Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
The context of these verses is important. There are people who would suggest that I offend people and therefore I should consider cutting off my hand, etc. The context has to do with keeping a child, whether a physical child or a spiritual child, from trusting in the true Jesus Christ.
Now we do know there are child molesters who would prey on children. Their hands could be involved in that evil activity. They would be wise to cut off more than just their hand, but that would be a good deterrent. A person who lost their hand through such punishment would be reminded of that fact constantly. Those who are such perverts would probably continue to commit the sin as long as they had opportunity to do so. If a person would learn the importance of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ through such punishment, then that would certainly be worth it. Jesus said so much in this verse. Jesus also pointed out here that the lost person’s body will go to hell. It is a sure thing.
In verse 44 Jesus reminds us that hell is a place where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Worms have an insatiable appetite. When a person dies, if left alone, the worms will soon gather. They will gnaw at that body until there is nothing left to eat. Then they will be ready to go on to the next dead body. Jesus used this illustration to speak of hell. He talked of the fire of hell. A fire is never quenched as long as there is something to burn. In hell the bodies of those there will be like the bush that was not consumed in the days of Moses.
In this life we know that a fire will consume all combustible material and when that is done it will die out. The bodies of the wicked will never be consumed by fire in hell. The torment will be eternal. Jesus is teaching us that it is a very serious matter to reject His gift of salvation. There is no other offer being made. We must also remember that He is the owner of the gift. Thus salvation must be received on His terms, not ours. He has given us His Word and He is very clear on what is required for salvation.
The thief on the cross was repentant and sought Jesus’ forgiveness. He did not have opportunity to get off that cross and prove he was genuinely repentant. Jesus knew His heart as He does every individual. The words of this repentant thief just prior to his request of Jesus, demonstrate that he understood the gravity of his situation and he understood why he was on that cross. He knew he deserved to die and go to hell. He was not looking for an excuse. He was looking for forgiveness. Jesus came to save sinners and He heard that man’s plea for forgiveness and salvation. His own suffering did not hinder Him from hearing that man and saving Him.
The danger we face today and for many years is the many who claim salvation but they do not produce the fruit the Bible says will accompany a repentant, saved person’s life.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Many people take offence to the fact that a saved person must produce fruit according to God’s will. This fruit is not what saves them. This fruit will be the evidence they have been saved. When Jesus healed a person, they were immediately changed. They did not walk away crippled, or partially blind, etc. When He cast out a devil, the person was set free from that bondage.
Somehow we are supposed to believe that when a person is saved, nothing really changes, but the person is saved because they say so. The person will be changed and changing because God says so. The changes will be in accordance with what God’s Word says. Growing in holiness will be a product of true Biblical salvation. A desire for the things of God will be evidence of true Biblical salvation. The Bible also tells us that when a true child of God refuses to yield to his Master, God will chasten him. God loves the saved and He loves the lost. He wants the lost to see the blessing they could have if they would humble themselves and be saved. He wants the saved to know the blessings they have been promised by being adopted into God’s holy family.
Three times in this passage, Jesus warned of the dangers of hell. Incidentally, the perversions have removed two of the warnings that Jesus gave. They suggest that the mention of the warnings are not reliable. The devil is very good at casting doubt upon God’s sure Word. Lost people will love this because they do not want to believe the truth anyway. They want their own version of truth and they want to feel good about “their truth”.
Jesus pointed out here that it is important to take stock of what we do with our hands, with our feet and with our eyes. Jesus is teaching us here that we are accountable for our actions. Jesus often pointed out that the key issue in man is the heart. If the heart is right with God, then the hands, the feet and the eyes will be right with God. If the heart is not right with God, it will affect the actions of the person.
In verses 49-50 Jesus added a further illustration to help the Jews pay attention to what He was saying. Salt was a common mineral used in the sacrifices the people needed to bring to God. It was also used in food preparation. The context here is still with regard to hell. Salt is a picture of righteousness. It is used as a purifying agent. In the spiritual realm, the Word of God is the salt that shows us what is right and true. It also shows what is not good and right. In hell, the wicked will constantly be reminded of the righteousness of God and their failure to honour Him.
If you have ever had a regret about something, that is a minor picture of what those in hell will face. There will be no way to resolve this issue in hell. It will be torment to be left with regrets in the mind that can never be resolved.
In verse 50 we are reminded that salt is good. We appreciate salt in our food. Salt used to be used to preserve food. Meat that is well prepared with salt can keep for a long time. In the spiritual sense, the Word of God is the salt that is needed to show us what is right and what is wrong. The Pharisees corrupted the Word of God. Their teachings were not good for man. For well over a hundred years there has been a proliferation of perversions promoted by different religious groups. With the proliferation of the perversions we have witnessed a corruption of what is called Christianity. If you choose a perversion as your source of truth, you have no way of knowing the truth. You will just find support for the sins you want to commit. You still have a conscience but you have already seared that and the perversions will just help you to sear your conscience.
Jesus reminds us that we need to choose to have salt in ourselves. We need to choose truth over lies. The wise person will seek out truth. He or she will not be content with a perversion. There will be a desire for truth. The heart of the saved person will not be content with deception. When a person is saved and builds on truth, there will be peace with others of the same character. Jesus showed us that there could not be peace between Himself and the Pharisees. The problem was not with Jesus. It was the Pharisees who insisted on having their own way. They would not submit to the truth. Pride kept them from submitting to the truth.
It is important to pay attention to the Word of God. We know our minds are powerful. Some people have more powerful minds than others. We can convince ourselves that wrong is right. Unless we are willing to accept the salt which is God’s Word, and unless we are willing to submit to that Word, we will not go the right way. Everything we do should be screened through God’s sure Word. That will be part of “waiting” on the Lord. Patiently following God’s way is the way of blessing.
Pastor Bartel
