41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. (Mark 9:41-42 KJV)
Helping or offending the followers of Christ
Christ promises a reward to all who are kind to his disciples (Mark 9:41): “Whoever gives you a cup of water when you need it, and it will refresh you because you belong to Christ and are part of his family, will not lose his reward.”
It is the honor and happiness of Christians that they belong to Christ, have joined themselves to him, and are owned by him; they wear his livery and are retainers to his family; they are members of his body. Those who follow Christ may sometimes find themselves in difficult situations where they would be grateful for something as simple as a cup of cold water. Relieving Christ’s poor in their distress is a good deed and will be rewarded, for Christ appreciates such acts of kindness. Kindness done to Christ’s poor must be done for his sake because they belong to him; that sanctifies the kindness and gives it value before God.
This is the reason why we must not discourage those who serve Christ’s kingdom, even if they do not follow him exactly as we do. It comes as a reason why those casting out demons in Christ’s name should not be hindered, even though they were not part of Christ close disciples, for (as Dr. Hammond paraphrases it) “It is not only the great and eminent performances done by you my constant disciples that are accepted by me, but even the least sincere acts, like giving a cup of water to a disciple because he belongs to me, will be accepted and rewarded.”
If Christ reckons kindness to us as service to him, we should likewise view services to him as kindnesses to ourselves and encourage them, even when done by those who do not walk exactly with us.
He threatens those who offend his little ones, those who willfully cause sin or trouble for them (Mark 9:42). Whoever grieves true Christians, even the weakest ones, by opposing their entrance into God’s ways or discouraging their progress, or by restraining them from doing good or drawing them into sin—it would be better for him if a millstone were tied around his neck and he were cast into the sea. His punishment will be very great, and the ruin of his soul will be more terrible than bodily death (Matthew 18:6).