Bible
Study: Numbers 11, 25 to 29. James 5, 1 to 6. And Mark
9, 38 to 48.
A few
weeks ago, I happened to see a book titled “The Smell of Sin and the Fresh Air
of Grace” written by Don Everts. I grabbed it almost immediately and sat down
to read. It so happened that the author was specifically talking about what
Jesus Christ said in today’s Gospel passage.
Whoever
causes one of these little ones to sin, it would be better if a great milestone
is hung round his neck and thrown into the sea…
If your
hand causes you to sin, cut it off….
If your
foot causes you to sin, cut it off….
If your
eye causes you to sin, pluck it out…
This is
the smell of sin. Sin is such a serious matter. By using these graphic images,
Jesus wants us to really have a feel of the gravity of what sin does to us. By talking
about how we are to cut out parts of our body or drowning in the sea, Jesus wants
us to perceive the smell of sin.
Have you
ever been to the emergency ward of a very busy hospital before? Can you imagine
the gruesome sight of seeing people being rushed in who were involved in motor
accidents? Or try to picture the sight of people whose hands or feet have been
amputated as a result of cancer or some other deadly disease. These are the
images that should run through our minds each time we are faced with temptation
to sin.
Our readings
today mention different types of sin which we must avoid as well as their implications
to us.
1. The sin
of Jealousy.
In the
first reading, we may ask: Why did Joshua try to stop Eldad and Medad from
prophesying? And then, in the gospel passage, we can also ask: Why did the
disciples of Jesus try to stop a man from casting out demons in the name of
Jesus? The answer is jealousy. It is the feeling of sadness arising from the
actions of others. It is the fuel behind the PULL-HIM-DOWN-MENTALITY that has
become so rampart in our world today.
You would
know when you are jealous when you do not feel happy over what others are doing
that you cannot do. It is not surprising that these same disciples of Jesus were
disgraced by a demon when a man brought his son to them and they could not cast
it out. Today’s Gospel passage is taken from Mark 9, verse 38 to 48 and the
episode of this disgrace took place in the same Mark 9, verse 17 to 28.
And one of
the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a
dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and
grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out,
and they were not able." …And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running
together, he rebuked the unclean spirit… And when he had entered the house, his
disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"
I try
putting myself in the shoes of the disciples and I realise that honestly I would
feel the same way they did. How can I who is supposed to be close to Jesus be
unable to cast out a demon and here is somebody who does not even belong
successfully casting it out? Of course, I will try to stop him.
Jealousy
is deadly, it makes us look down on others and pick out faults that are not
necessary. Jealousy blinds us to the INFINITE POWER OF GOD that is unrestricted
and unlimited to any camp or group. Jealousy helps us see our pride clearly
when we try to stop others from doing what we feel we alone are capable of
doing.
The fact
that Eldad and Medad were absent from the ordination ceremony yet received the
power of prophesy only goes to show that God is so powerful that he cannot be
held bound by distance. Just like Jesus healed the servant of the centurion by
simply speaking the word even though he was so many miles away, God is capable
of working and using anybody regardless of that person’s location. But Jealousy
prevents us from acknowledging this fact. Jealousy limits God in our eyes, it
also limits us from growing deeper in our faith.
Are you
jealous of anybody? Please drop it today.
2. The sin
of Exploitation of Workers.
The second
sin our readings mentioned today can be found in the second reading precisely.
When people work for us and we refuse to pay them what they deserve, it simply
amounts to using them and God does not take it likely at all.
As James
says, “Come now, you rich, WEEP and HOWL for the MISERIES that are coming to
you…” Refusing to pay workers’ wages is worse than Stealing and riches gotten
through such means are useless. It is like heaping up rotten food into one’s
stomach or wearing clothes that are best suited for mad people on the streets.
If we are
to apply what Jesus says in the Gospel passage to what James is saying, it would
read thus: BETTER BE A POOR MAN THAN STEAL FROM YOUR WORKERS BY REFUSING TO PAY
THEM THEIR JUST WAGES.
Well, this
month is coming to an end, are you a C.E.O or a manager? Have you paid your
staff their August Salary? I will not be surprised if there are people here yet
to receive their July Salary. If you are guilty of this sin. Please today, God
is calling you to repent.
3. The sin
of Scandal.
Another deadly
mentioned in our readings today is Scandal. Jesus said: Whoever causes one of
these little ones to sin, it would be better if a great milestone is hung round
his neck and thrown into the sea.
In other
words, when we show bad example, when we refuse to live up to the expectations
of our vows and commitments, our actions are actually worse than drowning in
the sea with a milestone around our neck. Every sin is a serious matter because
it smells but the sin of scandal is so smelly that it is worse than death.
Scandal
destroys the faith of those who are entrusted to us. Scandal makes a mockery of
our moral values. Scandal kills the spiritual life of people who would rather
take us to be mentors. This is why we must be very careful to avoid sin not
just for our sake but for the sake of others who may be watching us even
without us knowing.
Are you father,
a mother, a coach, a teacher, a minister? Are you a leader in any church organisation?
Do you hold any position of authority at all no matter how small? Even if you
are in charge of just one person, do you realize that your consent to sin
destroys not only you but the people under you? Are you guilty of not
practicing what you preach? Do you break the rules secretly yet come out openly
to promulgate them? Today God is calling to repent.
Conclusion
– SIN IS AVOIDABLE.
To Sin is to
die. Every sin is both a suicide and a murder. It kills us spiritually and it
kills others by setting bad example. By saying we should cut off our hands and
foot and pluck our eyes, Jesus wants us to realise that we have power over sin
and that we have what it takes to avoid it. Never accuse Satan of causing you
to sin. If Satan was the cause of sin, why would Jesus be asking us to cut our
hands or pluck out our eyes? He would have said instead, “Just kill Satan and
you will never sin again.”
Furthermore,
in talking about plucking our eyes and cutting our hands, Jesus means to let us
know that sin does not just happen by chance or by reflex so to say. There are
things that lead to sin. If we really want to stop sin, then we need to avoid
setting up the environment for sin. They say, a mistake is only a mistake the
first time. If you do it again, it is no longer a mistake but an act of
foolishness and its reward is death!
Let us
pray:
Lord Jesus,
open my eyes to see the gravity of every sin that I may never ever offend you
at any instance. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Sunday.
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