NOTES for Mar 9:42-10:1

Everything Jesus said undoubtedly makes us reflect. But some of His words, at first sight, cause nothing but bewilderment. Consider, for example, the way He proposed to combat temptations. It is not even that, had the Savior’s disciples followed their Teacher’s words literally, there would probably not have remained a single Christian with two hands, two feet, and two eyes. The point is that even if His words are understood allegorically, and even if we take them as a concise and precise artistic image, it is far from easy to carry out the advice He gave. For in essence, carrying it out means renouncing oneself, some part of one’s own being. Yet apparently this way of struggling with one’s own sin sometimes truly proves to be the only possible one. What else remains if sin so thoroughly permeates some of the principles that make us who we are that the only way to avoid sin is to renounce those principles? It is like a cancerous tumor: the operation often proves difficult, but nevertheless it is the only way to save the patient’s life. The Savior does not hesitate: if the operation is necessary, it must be performed. And as quickly as possible.