“If your hand causes you to stumble, 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 stumble, 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 stumble, 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
We all like to think of ourselves as wise and reliable in judgment. This perception can be an obstacle to the truth. We must accept the truth about the desperate condition of our hearts, souls and minds. Acceptance is a radical step and is an act of our will. If we do not make the step, the deceptions will hinder our ability to see God and serve Him.
Anyone who speaks of faith as an easy answer to life’s hardness knows nothing about it. Repentance and regeneration are radical terms suggesting radical changes. Jesus described this in terms of tearing out an eye or cutting off a hand. We may not be wise, and our judgement is unreliable without a sweeping change involving personal acceptance of God’s sanctifying grace that makes us the new creation. This process continues until our death.
These comments and verses are meant for all, including those who have decided to follow Jesus. We can get a little overconfident and must be reminded of our nature, where we can purposefully or accidentally sin against God. Jesus does not sugarcoat the severity of sin and wants us to rethink and refocus. We must pray for ourselves and others so that we can understand and continually accept God’s sanctifying grace. Ask a friend to pray for you, and you will do the same for them. Let us build up and cleanse ourselves from our knees and then go out and reach our family, friends, neighbours, and colleagues and share the truth about Jesus.