The Cornerstone and the Stumbling Stone

One of These Little Ones, the Cornerstone, and Stumbling Stones

(Mark 9:42, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, June 23, 2019)

[42] “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

Whoever

There are over 7 billion people on the earth today and there were probably about 300 million people in the days of our Lord's earthly ministry. Either then or now, that is a lot of people, and each one was created in the image of God. That means that they have an inherent dignity and also a God-given responsibility to do what is right.

Today many people have no written source that would be the final authority concerning ethical behavior. That does not mean that people have no sense of right and wrong. They do. But where do the new rules come from that so many people seem to have so swiftly adopted?

The new world that we live in believes in the autonomy of the individual above all. In this biblically strange but very familiar way of thinking, each person is an I-AM who is justified in seeking happiness as long as he or she does not unreasonably violate the will of another person who is also an I-AM. The key missing ingredient in this philosophy of life is that there is already an I-AM who has staked out the ground of self-existence and self-determination. Jesus is the I-AM who arrived in person in the womb of a virgin, taking on our human nature for the purpose of His own glory and our salvation.

Though we are not all I-AMs, we very much do matter, not only because of our creation in God's image, but also because of the blood-bought redemption of all the chosen ones in God's good plan for a new resurrection world. Therefore, when Jesus uses the word “whoever” in our text, he is asserting his authority over each and every human being, past, present, and future. Jesus is the I-AM over billions of moral agents that must answer to him concerning how we treat children and vulnerable adults.

One of these little ones who believe in me

There can be little doubt that every child matters to the God who assures us that he is aware of the death of a sparrow, and who at the moment he said the words that we are examining today was actually carrying a little child in his arms. Yet the specific focus of Jesus' saying in Mark 9:42 is on the little ones who believe in him. We will do well to think of the disciples and all those in the new entity that the master in Matthew 16:18 calls his “church” as the children of God through adoption.

The elders of our church have had the great privilege of hearing the faith narratives of many believers. It is often the case that men and women who are joining us say something like this: “I cannot remember any time in my life when I did not believe in God.” They generally have always had affection for Jesus and believed in the cross and the resurrection, not knowing specifically when they began to understand the gospel.

Our region of the country is often noted as a very irreligious are. A recent study by the Barna Group identified Manchester/Boston as number five on the most post-Christian cities in the nation. The “winner” was Springfield/Holyoke, so let me quote a few unsurprising stats for that area: 87% have not read the Bible in the last week. 65% have not attended a Christian church in the last six months. 60% have never made a commitment to Jesus. 47% have not prayed in the last week, 41% say that faith is not important in their lives. What does surprise me is that many people who don't normally read the Bible, don't usually go to church, and who have never made a commitment to Jesus, actually prayed this week! How many of these are vulnerable people, “little ones,” perhaps thinking of themselves as having very little significance in a celebrity world, and yet are actually open to the idea of making some commitment to Jesus? That could be thousands of people all around us, but they are probably not going to say anything to anyone about it. Nonetheless a bunch of them prayed to God this week.

Causing little ones to sin

In today's passage, Jesus is warning everyone in this massive world, not to put any stumbling block in front of vulnerable people who might want to follow up on their belief in him. The word for “sin” is not in the original, so the point here is not directly about someone who introduces little ones to sinful behavior patterns, such as someone who might entice children into substance abuse. (Ps. 118:22-29, Is. 8:13-15, Rom 9:30-33, I Pet. 2:1-10)

What is in view? The leaders of the church are supposed to serve the vulnerable in making progress in faith and obedience. When they misrepresent Jesus as someone different than who he is, they sow seeds of confusion. When they make the church a place where people are always trying to appear to be the greatest, they distract little ones from the glory of Jesus who says to all, “Come to me,” and “I will give you rest.” The best thing that we can do for “little ones” of every age is to help those who have charge of them in the Christian nurture of each one who believes in him. (Piper, Christa)

It would be better for him...

THE POINT: Jesus loves his “little ones.”

To make them stumble is a personal offense against him. That could have very serious consequences. How serious? It would be better to have a very sizable upper millstone around your neck and be cast into the sea, which is no way for anyone to swim.

Applying this verse:

1. How can those who are spiritually bruised find healing from childhood traumas in this life and in the one to come? There is no easy answer here, but hearing the word of God with faith has to be a big part of the way forward for all of us. It will also help release us from much bondage if we can discover the essential grace of forgiving.

2. What hope is there for those who have led many astray in various ways? This is the kind of question that many would rather not consider. It is natural to care more about the victims than about the one who really should have known better. Yet even those who have failed badly as responsible adults can find a way out of bondage. There is yet grace even for someone who knows that he is the “chief of sinners” and repents. (see Paul)

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 114 – Mountains Skipping Like Rams

New Testament Reading—James 5:1-6 – Come now, you rich...