Millstone Turned by Donkeys

If we travel through Asia or google millstone pictures, we’ll see various sizes of millstones. Some are small for grinding spices, some are a medium size for grinding grains, and some are large for separating grains from their stalks (e.g., rice or wheat). Donkeys tied to the mill pull them in a circle to gride the grains. https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/85153090-mexico-1950s-man-guides-donkey-around-circle-turn-millstone

The Lord Jesus said,

“If anyone scandalizes one of these little ones who believe, it is good – even better – for that one to tie around his/her neck the millstone turned by donkeys and cast him/herself into the sea.” (Mark 9:42)

The verb scandalizes has come to mean “to stumble someone” or “to give offense to someone.” Initially, however, it meant “to set a trap” or “a snare laid for an enemy.” Jesus was talking about someone taking specific steps to entrap a little one intending to harm that person. That was scandalizing.

When the disciples debated as to who was the greatest and the first, Jesus set a child in their midst and said to them that anyone who accepted people like that child accepted the Lord and God (9:37). Now, he referred not to children specifically but to any little ones who believed – including children, those new to believe in Jesus, and people with limited capacity to understand or comprehend.

If someone were to entrap a child or naïve with the intent to harm them, it was better for that person to kill him/herself than to harm that child or naïve person because his/her punishment would be harsh: s/he would be tossed into Gehenna with undying worms and unquenching fire (9:48). Jesus was quoting Isaiah that concludes with this verse: God’s enemies would be thrown into the trash dump outside the city with undying fire where they will be loathsome to all people to see (Isa 66:24). Gehenna was a trash dump outside the city.

Jesus considered those who trapped children or the naïve with the intent to harm them as evil, even deserving of death. If they didn’t remove themselves from the scene, their fate would be as bad as God’s enemies.

To stress the importance of his message, he repeated it three more times, specifying . . .

“If your hand traps a little . . .” (Mark 9:43)

“If your foot traps a little . . .” (9:45)

"If your eye traps a little . . ." (9:47)*

We make three errors with this harsh lesson.

First, we misunderstand scandalize as “grieve” or “give offense.” In college, someone said to me, “Your mustache is offending me. Shave it.” I couldn’t imagine how my mustache entrapped him to evil, so I kept my mustache. Scandalizing or stumbling is entrapping someone with the intent to harm. Most of what we call an “offense” or “offending” are not truly scandalizing.

Second, we assume this passage is a hyperbole, an exaggerated speech, because Jesus talked about cutting off limbs or plucking out eyes. No, Jesus was serious. Anyone who purposefully entraps a child or naïve with the intent to harm (like sexual predators entrapping children to rape and kill) must take Jesus’s words seriously. In our culture and context, we turn ourselves into institutions and jails to prevent us from harming others.

Third, we individualize this lesson as if my hands or eyes make me sin; should I remove them? Jesus talked about our body parts intentionally entrapping and harming the little ones who believe.

*Some manuscripts repeat the punishment (v. 48) after verses 43 and 45 as verses 44 and 46.