John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do 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. Whoever is not against us is for us. 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.

“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. If your hand causes you to sin, 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. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.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.

“For everyone will be salted with fire. 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.” (New Revised Standard Version)

Weird encounters and exorcisms, hard words and sayings, and enough metaphors to creep out the visual learners among us, were all regular staples of Christ’s earthly ministry.

For me, this makes sense. Christ coming into a world of great need, filled with all sorts of disturbances and disturbing people, will create spiritual headlines. The ministry of Jesus does not involve idyllic pictures of beautiful butterflies, and bunnies without bowel movements.

The world needs real saving, which is why Jesus showed up in an incarnational invasion that nobody saw coming.

Christian discipleship is not for the faint of heart. It demands an embrace of robust moral teaching, along with a cross to carry.

Following Jesus involves lots of servitude, and only a little bit of leadership. It requires radical humility to do anything.

Furthermore, Jesus was anything but a narrow-minded exclusivist. He encouraged his disciples to have broad and open-minded attitudes and approachs toward those who do good and provide help, outside of the disciple circle.

Whether following Jesus, or not, Christ commended, and did not condemn, those who squish evil like a grape, and offer cold water to others on a hot day. Why? Doesn’t this seem antithetical to the demands of discipleship within the disciple group?

Maybe. Maybe not. Frankly, it seems paradoxical (two things that seem contradictory but nevertheless are equally true). On one hand, only the disciples bear the name of Christ; but on the other hand, everyone who does justice and mercy has Christ’s name invisibly emblazoned on their heads.

Anybody who remotely conforms to the character of Christ, upholding basic morality and human kindness, receives a divine thumbs up from Jesus.

And conversely, anyone who acts the bully and trips up a little one who believes – whether they have a label of disciple or not – are in for a world of divine retribution.

It all hinges on how scandalous we can be; or rather, what sort of scandal we stir up with our lives.

The good kind of scandal is going against the grain of injustice and doing good when no one else much cares; and the unjust ones need a big obstacle of righteousness in their way.

The bad sort of scandal is putting a stumbling block between God and those trying to come to the Lord. It’s the wicked who need to be tripped up and set straight, and not the faithful who need to run an obstacle course just to get a peek at the good life as defined by God.

Just so you know, millstones were usually the heaviest objects in a village – weighing up to a ton (2,000 lbs.) or more. We can perhaps understand Jesus talking of perpetrators getting a millstone necklace; but it’s a real tragedy whenever someone puts one on for themself.

You’re harming yourself if the choice is to be irresponsible, hateful, unloving, or unjust. I’m not talking about the inevitable mistake, white lie, or unconscious bias. I’m talking about a deliberate choice to get in another’s way of happiness; tear someone down with verbal violence; or harm a person by any means you can do it.

All of us have a responsibility to protect and promote the common good of all persons, and the social good of the community.

Nobody is helped whenever a person comes down hard with judgmental criticism on a coworker who was just trying to do their best but failed. Everyone loses whenever a relative spreads gossip throughout the family system.

And no one is built up whenever a neighborhood association leader or condo board chair creates unnecessary roadblocks to community well-being, but then railroads a pet personal project through for their own advantage.

Feet end up walking in dangerous places. Hands reach where they shouldn’t. Eyes look with a sinful gaze. There are times when it is warranted to amputate a limb in order to save the whole body; to perform a surgery in an effort to save a life; and to remove an eye before it creates serious sickness.

But I am talking metaphorically and spiritually – which is no less real than the physical and tangible. Gangrene happens not only to the flesh and blood body; it also happens to the diseased soul.

When it happens, the only the way to deal with it is by getting rid of gangrenous part. Otherwise, death is around the corner, as well as the coroner. Both body and soul suffer. And it will do no good to feign healthiness and pretend as if everything is “just fine.”

Some salt, therefore, is good. It acts as a preservative against expiration; and promotes the good taste of obedience and fidelity to God.

All your grain offerings you shall season with salt; you shall not omit from your grain offerings the salt of the covenant with your God; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. (Leviticus 2:13, NIV)

Let’s consider hard whether we want to be lame Christians who offer nothing but a tepid discipleship and spirituality to the church and world; or whether we will spiritually support one another by building bridges to provide needed supply lines, instead of walls to keep out the people we don’t like.

You already know what Jesus wants, and what Christ advocated and agitated for. So, let’s avoid a future with millstones in it.

Almighty God of redemption and mercy: Help us to be at peace with one another: not clambering for positions; not being fearful of those who we do not know in the kingdom, but honoring, loving, and serving them. Enable us to increase peace among ourselves by being aware of sin and its effects, and choosing to deal with it. May we be seasoned with salt as we live for the cause of Christ in a world of conflict. Amen.