No mistake. This is a hard text. Jesus was often given to double-edged sayings, paradoxes and extreme comparisons. He spoke ironically and often with biting humor. Here he uses the images of cutting off a hand, a foot, or plucking out an eye.

The text begins with the disciples concerned with protecting their turf. All people have vested interests and will go to great lengths to defend themselves against encroaching threats. The disciples tell Jesus that they have found someone else working in his name; but, since the man was not one of them, hand-picked by Jesus, they told him to stop. Jesus responds with an unexpected twist. If the man is not against them, then he is for them. Sooner or later he will not be able to speak against the work of Jesus. Why, even a cup of water given in Jesus’…