The Little Ones: Mark 9:42
With great power comes great responsibility. Great people will lead others; the question is whether their example leads others to God or into worldly pursuits? Elsewhere, Jesus says people of the world are like sheep looking for a shepherd. The people of this world want to be led somewhere.
In today’s verse, Jesus teaches that if anyone causes the little ones around Him to sin, it would be better for him for a millstone to be hung around his neck and then be thrown into the sea. That’s a vivid picture. It’s also a pretty good example of Jesus using dark humor. Jesus is certainly not advocating murder here. Neither is He advocating suicide. Jesus is using dark humor to make a point.
What is the point? Often this passage turns into a diatribe about watching over children. After all, children are innocent, gullible, and inexperienced and often don’t know any better. They typically don’t connect consequences to choices. We should be mindful of the children in our care.
There is a broader point, though. When Jesus says “little ones,” He uses a word we are all familiar with, “micro.” (μικρός) This means little or small, and when used without a connected noun, it turns into little ones.
If Jesus wanted to talk about children, He would have used the word for child, “paidon.” (παιδίον) Or, if he wanted to speak about children for whom he cared, He could have used “teknon.” (τέκνον) If He wanted to speak about humanity as God’s adopted children, He could have used “huiothesia” (υἱοθεσία). Jesus had plenty of options for talking specifically about children. He fails to use any of them and talks about micro-people, or the little ones.
The point Jesus makes is this: those who think of themselves as mature in the faith are called to care for those who are less mature. This isn’t a passage about child rearing; it is a passage about how people who are close to God interact with people who are still drawing close to God.
This fits the greater context. Remember that Jesus’ disciples recently argued over which of them was the greatest. Jesus replied by telling them the greatest one is the one who puts himself aside and serves the others. Now Jesus reinforces this by teaching that the greatest in faith watches over those whose faith has not yet grown as deep.
Jesus goes one step further. It isn’t just watching over them. Jesus charges those with a strong faith to ensure that those with a developing faith are not led into sin. Those with strong faith are to be examples. Those with strong faith are to encourage pursuit of God. Those with strong faith should be leading people away from following the ways of the world and encouraging people to pursue God’s desire for our lives. This is not a calling for the weak or simple-minded, hence Jesus’ use of dark humor regarding the millstone. With great power comes great responsibility.
