Jesus Warns of Offenses
(Matt. 18:6–9; Luke 17:1, 2 )
(Mark 9:42-48 NKJV) “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. (43) “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—(44) “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’ (45) “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—(46) “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’ (47) “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—(48) “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.”
V42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” The little ones (G3398) μικρός mikrós, which means small whether age or size. Here it refers to age. The little ones might be ~5 years old. The Greek word for stumble is (G4624) σκανδαλίζω skandalízō, which means something on a path that would cause someone to stumble. As used it could refer to enticement to sin, teach unrealities, groom them, brainwash them, or lead into apostasy. Jesus said that judgment would be better if one died from having a heavy weight hanging from the neck causing an offender to drown. God is very much against doing these evils. Consider Revelation 20:12.
V43 “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched…” I like to compare this to a very skilled surgeon or musician. That person refuses to come to Christ because they might need, for some reason, to reject Jesus. They may think that keeping their hand is more important than salvation. The person might keep their hand, but lose their soul to God’s eternal wrath. Self-denial to serve Jesus is better than worldly acclaim. Compare Luke 9:23, Philippians 3:7, and 1 Peter 4:2.
V44 “…where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.” Worm refers to maggots, and fire refers to fire. There is eternal torment. Here is a summary of punishment (Cambron, Mark / Bible Doctrines – Beliefs That Matter / Eschatology):
A. The Scriptural Teaching.
- There Will Be a Day of Judgment (Acts 17:30-31).
- Every Man Will Be Judged for His Works (Romans 2:16; Revelation 20:12).
- It Is Eternal (Mark 9:43-48). See also Matthew 13.
- There Will Be Degrees of Punishment (Revelation 20:12; Romans 2:5-6).
- There Will Be a Resurrection of the Unjust As Well As of the Just (John 5:29).
- Language Describes It (Matthew 25:46; John 3:36).
- All Is Based Upon the Character of God as Righteous.
V45 “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched…” In a similar sense, Jesus refers to the feet. Compare Psalm 1:1, Job 31:5, and Proverbs 4:14-15.
V46 “…where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.” This is a quote from Isaiah 66:24.
V47 “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire…”
V48 “…where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.” Wilbur Pickering adds: “See Isaiah 66:24. Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘into the unquenchable fire’ at the end of verses 43 and 45, and also omit verses 44 and 46 entirely, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, [TEV], etc., except that most keep ‘into the unquenchable fire’ in verse 43 (but not in verse 45).”
We learn:
- Heaven and eternity are more important than temporary pleasures and successes.
- Life after death is never-ending.
- Our priority in life is to plan for eternity.
Questions:
- Have you prepared for eternity?
- Are you offending someone by not believing the Gospel or by living a wicked life?