THE precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart. I shall be blameless and innocent of serious sin (Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14). Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will surely not lose his reward (Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48).
True and just are the ordinances of the Lord
The glory of the Lord is made manifest to all by the divine law given to man. In six statements the various forms of the law are lined up: law, decrees, precepts, commandment, fear of the Lord and ordinances. The qualities associated with them are identified: perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, pure and true. And the benefits they bestow on man are, likewise, enumerated: refreshing the soul, giving wisdom to the simple, rejoicing the heart, enlightening the eyes, enduring forever and altogether righteous. The “fear of the Lord” is taken as part of the law which commands man to honor and respect God.
But the psalmist realizes that one can easily break God’s law without even being aware of it. Speaking to God, he refers to himself as the Lord’s servant most careful and diligent in keeping the divine ordinances which are more precious than gold and more sweet than honey. “But who can detect one’s own failings?” Who can discern and recognize so easily one’s unintentional errors? And so he seeks God’s forgiveness: “Cleanse me from my unknown faults”—from even unconscious violations of God’s precious law! He tells God of his sincere desire to be blameless in His sight, begging to be kept back from acts of pride, never letting them to have dominion over Him. Then shall he be innocent of serious sin, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Whoever is not against us is for us
The disciples perceived someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name as a threat. This outside exorcist seemed to be poaching on their territory. The disciples have become a tight-knit power group. If last week we saw them arguing with each other as to who is the greatest among them (Mark 9:33-37), now we encounter them guarding their turf against someone not of their number who might steal their importance. This man has been successfully casting out demons in the name of Jesus. They “tried” to stop him and evidently failed, that is why they were reporting the incident to Jesus who should stop the man.
But Jesus has a different take on the matter. If the work of the kingdom of God is being done and people are being liberated in His name from the power of demons, His disciples should welcome the good done. The man clearly believed in Jesus; he was not an enemy and would not be denigrating the work of Jesus for the reign of God. The followers of Jesus are urged to have a more generous understanding of who is with them. Whoever does the will of God belongs to Jesus’ family (Mark 3:34). Unless people show values and attitudes contrary to the new humanity, they should be assumed as allies and friends. People exclude themselves by their own behavior; the disciples do not exclude people, rather they are to recognize the good done by whomever.
Get rid of what causes you to sin
The kingdom of God and the name of Jesus is wider than the disciples. It includes even those who show simple hospitality and perform apparently insignificant tasks. People obsessed by the desire for greatness tend to overlook these “little ones.” Most emphatically, Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you” that God will highly reward them regardless of how unimportant they may appear to the evaluation of the world. Giving a cup of water is symbolic of any good deed toward others. And good deeds, however insignificant, promote the kingdom of God as do proclamation, teaching, healing
and exorcism.
Those “who wish to be great” (Mark 9:35) need to identify with and embrace the least. To cause anyone of the little ones who believe in Jesus to stumble and sin, it would be better for that person irretrievably to sink to the bottom of the sea with a millstone tied around his neck. The rhetoric of catastrophe in such terrifying fate aims to get our attention. The best way to avoid causing scandals to others is to completely eliminate the cause of scandal. If egocentric ways (my hand, foot, eye) to save my own life, to lord it over others, “to be great”, will lead me to self-destruction and eternal damnation, then self-surgery and voluntary sacrifice are clearly called for.
Alálaong bagá, my relationship with and fidelity to God is at stake. To this most important matter, everything else is secondary; it means life. Whatever breaks my union with God must be eliminated. Keeping God’s precepts definitively revealed in Jesus truly gives joy to the heart, and welcoming the least of the little ones is divine wisdom.
Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio-streaming on www.dwiz882.com.