The Millstone

Check out the video on Substack.

Time for another history lesson.

I have always been fascinated by how people developed things throughout history.

Think about it.

The very first people on earth had to eat. But there were no stores—no supermarkets, no Walmarts, no Costcos, no McDonalds or Burger Kings. And no DoorDash to bring the food right to their door.

Yet people still had to eat.

They had to look around the world they lived in and try to figure out how they would survive.

Check out the image of the field of wheat below.

If you saw that field of wheat and you were really hungry, you might grab a stalk, pull it out of the ground and start gnawing on it.

If you did that, I don’t think you would enjoy what you were eating.

But I guess if you were desperately hungry, you might grab anything that growing out of the ground and eat it, hoping that you would satisfy your hunger without making you sick.

Historically, what fascinates me is that people figured out that the field of wheat in front of them was food.

Good food.

But they had to do some things first.

They could take that stalk of wheat, remove the heads from the stalk, clean the kernels from the head, get rid of the outer husk of the kernels, and then take a couple of rocks to smash the kernels into flour.

With that flour, they could add some ingredients, heat it in a fire, and create a tasty loaf of bread.

Would you have ever thought of doing something like that?

I don’t think I would have.

Which means that even if I was surrounded by a field of wheat, I just might starve to death. I certainly wouldn’t have a loaf of bread, or an English muffin, or a cinnamon roll.

The Family Millstone

Archaeologists have discovered that people learned to process wheat thousands of years ago.

Initially, a family might get a couple of rocks to crush the grain into flour. Probably something like a mortar and pestle.

Over time, however, things became a little more sophisticated. People made two circular stones: one stationary stone was placed on the ground, and the other was set on top of it. The kernels were placed between the stones and the top stone was rotated by hand, crushing the kernels into flour.

The stones were small, 12 to 18 inches in diameter, weighed between 20 to 30 pounds, and they worked for a single household.

The Donkey Millstone

But for a larger farm, of if a group of farmers got together, they needed something bigger to handle turning their wheat into flour.

They created what was called a “mýlos onikós” which means “donkey millstone.”

The mylos onikos was a very large millstone. It could be 3 to 5 feet in diameter, 6 to 12 inches thick, and weigh hundreds of pounds. Some have even been found that weigh over 1,000 pounds.

The millstones were so big and heavy, they needed an animal such as a donkey to turn them.

Hence their name.

Jesus and Children

Which brings me to the point of today’s history lesson.

About 2,000 years ago Jesus was teaching his disciples an important lesson. He had a child brought to him and he explained:

“… whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” — Matthew 18:6 (ESV)

Jesus didn’t mince words when he described what someone deserves if they cause a child to sin.

He used the term “mylos onikos”, which his listeners understood to mean a massive stone that weighed hundreds of pounds.

The image is brutal.

If you play a role in causing a child to sin, Jesus says you deserve far worse than having a millstone weighing hundreds of pounds tied around your neck, being taken out on a boat into the ocean, and being dumped overboard.

It’s a serious warning.

Are We Leading Children Astray?

As we look at our world today, are the influences bombarding our children leading them to sin?

Streaming videos, social media, movies, TV, video games, smart phones—even our schools and some of our churches.

Our children are spending hours every day marinating in a culture that seems determined to keep them from the God who loves them while encouraging them to embrace sin as a way of life.

Ask God to show you how to be a light to the people, especially children, that He brings into your world today.

Before I go, I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.

“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)

Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today