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You’re about to hear a message that can free you. In the last three months, I’ve spent over 50 hours marinating in today’s passage so that I can bring you my highest level of biblical scholarship possible. In order to hear Christ’s teaching, we must first “unknow” (become like a child) 2000 years of church history. I believe Evangelicalism largely gets this passage wrong, because those who interpret it literally, do not apply it literally. Don’t gloss over that. This reveals that something more nuanced is happening. As we follow Christ into this conversation, my goal is for you to hear this passage “again” for the very first time.

Today I’ll provide the structure and context, then next week, I’ll unwrap the meaning. So make sure to come back. The Greek words in this text have multiple definitions and this adds complexity to the hermeneutics, like multiplying many integers. Not all definitions are equal and we determine the best definition according to the textual, biblical, and historical context. The biggest rookie error in interpretation, is to read an English translation as if it applied to a modern mind, and this is commonplace in the pulpit and most commentaries. We can do better.

I’ll read the passage, and then make a few comments for your consideration.

⁵ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones (who believe in me) to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.⁷ “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Can we just read these English words and get an accurate translation? How did you interpret it? What is Jesus really teaching about? How does this fit with his message last week? I have four textual considerations that we’ll cover today.

First, modern bible’s are cut up into sections, and we read them as separate from the rest of the text. Last week’s story about “Who’s the Best?” is seen as distinct from the next part about “amputation and eye gouging,” but textually these run together and employ the following themes:

1. The “mikron” (v. 5,6,10)-“Little Ones“
2. “skandalizo” (v. 17:25, 18:6,7,8,9) “to trap, to cause offense, sin, stumble, or unbelief“
3. The linguistic interplay between causing a “skandelon-trap, offense” and the “sumphéro / kalòs” -“advantage/better/good“- compared to the consequence of being trapped (and not knowing it).
4. “eisérzomai” (v. 3,8,9)- “enter, move into, begin experiencing”
5. **Use of cultural idioms. “mikrons, mega, milestone, scandalizo, pur aionion, ghehenna pur“

This means we have three examples (possibly 4) instead of two, of the larger teaching of what it means to “unknow” (become like a child) from v.1-4. The Greek isn’t emphasizing “childlike faith,” but that we take drastic measures to become like a “mikron” (humble unknowing), instead of a “mega” (proud certainty). Essentially amputating pride and its causes, more on this next week.

Second, the gravitational pull to conflate “géenna” (v. 9-Ghenna-translated as fire of hell) and “pũr tò aiónion“-eternal fire, with the fictional narrative of hell derived from Dante’s Inferno, Hollywood, or modern writers, cannot be understated. The interpreter who imports these culturally conditioned versions of hell rather than the biblical hell will draw conclusions that the text may not intend. It’s important that BOTH “eternal fire” and “Gehenna of fire” be held in tension WITHIN the larger context or else, the threat of eternal torture for a “skandalon” sets in motion a faith that is out of step with Christ’s teaching. Additionally, if this is a threat of a literal eternal hell, then where are the one-eyed, one-handed, one-footed preachers who tell their congregations to take this literally?

Third, in the same way there is a pull to conflate the city dump of Jerusalem with the Hell of horror movies, there is a similar pull to conflate “entering life” with one-day heaven. Not only does the Greek not use the word “aìónion”– everlasting, but it uses both times the definite article “tèn” to refer to “your life”. And since the term is the same “eisérzomai” –begin to experience, in the active, aorist tense (not the future) this text is an infinitive clearly referring to our present lives. That’s key, Christ is BOTH teaching about our lives now and admonishing about eternity…they’re integral.

Fourth, while the use of “eternal fire” (also used in 25:41, Jude 1:7) describes an everlasting place prepared for the devil and his angles, that isn’t all that is true about eternal fire. We must resist being narrow and certain, that is the heart of pride. So while those who are dogmatic will insist this only means eternal hell of torture and torment, these are also the same people who life hypocritically with this verse. If it is a literal Hell being threatened, then where are the one-eyed, one-handed congregations?

There is a larger context of biblical revelation that also describes God as the all consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), and fire is used in scripture to purify or transform completely. (Numbers31:23, Isaiah 43:2). The historical context of fire is Hebrew purification. In other words, in order for anyone or anything to be in proximity to the one Holy God, it must be completely purified our completely undone…unknown. This is done by passing all things through either water or fire. This lens opens up an alternative meaning to these texts and dovetails perfectly into the biblical context for Jesus’ teaching during this time in his life and ministry.

With these “cones” in place, you are now ready to hear this amazing teaching which I’ll bring to you next week. When I reflect on how this passage has been used “against” us for so long, it really troubles me. Yet, it was this frustration, this knowing that those teaching me didn’t have the heart of God on this, that led me to get my PhD, and to commit my life to teaching the scripture raw, uncut, and unadulterated by church history. Yes, I have many critical lamentations toward the modern religious industrial complex, but I have never, not once in nearly 500 podcasts, said anything to dissuade anyone of their faith in Christ Jesus. My mission is to use scripture to prove that faith in Christ, not faith in religion, is the key to love, life, freedom, and healing. I hope these nuances come through.

I invite you to read Matthew 18:1-9 this week and prayerfully contemplate its meaning. Then join me next week as I stitch all this together into a new wineskin that will free us from our traps.