In Mark 9:38-50, Jesus comes down hard on the disciples. It makes us feel uncomfortable, and so we easily dismiss it as mere hyperbole (exaggeration). Jesus didn’t really mean cut off your foot or your hand or tear out your eye, surely? But, if Jesus didn’t really intend what he said, did he really mean the seriousness of his words to his disciples? Once we cast-off Jesus’ so-called exaggerations, it’s all too easy to reject his primary point as well.

Instead of getting lost in debating the literal or figurative meaning of these sayings, we should focus on their function: to magnify the seriousness of the stakes. Jesus uses hyperbole to emphasize the gravity of leading others astray in their faith.

At its core, this passage forces us to confront the uncomfortable reality that our actions—or inactions—can be stumbling blocks to others in their walk with God. Whether through judgment, indifference, or rigid definitions of what faith should look like, we can hinder someone else’s spiritual journey.

Think of women preachers, and the stumbling blocks they have had to overcome from those who prefer a patriarchal picture of Christianity…

Hyperbole can become the convenient excuse to stop listening, to stop believing, to question the veracity of the claims, claims that take an extraordinary amount of courage to utter.

When we place stumbling blocks in the paths of those trying to answer God’s call — as only they can hear it and live it — we are effectively silencing them. No, says Jesus. That’s what’s at stake.

(Extracts from Prof Karoline Lewis)