September 27, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 9:38-50
At this point in Mark, stumbling blocks seem a necessary point for conversation. We are good at placing them in others’ paths, and even better at setting them before ourselves.
We are very skilled at stumbling blocks. That’s funny, because stumbling blocks are not something at which one would aspire to attain expertise. By definition, they ought to be rather unintentional: we stumble upon them, by accident. We trip over them, sometimes but not always catching ourselves before we fall. The severity of stumbling blocks is unpredictable, too. They can be a hiccup along the way, an easily recoverable falter that neither we nor others even notice. They can also be the cause for some serious tumbling, more than a mere slip-up that is easily brushed under the rug.
At this point in Mark, directly after the second Passion prediction, stumbling blocks seem a necessary point for conversation. Why? Because we are good at placing them in others’ paths, and even better at setting them before ourselves. Jesus names this truth about us, and about what it means to follow him. It’s a truth that has to be called out now—because come chapter 11, there will be much over which to stumble. It’s time to get ready, to prepare, to anticipate that what comes next might bring some unanticipated challenges.
Of course, Jesus doesn’t really articulate where and how and why we stumble. He simply tells us that we will, and that we have the potential to cause others to as well. What is so appealing about securing the fall of another? This is a question for the human condition, one that probes the truth of our human brokenness. It’s a question that everyone who claims faith in Jesus needs to answer.
