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Mark 9:42-50 – Tempted and Tried
“Salted with fire” (Mark 9:49) is a notoriously hard saying of Jesus. Context can help. Before this difficult text (Mark 9:42-50), there is a scene whose imagery lends the metaphors of fire and water. A demon possessed son is being tossed into the water and fire (Mark 9:22). The father asks Jesus to have compassion on his son. Compassion will be exhibited by Jesus destroying that which is destroying the father’s son. Salt is the compassion of peace.
Salted with fire is a sacrificial term. Sacrifices are holy when given up to God. Here though, we can become our own sacrifice of giving in to our desires. Then, we are simply destroying ourselves and those among us. When we examine our lives, are we sacrificing others; or our desires and ourselves?
“Salted with fire” means everyone will destroy something in their lives here and now. For those who are godly it is through testing and triumphing over temptation. Trials are good when for the purpose of destroying the evil within ourselves. However, once the situation turns into evil, how can we turn it back again? By giving in, we have turned the testing into a temptation and destroyed one another. We need to have salt among ourselves, meaning preserving the good within us. Here Jesus is switching the metaphor from salted with fire where salt is a verb, to salt as a noun and preserver. The connection between this switch in metaphor is we are to destroy with fire the evil within us, then we can have peace in ourselves and with one another. Notice how this conclusion is the opposite of how this chiasm begins: Mark 9:42 – But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away….”
Destroy what is in you so that you don’t destroy others. Destroy inwardly so you can have peace from compassion with others.
CHIASM
A – NEGATIVE EFFECT INWARD AND OUTWARD: 42) “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away —
• Contrast between tempting and few.
B – PRESENT PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT FOR FAILING: it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
• Contrast between phyiscal (temporary) and spiritual (eternal)
C1 – WHO CONQUERS TEMPTATION: 43) “And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off.
• 1st example of being salted with fire.
C2 – FUTURE PUNISHMENT AVOIDED: It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire.
44)
C1′ – WHO CONQUERS TEMPTATION: 45) “And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off.
C2′ – FUTURE PUNISHMENT AVOIDED: It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
• 2nd example of being salted with fire
46)
C1″ – WHO CONQUERS TEMPTATION: 47) “And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out.
C2″ – FUTURE PUNISHMENT AVOIDED: It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
• 3rd example of being salted with fire.
B’ – FUTURE SPIRITUAL PUNISHMENT FOR FAILING: 48) “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
• Contrast between phyiscal (temporary) and spiritual (eternal)
A’ – POSITIVE EFFECT INWARD AND OUTWARD: 49) “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50) “Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
• Contrast between all and testing.
• Salt is a purifier.
• A little fire now in being tested is better than a lot of fire later in being punished.
A – NEGATIVE EFFECT INWARD AND OUTWARD: 42) “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away —
• Contrast between tempting and few.
B – PRESENT PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT FOR FAILING: it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
• Contrast between phyiscal (temporary) and spiritual (eternal)
C1 – WHO CONQUERS TEMPTATION: 43) “And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off.
• 1st example of being salted with fire.
C2 – FUTURE PUNISHMENT AVOIDED: It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire.
44)
C1′ – WHO CONQUERS TEMPTATION: 45) “And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off.
C2′ – FUTURE PUNISHMENT AVOIDED: It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
• 2nd example of being salted with fire
46)
C1″ – WHO CONQUERS TEMPTATION: 47) “And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out.
C2″ – FUTURE PUNISHMENT AVOIDED: It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
• 3rd example of being salted with fire.
B’ – FUTURE SPIRITUAL PUNISHMENT FOR FAILING: 48) “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
• Contrast between phyiscal (temporary) and spiritual (eternal)
A’ – POSITIVE EFFECT INWARD AND OUTWARD: 49) “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50) “Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
• Contrast between all and testing.
• Salt is a purifier.
• A little fire now in being tested is better than a lot of fire later in being punished.
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