And, to be fair, you can stop people all you want, but it would be better for you to put a millstone around you neck and jump into the deep end of the pool.вЂќД«ut wait, thereвЂ™s more вЂ“ вЂњWhile youвЂ™re at it вЂ“ if there is anything that causes you to sin, be it your eye, your hand, your foot, whatever it is, go ahead and cut it off. вЂњ Listen,вЂќ says the Lord, вЂњwhenever you try to prevent others from serving in my name, you are putting stumbling blocks in the way of other disciples. God is the host.вЂќДЄnd, it would have been nice if Mark, the gospel writer, couldвЂ™ve left the story right there вЂ“ this would be a great place for вЂњand immediately they headed toward the next stop on the journey.вЂќД«ut no. But remember вЂ“ this party doesnвЂ™t belong to you. The kingdom is bigger than your little minds can even imagine вЂ“ there are spots at the heavenly banquet for people who wouldnвЂ™t never dare to invite. Jesus says, вЂњLet them be for if someone performs deeds of power in my name, pretty soon theyвЂ™ll be on our side, if they arenвЂ™t already. We might wind up with churches with big columns and a pipe organ with over 1,400 pipes.

We might wind up with grocery store front churches that promise wealth and health to those who just have enough faith. Otherwise we might wind up with televangelists who fly around the world in airplanes. Who knows what kind of crazy stuff some people will do in your name? There has to be some kind of standard when it comes to the work we call church. The disciples bring to the Lord a complaint: вЂњExcuse us, JC, but we just met someone who was doing work in your name, and we tried to stop him, honestly we tried, because he wasnвЂ™t following us.вЂќ Salt is good but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.вЂќ And if your eye causes you to stumble, 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 the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut if off it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. John said to him, вЂњTeacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.вЂќ But Jesus said, вЂњDo not stop him for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.

To hellfire and back