Mark wrote how John who was Jesus' disciple said, “Master, we saw one casting out devils in your name, and he follows not us: and we forbade him, because he follows not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea”, and in chapter nine and verse forty-three of his book, Mark shared how Jesus said, “if your hand offend you, cut it off” where we read:
And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
The verse reads, “And if your hand offend you, cut it off.” Mark began with the words, “and if your hand” which means “and whether Jesus' disciple's physical hand” “offend you” or “stumbles or impedes that disciple”, “cut it off” or “mutilate and amputate that hand”. Mark shared how Jesus gave an extreme directive for the person whose “hand” “stumbles or impedes” them.
The verse continues, “it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:” Mark added the words, “it is better for you” which means “it is more excellent, choice and surpassing” “to enter into life” or “to arise, exist and come into living” “maimed” which means “injured, disabled, mutilated and crooked”, “than having two hands” or “that to possess two physical hands” “to go into hell” which means “to depart and go away into the place of the future punishment called "Gehenna" or "Gehenna of fire"”, “into the fire” or “into burning fiery fire” “that never shall be quenched” which means “that is not and in no way extinguished and is perpetual”. Mark shared how Jesus declared it to be more advantageous to have one offensive hand “amputated” rather than to enter into “hell” with both “hands” in tact. Jesus added that “hell” shall include a “fire” that will never be “extinguished”.
When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we discover Jesus' reason for “cutting off” an “offensive” hand. Rather than entering into “hell” which has a “unquenchable fire”, it would be better to “amputate” the “offensive” hand. God loves people, and He desires that no one go there. God wants people to believe in His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”, and when they yield their lives to Him, they shall receive “everlasting life” with God and will never know the “fires of hell”.
Next time Mark shares how Jesus says hell is a place, “where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment