I will try again! Sheesh! I tried to post, however It didn't go up! Let's try this again.

Hey Naru,

You had asked why we didn't cut off our members. Then you put up Mark 9. I want to ask you, Jesus is called a Door in Scripture, do you beleive this to be literal? Do you view Jesus as a door?

Jesus taught the disciples using parables. Do you know what a parable is?

Parable:PAR'ABLE, n. [L. parabola; Gr. to throw forward or against, to compare to or against; as in confero, collatum, to set together, or one thing with another.] A fable or allegorical relation or representation of something real in life or nature, from which a moral is drawn for instruction; such as the parable of the trees choosing a king, Judges 9.; the parable of the poor man and his lamb. 2 Sam. 12.; the parable of the ten virgins, Matt.25. [Webster's 1828 Dictionary]

This was not a literal teaching. Jesus never expected to cut off their members.

Why did Jesus use parables?

"13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."
Matt. 13

And this is why! He use them so those who didn't have eyes to see, or ears to hear could not perceive or understand what He was teaching. Jesus knew that their hearts were waxed gross, and they ears were dull of hearing.

So when He taught, He used parables.

Now let us talk about Mark 9.

What we are seeing here is a parable that is speaking of cutting of sources of temptation in one's life.

Getting rid of anything in your life that could be a stumbling block for you. Amen?!

This portion of Scripture goes hand in hand with mortifying the flesh.

"5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:"
Col. 3.

We are to mortify our members. Mark 9 was talking about cutting off our members.

What does mortify mean?

Mortify 3. To subdue; to abase; to humble; to reduce; to restrain; as inordinate passions.

Mortify thy learned lust.

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth. Col.3. [Webster's 1828 Dictionary]


We are to subdue, or reduce, or restrain our members from the lusts of our flesh. Cutting off those temptations.

Mark 9 is not a literal teaching. You need to be able to discern these Spiritual things.

Do you have eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart that is of understanding? If so, then Study to shew thyself approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

If you do this, then you would understand the parables that are taught.

In Christ,

Deborah