Should we have Mercy on the Merciless?

“If any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck, and you were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42).

We speak of ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’, yet the Jesus we see here in the ninth chapter of Mark’s Gospel speaks in a way that is violent and aggressive!

“And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.” (Mark 9:47-48)

I’ve always struggled with think this language of hell and fire, yet I found a recent comment made by Prof. Matt Skinner (of Luther Seminary in the US) very helpful. He suggested that we take as our starting point here, not the people Jesus was condemning but the people Jesus was trying to protect. It’s quite clear here whom Jesus was trying to protect. It’s “the little ones” (Mark 9:42).

Jesus’ concern for ‘the little ones’ is a repeated theme throughout the Gospels. At times these little ones are children (Mark 9:37). At other times, they are weak members of the church (Matthew 18:14). At other points, they seem to be all vulnerable people – the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned (Matthew 25:40). Jesus not only shows concern for these people. He takes their neglect very personally.

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45)

Jesus’ harshest words seem to be reserved for those who damage the vulnerable, suggesting a surprising parallel between the teachings of Jesus and prison culture!

If you’re not familiar with Australian prisons (which, I suspect, are similar to prisons around the world), people who are known to have been convicted of crimes against children are kept in a separate area of the prison, known as the ‘protection wing’ – so called because they need to be protected from the rest of the prison population.

The mainline prison population will work harder to kill people in the protection wing than they will to escape! Prison life is tough for every inmate, but life is hell for those in the protection wing. Indeed, “better if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea” than you end up in the protection wing!

We might assume that Jesus was just being realistic about the earthly consequences facing child-abusers, yet His words suggest that God’s final judgement is no less harsh! “Better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell” (Mark 9:48).

Of course, Jesus is using hyperbole here as He so often does. Even so, He is doing so for a reason. Did Jesus know that over the coming millennia, His own church would go on to commit the most monstrous crimes against children?

I have known priests who have been convicted of child abuse. I’ve also known people who have not been abusers but who have had their ministry shut down due to the stringent nature of child-protection legislation. I’ve also known people whom I thought were innocent but who turned out to be guilty of terrible abuse! This whole area has been the most horrible quagmire of pain, violence, deceit, and corruption in the history of the church. Perhaps Jesus’ extreme language should not surprise us.

I will resist the temptation to say anything more explicit about any of the terrible cases I have had to deal with over the years. As I recall the memories, I feel my stomach turning and my neck tightening. Does this mean I agree with the way paedophiles are treated in prison? Bizarrely, it is Jesus who holds me back.

These harsh words from Jesus come at the end of Mark 9, following on directly from the discussion the disciples were having about which one of them was ‘the greatest’ (Mark 9:34). Jesus tried to tell them that it was all about service and not power. Even so, I think Jesus knew that this lust for power was not going away. Hence He warned them about the consequences of the abuse of power in the harshest possible terms. In the end though, these people were still Jesus’ disciples. He still loved them.

Life would be much easier if we could make a simple division between good people and bad. As it is, good people do terrible things, just as horrible people are capable of doing good things. “Judgement is mine, says the Lord” (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19). God alone can make the final call on people. Even so, Jesus leaves us in no doubt that there is nothing that God considers more terrible than the abuse of vulnerable people. Conversely, of course, when we support the vulnerable, we connect directly with Jesus in love!

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

Our Sunday Eucharist

We celebrated another wonderful Eucharist last Sunday. A big thank you to my dear friends, Andrew Logan and Doug Pyeatt, for joining me on the panel. I’ve pasted a couple of my favourite ‘shorts’ from our Bible Banter below. To see a whole lot more, head over to the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page.

This month has five Sundays in it, and this coming Sunday is the fifth which means that none of our regulars are rostered on. Instead, I’ll be privileged to have two very special friends of mine join me – Rev. John Jegasothy and Craig ‘Shorty’ Sutton.

John has joined us before, of course, and he’s just returned from some extensive travel overseas so it will be great to hear what he’s been up to. Craig used to work with me at Trinity’s Youth Drop-In Centre in Dulwich Hill many years ago. He then completed his theology degree and went on to work with the Salvation Army. He was with me at Binacrombi last weekend and that’s him with his faithful hound, Tiny, in the pic at the top of today’s post. I’m hoping that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Craig from now on, both at Binacrombi and as a regular on The Sunday Eucharist.

Tune in as usual this Sunday from noon at TheSundayEucharist.com or on Facebook , YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn or Streamyard. Please join us, and please bring a friend along with you.

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What’s On?

• Sunday, Sept 29^th – Our Eucharist from midday @ thesundayeucharist.com (or through Facebook , YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn or Streamyard).
• Tuesday, October 1^st – Boxing at The Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm
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• Saturday, November 9^th–Father Dave vs. Tony Brazier. NSW Professional Master Title (6 rounds) @Cowra Showground.