It's rare that I ever hear all of this in context - or even remotely in context. Usually, and you will probably know what I am speaking of, the "cutting off" verses are quoted to people stumbling in their own sin, their own personal vendettas. But when I read this, that's not the impression at all...

"One of the little ones" is, again, resonating back to verse 36 with one of the 'micro' ones; the small ones; the least! And whoever scandalizes the least of these faithing in Yeshua!* I mean seriously. Have you ever read it that way before?

Mark uses the word skandalisā as should cause to stumble; in 4.17 he uses skandalizontai as they fall away; Luke 7.23 uses skandalisthā as be stumbled/take offense at; Matthew uses it of Yeshua in 11.6 as be offended. Etc. and so on.

So again, not that one should be careless about giving 1:1 ratios with Greek words when many of the times there's not just one exact, cut and dry definition when isolated as "just a word," but we can get a clearer picture as we paint with different brushes, so to speak: we see that Yeshua was sort of saying, "And whoever causes to stumble/offends/scandalizes the least of these/the nobodies/the tiny, overlooked ones faithing in me, it would be better for him that that donkey's mill stone were wrapped around his neck and he be thrown into the sea."

And this is the key - he doesn't stop there! He literally adds to his words a sort of commentary: And if your hand...if your foot...if your eye...

Interesting to note: Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians approximately 20 years before Mark is writing this. And what do we find in that letter? Language of the Body - the hands, the feet, the eyes! (1 Corinthians 12).

If a part of the body causes a scandal/causes offense/causes ones faithing in Yeshua to desert the one they are to cling to - that part is to be cut off.

And a lot of local churches are on board with this. We are very good at amputating the scandals; We're proficient at cutting off the scandalizers; We can excise with lethal precision those who bring the scandal into our midst. Apparently, we're also very good at amputating portions of Scripture.

Notice what words Yeshua chooses - in light of the "cutting off" language he just used - to end this episode with:

For all with fire shall be salted, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. The salt is good; but if the salt becomes insipid, by what means shall you season? Have salt in yourselves, and make peace with one another!

Salt. And fire. Allshall be salted with fire. Everysacrifice shall be salted with salt. This is not the "fire and brimstone" of old. We have to place ourselves in the culture of Yeshua in this case, or we will be easily burdened with error should we take this verse literally, or should we continue figuratively lopping off parts of our body; indeed, parts of the body. Salt and Fire were not meant to be associated with hell, but healing. They are not the punishment for the scandalizers from the scandalized, but the remedy for both! It has mercy written all over it!

Some scholars (C. Meyers, Fledderman) believe the very phrase, "to have salt", was the equivalent of saying, "be at peace."Shalom. To be wholly and holy peaceful. May we truly let this sink us: to be wholly and holy peaceful; redemptive; merciful; oh, to be forgiven forgivers: oh, to be righteous peace makers, indeed!

You have probably heard it said, in a different setting no doubt, that if everyone lived by the adage, "An eye for an eye," the whole world would be blind; It might just as well be said that if the Bride only lived by cutting off those offending limbs or stumble-causing eyes, she would surely die. Rather, we believe by faith that the cutting off, the removing of a certain part of the body is but for a time and a specific purpose: a time set apart for the full restoration and regeneration, if you will, of redeeming and reconciling the part unto the whole.

After all, love hopes all things, does it not?

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I wonder if you, dear reader, have been cut off only to remain cut off? May you find first in Christ, that healing is yours; and may you find thereafter, a home among wounded healers - for there is none righteous except those found wearing the death and resurrection of Yeshua, the Messiah our Lord.

So fear not! Every body has missing parts: it is only in Christ that any body is made whole. You, be at peace and be found making peace with everyone. Tweet that! Haha.

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