you are responsible for your actions and sins. Find the root cause of your sin and cut it out or tear it down. Address the problem directly, and then you won’t have to worry about eternal fire, the worm, or Hell.
 
Conclusion
As I conclude, I want to leave you with a few challenges.

First, be mindful of your actions and words. Whether we realize it or not, people are watching us. New believers are observing us. Our children see us. Our friends, coworkers, and neighbors watch us too. As followers of Christ, we represent Jesus to the world around us, and our choices can either lead people toward Him or become obstacles in their walk. None of us wants to be the reason someone stumbles in their faith.

Second, honestly evaluate your life and ask the tough question: What needs to be cut off or torn out? What habits, relationships, environments, websites, conversations, or attitudes keep pulling you back to the same place repeatedly? Jesus isn't asking us to better manage sin or hide it more successfully. He is calling us to confront it decisively at the root.

The truth is that sin rarely appears out of nowhere. There is usually a path that leads us there. There is a conversation before the affair, a drink before the addiction, a click before the addiction to pornography, bitterness before an explosion of anger, pride before the fall. Jesus tells us not to just deal with the fruit hanging from the branches but to take an axe to the root.

And yes, sometimes that is painful.

Sometimes following Jesus means walking away from things we enjoy. Sometimes it means changing friendships, setting boundaries, deleting apps, altering routines, or relinquishing freedoms that may not even be sinful in themselves. But if something consistently pulls us away from Christ, then no matter how much we like it or how justified we feel in keeping it, Jesus says it is not worth the cost.

The good news is that Jesus never calls us to fight this battle alone. The same Savior who warns us about sin is the Savior who died for our sins. The same Jesus who tells us to cut off what causes us to stumble is the same Jesus who gives us His Spirit to help us do it. Victory over sin is not achieved through willpower alone, but through surrender, obedience, accountability, and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

So this week, don't ask, "How close can I get to sin without crossing the line?" Instead, ask, "What is leading me away from Jesus, and what do I need to do about it?"

Because if we ignore the warning signs, refuse to address the root causes, and keep messing with things that are harming us spiritually, emotionally, and relationally, eventually we will realize Jesus was right all along.

To borrow the wisdom of Ralphie's mother, teacher, and Santa Claus:
"You'll shoot your eye out."

Only in this case, Jesus is not talking about a BB gun.
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He's talking about your soul.

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