Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us^(A)

³⁸ Then John said, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name [^Cinvoking your authority] to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of a person. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group.”

³⁹ But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because anyone who uses my name to do powerful things will not ·easily [quickly] say evil things about me. ⁴⁰ Whoever is not against us is ·with [for] us. ⁴¹ I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a drink of water because you belong to the ·Christ [Messiah] will ·truly get [^Lcertainly not lose] his reward.

⁴² “If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; ^Lmillstone of a donkey] tied around his neck and be ·drowned [^Lthrown] in the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you ·to sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [^Lto enter life maimed] than to have two hands and go to ·hell [^LGehenna; ^Ca valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell], where the fire never goes out. |⁴⁴ In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out.|^{[a] 45} If your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and to live forever [^Lto enter life crippled] than to have two feet and be thrown into ·hell [Gehenna; v. 43]. |⁴⁶ In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out.|^{[b] 47} If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], take it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into ·hell [Gehenna; v. 43]. ⁴⁸ In hell the worm does not die; the fire is never put out. ⁴⁹ Every person will be salted with fire. [^CThe meaning of this proverb is uncertain; it may mean that the testing of believers purifies (fire) and preserves (salt); or it may refer to believers as God’s covenant people, since salt and fire were part of the OT sacrificial system; see Lev. 2:3; Num. 18:9.]

⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if the salt loses its salty taste, you cannot make it salty again. So, ·be full of salt [^Lhave salt in/among yourselves; ^Csalt here may symbolize fellowship within the covenant], and have peace with each other.”

⁴² Those who give one of these little ones [even; so much as] a cup of cold water because they are my ·followers [disciples] will ·truly get [^Lcertainly not lose] their reward.”

⁶ If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; ^Lmillstone of a donkey] tied around the neck and be ·drowned [^Lthrown] in the [^Ldepths of the] sea. ⁷ ·How terrible for [^LWoe to] ·the people of the world [^Lthe world] because of ·the things that cause them to sin [temptations to sin; ^Lstumbling blocks]. ·Such things will happen [^LIt is necessary for stumbling blocks to come], but ·how terrible for [^Lwoe to] the one ·who causes them to happen [^Lthrough whom the stumbling block comes]! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [^Lto enter life maimed or crippled] than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the ·fire that burns forever [eternal fire]. ⁹ If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], ·take [tear; gouge] it out and throw it away. It is better for you to ·have only one eye and live forever [^Lenter life one-eyed] than to have two eyes and be thrown into the ·fire of hell [^LGehenna of fire; 5:22].

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us^(A)

⁴⁹ John answered, “Master, we saw someone using your name to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of people. We told him to stop, because he ·does not belong to our group [^Ldoes not follow with us].”

⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Don’t ·stop [hinder; forbid] him, because whoever is not against you is for you.”

Sin and Forgiveness^(A)

17 Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “·Things that cause people to sin [Stumbling blocks; Causes of sin; Temptations] ·will happen [are inevitable; ^Lit is impossible for them not to come], but ·how terrible for [^Lwoe to] the person who causes them to happen! ² It would be better for ·you [^Lhim; that person] to be thrown into the sea with a ·large [^Lmill] stone around ·your [^Lhis] neck than to cause one of these little ones to ·sin [stumble].