“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in Me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck.” (Mark 9:42 NLT)
We too often race through verses like the one above believing they have no application to us, but we must remember with whom Jesus was speaking here – His disciples!
John, who, at least in his own mind, was “the one whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20), is the one who asked the question that elicited the answer above. Are we to assume Jesus was saying to John and the other disciples: “One slip and you’re at the bottom of the ocean!” Of course not, He was using a figure of speech to drive home a point.
When any of us is seeking to find ways to make ourselves look or seem better than another Jesus follower, we’re on a very slippery slope. Jesus washed His own disciple’s feet to illustrate how important it is to humble ourselves and serve, not demand to be served or thought of more highly than we ought.
Problems occur when we, maybe not even with our words, but in our mind, begin to view ourselves as better than someone else. May I remind us that the ground is level at the foot of the Cross. There are no big “I’s” and little “you’s” in God’s eternal family. Every person who comes to Christ is a sinner in need of a Savior. And while another’s sin may seem more severe than mine, sin is sin. There are no big sins or little sins, only sins. I appreciate what Josh Mauney wrote: “Praying and reading my Bible doesn’t make me better than you. It makes me better than me.”
A pastor whom I knew and respected came to speak at a church I served for many years while I was away. The person who led our worship was from a different denomination, but one that was very aligned theologically with what we believed and taught. But the visiting pastor refused to stand on the platform at the same time as our Worship Leader because his background was different.
That kind of attitude grieves my heart, but more to the point, it grieves the heart of God. Often, I believe we seek to build ourselves up in our own mind by tearing someone else down. That’s not only childish, it’s also sinful and will destroy our witness for our Savior if it isn’t dealt with appropriately.
Paul fought this same battle in his ministry and addressed it in Romans 3:9-10 when he wrote: “Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous – not even one.’”
None of us should take pride in our particular denomination. The very fact denominations exist is a testament of our divisiveness and inability to get along and be agreeable, which is a travesty and a slap in God’s holy face. To believe someone from one “brand” of Christianity is better than another magnifies our blindness to our own sin.
Yes, of course, I realize that some denominations are now more closely aligned with what I believe the Scriptures teach, but that we had to divide for that to happen is tragic. May we never use our personal beliefs as an excuse to not embrace another person who hasn’t seen the proverbial “light” that we have seen. How can we ever expect them to see the light of Jesus that we profess shines through us when we treat them like we’re still walking in the dark?
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 