He says to his disciples, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42).

There’s no mincing of words here on Jesus’ part. He makes no effort to soften the blow in order to market the message to his hearers. It’s just there. Blunt. Straightforward. Direct. It should stop us in our tracks. It does that to me. . . everytime. And it’s an absolutely terrifying image.

Sure, there’s so much packed into this passage in terms of context and message. But as a youth worker, a parent, and a teacher of parents and youth workers, this passage both directs me and scares me in a very specific manner.

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