PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Mark 9:42-50
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Everyone will be salted with fire.” (Mark 9:49)
It seems to me that Jesus mixes metaphors – salt and fire – to make a point.
Both salt and fire are good, each having a preserving or purifying effect.
They can do something to get rid of the bad, and to strengthen the good.
The valley of Hinnon (gehenna, ‘hell’) had become a symbol for badness to the extreme.
It had been at one time place where people sacrificed children to Molech by fire.
In this reading, ‘little ones’ are ruined by stumbling behaviours – this is bad.
Jesus is urging the disciples to fight such badness by allowing goodness to renew them.
Jesus is urging them to let God’s goodness preserve like salt, purify like fire.
To “have salt among yourselves” (9:50) is to remove badness and build up goodness.
What are the things in my life that cause me or others to stumble, to fall away?
What are the behaviours that cause harm that I need to cut off or pluck out?
This is serious business; ‘little ones’ are being ruined by such cruel, unloving ways.
Will I allow badness to decay and destroy others, and myself?
Or will I allow the salt and fire of God’s goodness preserve and purify me?
PRAYER
Lord, I want your salt to preserve me with goodness and your fire to burn away badness. Help me to do my part to “cut off” or “pluck out” the badness before it ruins others, and me.
Seasoning. Salt was and still is important – back then it helped preserve stuff as well as season. Seasoning can also poison – especially when it is used excessively. As believers we are called to ‘season’ or bless others around us – we need to be the kind of ‘salt’ that seasons and not poisons. We can poison people by deceiving the and leading them the wrong way – or make them so ‘turned off’ by religion that they want nothing to do with it. Religion and its excessive practices or wrong practices or wrong demands can deceive- it can lead people to think that they are ‘ok’ by mindless rituals and not get to know Jesus and receive His gift of the HS! That is why Jesus warns anyone who deceives – poisons!
Salt is used for preserving and flavouring. Once upon a time it was also your wages or salary a word which comes from word salt. In preserving I need to stand up for Jesus and stay true to Him. And in my standing I need to be an influence as a flavouring to those around me. Rooted in His Word and living that Word so others can see Jesus in us. Love God. Love one another. I need to be salt and light to the world.
No need of the sunlight in heaven we’re told;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
The Lamb is the Light in the city of gold,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!