"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. 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. And if your foot causes you to stumble, 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 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 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."
How can you season salt? Jesus poses many statements and questions for us to ponder today. He uses statements of exaggeration (or hyperbole) to get his point across. This is not strange for Jesus, as he speaks this way often.
Jesus begins with the image of a great millstone hung around the neck of one who causes a new believer to stumble. That one is then thrown into the sea. Jesus doesn’t say this in a literal way. He says, “it would be better… if…” using this as a point of comparison and setting up a completely undesirable alternative. He does the same thing with the cutting off body parts that cause you the “stumble.” Jesus is not insinuating that he wants us to be cripple, but wants us to pay attention and be aware of our shortcomings and continue to strive to improve our relationship with God.
This scripture finishes with the image of salt. Jesus says salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness it is no good to anyone. The irony here is that salt cannot lose its saltiness. This is where I feel the call for today is. Jesus says, “have salt in yourselves.” If we have salt in ourselves, then I feel that we are being who and what we are at our core… good. Salt is a preservative... The we are to preserve the good. God has created us in God’s image, and God don’t make no junk. God’s image is good and everything that God creates is good (look at Genesis 1). Our call is to remain salty (good), and let God continue to work the good within us.
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