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Mark 9:38-50

³⁸ 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.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ For the one who is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

⁴² “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ 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 with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine being alone in a hot, dry desert – miles from any sense of civilization.

As you walk along, you suddenly feel a sharp pain in your ankle. You hear the telling sound of a rattle, and you spot the angry snake coiled and ready to strike again. You turn tail and run. You start to feel the searing venom move through your veins. Countless Western movies give you the idea to suck out the venom, but current medical opinion says that it is far too late. The venom moves too fast and is too lethal. The poison will continue to do its work of killing you.

The truth is, this isn’t just a hypothetical. You have already been bitten. You have venom coursing through your veins, and this venom will destroy you. The poison will effect this life and the next. The venom of sin will cause you to suffer not only in the present, but for eternity. Your corruption festers in you and is infectious to everyone you contact.

You have been bitten by the ancient, venomous serpent, the Devil. You can’t suck the poison of sin out of your wounds, but you still need to be cured. So let’s hear what the Great Physician has to say. Listen to what Dr. Jesus offers as a treatment plan for your sin. You walk into Dr. Jesus’ treatment room, and He asks, “What seems to be the problem?”

“Well, Dr. Jesus, I have been bitten by the serpent, the devil, and ever since, I seem to have a problem with my hand. It seems to have a mind of its own. I keep taking things that aren’t mine, and my hand keeps hurting my neighbor.”

“Yes, I see.” Dr. Jesus responds. “Well, there is only one treatment option. I recommend we cut off your hand.” And Dr. Jesus reaches for His saw.

“Just a minute,” you interrupt. “It’s more than just my hand. Ever since I was bitten by the devil, my foot also causes me problems. My foot takes me to all sorts of places I shouldn’t go.”

“Well, then,” Dr. Jesus continues. “This is often the case with individuals who have been bitten. The foot will also have to come off. I’ll remove them both.”

“No, Dr. Jesus. I don’t think you understand. The problem isn’t just my hand or my foot. Since I was bitten by the serpent, I also have a problem with my eye. It keeps looking at things that I know I shouldn’t look at. And every time I look at what my neighbor has I covet it. I can’t seem to keep my eyes under control. I think there has to be another treatment.”

“The best thing to do is to remove the hand, the foot, and tear out that eye. If these infected areas are not removed, you will end up in the eternal fire where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”

“Dr. Jesus, I know you are the One with the expertise, that’s why I came to You. But Isn’t there another treatment option? The poison of sin has spread so far. I think that even if You removed my hand, foot, and eye other parts of me would still be infected.”

Dr. Jesus lowers His eyes and sighs, “Yes, that is always the case.”

You see, dear saints, your problem is deeper than you will ever know. You wouldn’t treat cancer with a Band-Aid, and you can’t treat sin by simply chopping off your sinning parts. Even if you cut off the parts of you that cause you to sin, that is as far as Jesus’ remedy in this text would go. You would still be unholy and unrighteous. It is not enough to remove the sinful parts. The guilt of your sin must also be removed. Your hands, feet, and eyes are only symptoms of the greater disease of original sin you and I have. No matter how many limbs you cut off, no matter how many eyes you pluck out, you are not going to be able to get rid of your sin and guilt.

The problem is not your hand or foot or eye that causes you to sin. You are the source of your own sin. You are completely infected with the venom of Satan. The bite of the devil makes you your own worst enemy. And Jesus makes it grotesquely clear here that we must not allow anything to stand between us and the kingdom. Anything that we would value so highly that it would allow us to lose our eternal salvation is not worth keeping. Cut it off. Pluck it out. Throw it all away.

Satan’s venom has caused you, not just your parts, to be the problem. But, thanks be to God, that Jesus has already sucked all Satan’s venom out of you. Jesus has already removed all the parts of you that cause you to sin. Jesus Himself was cut off from the land of the living (Is. 53:8) for you. Jesus has already removed all of your guilt. He suffered God’s eternal wrath that you deserve. Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

And Jesus has replaced all your sinful, guilty parts with His pure and holy righteousness. He has given you His body and His blood. Jesus has given you His righteousness, holiness, and obedience. In your baptism, Jesus has brought you through the fire of God’s judgment against your sin all the way to the resurrection. In your baptism, you were united with Jesus’ death. Because of your baptism, you are united with Jesus’ death so that you could be united with Jesus’ resurrection. In your baptism, you died and rose just as Jesus died and rose. The death Jesus died, He died to sin, once for all – for you. The life Jesus now lives, He lives to God.

So baptized brothers and sisters, you too must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Because of your baptism, you are in Christ and are a new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come. And, as our closing hymn says, we pray, “Finish, then, Thy new creation, pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation perfectly restored in Thee. Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.