Jesus, "Mama bear mode", and Millstones.

Have you heard of "Mama bear mode"? It is a phrase used to describe a parent acting on behalf of a child. Often this phrase is used to describe a parent who risks danger to themselves in order to protect or preserve the life of their children. 

Researchers have compared in studies the reaction of a parent when threatened alone by danger, and when a parent has children present during a dangerous encounter. How does a parent's behavior change when alone, or with one of their children? What could motivate someone to put themselves in harms way? Consider the following quote:

Moita’s team manipulated the rats’ brain circuitry to know exactly when oxytocin overpowered self-defensive freezing and prompted protective responses. The researchers then conditioned the mother rats, in the absence of their pups, to associate a peppermint scent with the imminence of an innocuous electric shock. After training, these female rats perceived the odor as a threat and froze accordingly.

When researchers released the peppermint scent in the presence of pups, the rat mothers didn’t freeze. On the contrary, they tried to protect their offspring from the peppermint odor by attacking the tube where the odor was coming from, or piling up bits of material from the nest to block the tube — or, if the pups were a little older, by nursing them, grooming them and generally keeping them in close contact with themselves. (Click here to read full article)

Parents have a responsibility to protect their children. Even the rats know this! Sometimes a situation is so dire that a parent will risk great danger to themselves in order to ensure the immediate preservation of their children. This is a principle which is observable in the animal kingdom, and among us descendants of Adam and Eve. 

Often poor parenting is observed or critiqued when a parent is unwilling to provide, protect, and preserve the life of their child. While different cultures throughout history have approached provision, protection, and preservation of life in different ways, the high view of these duties is present in any growing or thriving community. Inevitably when these parental duties are neglected society suffers. 

Both animals and humans have an instinct and duty to protect their young. What about the Lord Jesus? What was his approach to protecting his people? In the gospels, we read of Jesus giving a very stern warning (See Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2):

If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42)

This is a "mama bear" like statement coming from the Lord of glory. Let's pull this statement apart. 

First, Jesus identifies who he is warning: "anyone who causes....to stumble". In this Jesus makes a very broad audience the target of this discussion. By saying "anyone" he has pushed the boundaries of his warning to an almost universal reach. The immediate context of the discussion is with the disciples (namely John as mentioned in Mark 9:38). Matthew and Luke's gospels both put these statements with the disciples surrounding Jesus. We can therefore see the immediate audience of "anyone" being anyone among the disciples. This anyone then extends to those who in the future (like us today) will seek to follow Jesus. This isn't just a statement from Jesus saying "bad people who have intentions of harming my people, be warned". This is a statement from Jesus to his very precious and most trusted followers and friends. The warning is given to friends. This is like a husband saying to a dear friend "my wife and family come first". This is an "in-house" warning.

Second, Jesus identifies who he is protecting: "these little ones - those who believe in me". The ones who are under the protection of Jesus are his little ones. They are not a generic, unspecified, faceless, nameless, numberless horde. They are there present in the discussion. As Jesus' warning was an "in-house" warning, his promise of protection is an "in-house" promise. This is not a universal promise of Jesus to protect anyone, everywhere at all times. This is a mama-bear-like specific promise of provision. In this manner, the warning comes to siblings to love one another.  The target audience was being instructed to abandon any thought of harming one another. Like a parent giving instructions "go outside and play, be nice to each other". For the child who then begins to torment a sibling, the parent lovingly and firmly provides both protection (for the victim) and discipline (for the tormenter). The believer is promised that Christ himself will ensure justice in a "stumble" scenario. 

Thirdly, Jesus identifies the consequences towards those who cause his little ones to stumble: "it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea". In his comment's on the Gospel of Matthew's account of Jesus' words, John Calvin had this to say:

"To hang a millstone about a man’s neck, and drown him in the sea, was the punishment then reckoned the most appalling, and which was inflicted on the most atrocious malefactors. When our Lord alludes to this punishment, we are enabled to perceive how dear and precious those persons are in the sight of God, who are mean and despised in the eyes of the world." (Click here to read more from Calvin)

The high level of threat coming from Jesus is in direct connection to his high level of love for his little ones. Serious "mama-bear-mode" occurs when a threat becomes a danger. Remember the rats in the study? The caring rat would risk putting themselves at risk for the benefit of their offspring. Jesus here does not mince words. He demonstrates his passionate, devoted, firm affection for his little ones even as he cites a warning. Alexander MacLaren wrote the following when commenting on Mark 9:42:

"The ‘little ones’ are sacred because they are His. The same relation to Him which made kindness to them so worthy of reward, makes harm to them so worthy of punishment. Under the one lies an incipient love to Him; under the other, a covert and perhaps scarcely conscious opposition. It is devil’s work to seduce simple souls from allegiance to Christ. There are busy hands to-day laying stumbling-blocks in the way, especially of young Christians—stumbling-blocks of doubt, of frivolity, of slackened morality, and the like. It were better, says One who saw clearly into that awful realm beyond, if a heavy millstone were knotted about their necks, and they were flung into the deepest place of the lake that lay before Him as he spoke. He does not speak exaggerated words; and if a solemn strain of vehemence, unlike His ordinary calm, is audible here, it is because what He knew, and did not tell, gave solemn earnestness to His veiled and awe-inspiring prophecy of doom. What imagination shall fill out the details of the ‘worse than’ which lurks behind that ‘better’?" (Click here to read more from MacLaren) 

This teaching from Jesus in the gospels then is a part of the context of Revelation 18:21-22 where we read:

21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: 

“With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. 22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. (Revelation 18:21-22)

I have previously discussed that one of the nicknames for Jerusalem in the book of Revelation is "Babylon" (Click here to read about Jerusalem's nicknames). In this setting in Revelation 18 we see the fruition of that warning from Jesus in Mark 9. We see instead of an individual person, a city, on the receiving end of a drowning. We may initially think "oh that's a bit harsh isn't it?". No, not at all. Based on what we've seen from Mark 9:42 there is a conclusion to be drawn here. This city "Babylon" (1st century Jerusalem) was guilty of causing stumbling among the little ones who believe in Christ. 

Several times this city is charged with harming God's holy people throughout the book of Revelation. In Revelation 6:10 it is the souls of God's people under a heavenly altar calling out for their blood to be avenged. In Revelation 16:6 the city is charged with shedding "the blood of your holy people and your prophets". In Revelation 17:6 the city is charged with being drunk "with the blood of God's holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus". 

Who was it doing the killing of these saints? At the top of the chain giving instructions to kill Christians was the religious leadership in Jerusalem. This is reinforced several times throughout the book of Acts. The most notable instance is in Acts 9:1-2 as Saul (who would become the Apostle Paul) had written permission from the High Priest (who ruled from Jerusalem) to destroy the church.

The charge against Jerusalem in Revelation comes to a climax at the end of Revelation 18:

In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24)

Jesus was serious in his warning. Jerusalem had been the privileged capital city of king David. Yet it had rejected the son of David, Jesus, as her king. Jerusalem had betrayed her rightful king (Jesus), and instead became a stumbling block for God's people. 

When "mama-bear-mode" becomes active a parent will often be willing to undergo great pains to protect their children. Christ himself took on the full weight of God's wrath against sin for the sake of his people (1 Peter 2:24-25). Christ took seriously the martyrdom of his 1st century people. He continues to take seriously the threats and dangers to his people. We who are Christians can look to history and observe the overwhelming devastation wrecked upon Jerusalem as a lesson that Jesus'  warnings are not wasted. 

I have a few "therefore" application statements to make in conclusion:

Therefore we who are believers ought to consider carefully that Christ first gave these words of warning about a millstone in the company of the disciples. Don't think that these words are for unbelievers. These words were spoken among the disciples for believers to be warned. We are not to cause one another to stumble. 

Therefore we who are believers ought to remember that Christ is the one who rules and wields justice and righteousness. It is not for us to seek revenge, but instead, it is for us to trust in Christ's promise that He will vindicate His little ones. It is not for the child to put themselves in danger, but rather it is for the child to trust the parent to protect and provide. 

Therefore we who are believers ought to take comfort in Christ's promises. There is no one who protects, provides, and preserves better than our great God. We can observe in nature the lengths to which a parent will go for their children, and we can rejoice greatly that our God stops at nothing for the good of His people!

Lastly, as the society which neglects and fails to provide, and protect its young ends in ruins, in contrast, the community of faith in Christ has grown since the 1st century. Acts 1 tells us that a little more than 120 people were followers of Jesus after his resurrection. Today there are fewer and fewer places on the planet that are empty of followers of Jesus. The global growth of Christ's people is a tremendous reason to celebrate the goodness of God in his protection, provision, and reservation through Christ.