COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 106
“ Mark 9:49 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.” (Mark 9:49-50; Matthew 5:13; Luke 14:34-35)
SALT, SALTINESS, AND SALTLESSNESS
INTRODUCTION
What is involved in living unto the Lord? Serving the Lord? Being a witness for the Lord? It is possible to get the idea that very little is required – just enrolling and being put on the roster, so to speak. For some, being on the roll of an established church is enough – particularly when it is viewed as part of the one true church. However, such notions will not be gleaned from the words of the Head of the church, or from those whom He placed first in the church, to lay the foundation and root and ground its members in the truth. In this text, Jesus will hearken back to the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. He will confirm that, while they were a routine, they were not merely a routine. In the various ceremonies of the Law, men were being introduced to the manner of the Kingdom, and the mind of the Lord. They established that there is a certain Divine aversion to things that are not offered to Him properly. Men may content themselves to think that God is so kind and gracious that He will receive anything we offer to Him – including our own persons. Nabad and Abihu will rise in the day of judgment to confirm such a thought it wholly spurious – that those who offer to God what he really does not want are in jeopardy. A fire came out of heaven and consumed them because they used the wrong kind of fire to offer incense (Lev 10;1-2; Num 26:61). Once, when 250 priests who sided with Korah sought to offer incense to the Lord – even the right incense – a fire came out from the Lord and consumed them all because of their opposition to Moses (Num 16:17,35). When Uzziah took it upon himself to offer incense to the Lord, even though the priests told him it was not lawful to do so, the Lord smote him with leprosy, and he was a leper until the day he died (2 Chron 26:16-21). In this text, Jesus will confirm that who a person is, and what is found in him, are critical in the matter of serving the Lord. God will not receive something that is contrary to His own nature, neither does He have any compunctions about casting all defiling influences out of His house.
EVERYONE AND EVERY SACRIFICE REQUIRES SALT
“ Mk 9:49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.”
EVERYONE SHALL BE SALTED WITH FIRE. Other versions read, “everyone will be seasoned with fire,” NKJV “tested with fire,” NLT and “purified by fire.” GNB Every other version reads “salted with fire.” Keep in mind, this is something that everyone will experience – being “salted with fire.” This is not something that can be avoided.
To be “salted” can mean to be seasoned, or preserved (Matt 5:13). Elijah used salt to miraculously purify a defiled spring of waters (2 Kgs 2:20-21). In a severe judgement from God, Lot’s wife “became a pillar of salt” (Gen 19:26). But “salt” is not the point of this text. It is not referring to a seasoning agent, or to a means of preservation. Jesus does not say that every man will salted with salt, but “with fire.”
Salted with Fire. Whether good or evil, righteous or unrighteous, “everyone will be salted with fire!” That is, they will be subjected to the influence of fire, just as everything upon which salt is sprinkled is subject to the influence of salt.
Jesus is teaching that everyone passes under the scrutinizing eye of the Lord, and are thus tested. This can happen to heathens like Pharaoh (Ex 6:1) and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4:31-33), or saints whose faith is “tried by fire” (Zech 13:9; 1 Pet 1:7). This has particular relevance to those who cause offenses, making the little ones who believe on Jesus to stumble. However, this “salting” is not confined to them. Neither is the judgment of the Lord limited to those who have faith. When Abram passed through Egypt, Pharaoh took Sarah into his house. It is written, “And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife” (Gen 12:17).Pharaoh was “salted with fire.” When Israel was journeying through the wilderness they found no water, saving for the bitter waters of Marah. Instead of seeking the Lord, they “murmured against Moses.” Even though the Lord showed Moses a tree which, when cast into the waters, made them sweet, it is written, “and there he proved them” (Ex 15:23-25). They were “salted with fire.”
How often the Spirit reminds us of this “salting.” “. . . the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed” (1 Sam 2:3). Isaiah declared God “dost weigh the path of the just” (Isa 26:7). Even wicked Belshazzar was “weighed in the balances,” and “found wanting” (Dan 5:27). David affirmed, “the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins” (Psa 7:9), and “the Lord trieth the righteous” (Psa 11:5) . Paul reminded us that God “trieth our hearts” (1 Thess 2:4). Everyone shall be salted with fire! It is something no person can escape. Men conduct themselves foolishly, even causing others to stumble, because they forget this fact. It is the responsibility of the church to keep this matter before the people (1 Tim 3:15).
EVERY SACRIFICE SHALL BE SALTED WITH SALT. Here Jesus elaborates further on the matter of salting. Now He speaks of it in the sense of sanctification, or setting apart for the Lord. He appeals to the laws pertaining to sacrifice. “And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt” (Lev 2:13). Ezekiel confirmed this continued even after the Babylonian captivity. “And thou shalt offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the LORD” (Ezek 43:24).
Every person who offers himself to God must be “salted with salt,” having the sanctifying influence of the blood of Christ (Heb 10:29, 13:12), and the “sanctification of the Holy Spirit,” the great Worker from heaven (Rom 15:16; 1 Pet 1:2). That sanctifying salt includes faith, without which “it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). There is also the matter of grace, through which “we may serve God acceptable with reverence and godly fear” (Heb 12:28). Let no person think for a single moment that he can present himself to God without these sanctifying influences, or that God will even consider him without them.
Not only must the one coming to God be “salted with salt,” but what he offers must also be presented in that manner. We cannot offer sullied works to the God of heaven. What we offer to God must be holy, just as surely as the one who is offering it. Ananias and Sapphira did not salt their offering with salt, but misrepresented it, and thus incurred the judgment of God (Acts 5:1-10). Paul spoke of those who failed to salt their preaching with salt, for they preached Christ “in pretense” (Phil 1:18). Even our speech is to sanctified, being “salted with salt.” “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col 4:6). We are admonished to sing “with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col 3:16) – another sacrifice “seasoned with salt.”
We cannot afford to be loose in our thinking concerning serving the Lord. Our persons, conduct, and expressions are to have the grace of God and the work of the Spirit upon them. Nothing is to be offered as though our character or motives are incidental. The sacrifice of ourselves must be holy and acceptable to God. There are no exceptions (Rom 12:1).
GOOD AND BAD SALT
“ 50a Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it?”
SALT IS GOOD. Other versions read, “salt is a good thing,” MRD “salt is good for seasoning,” NLT and “salt is good [beneficial]” AMPLIFIED By saying “salt is good,” the Lord means it is beneficial and useful. It possesses properties that are helpful and profitable. Salt is not noted for how it looks, but for what it does. It is not something you place on a shelf to behold, but something that is put to good use. It has utility.
However, Jesus is not referring to the properties of natural salt, but of the salt of redeemed humanity. Matthew clarifies this when he records Jesus saying, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt hath lost . . . ” At this point, He is not speaking of the salt of grace, for that “salt” does not lose its properties. Luke associates this saying with the individual becoming Christ’s disciple. “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple. Salt is good . . . ” (Luke 14:33-34). The clear implication is that it is one’s disconnection with the things of this world that leads to becoming “the salt of the earth.” It is “good” when such a stance is taken.
SALT THAT HAS LOST ITS SALTNESS. In this world, there is rarely such a thing as a fixed and unalterable condition. Ordinarily, hearts that are hard can be softened (Ezek 36:26). The blinded eyes of the heart can be opened (Acts 26:18; Eph 1:18). Men can be “delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son” Col 1:13). Those who are given eternal life are told they “shall never perish” (John 10:28). However, Jesus now introduces a condition referred to as salt losing its saltness, or “loses its flavor,” NKJV or “becomes unsalty,” NASB or “if the taste goes from it.” BBE Both Matthew and Luke read, “have lost his savor” (Matt 5:13; Lk 14:34). Other versions read, “loses its flavor,” NKJV and “has become tasteless.” NASB
Remember, our Lord is speaking of people – those who have been denominated “the salt of the earth.” There are spiritual properties that produce this spiritual savor: 1– New creatureship (2 Cor 5:17); 2– A new heart and a new spirit (Ezek 36:26); 3 – A circumcised heart (Col 2:11-12); 4 – The fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:19-22); 5 – An ear to hear (Matt 11:15); 6 – A good conscience (1 Tim 1:5); 7 – Not loving the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15), and 8 – The love of the brethren (1 Pet 1:22) – to name a few. These, and similar, qualities are what cause men to be salty – to have godly influence in this world.
These are part of the treasure that is being held presently in “earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7). Because of the frail vessels in which this treasure is being maintained, a certain jeopardy is introduced that requires vigilance, faithfulness, and perseverance. It is possible for the salt to lose its distinguishing properties. This concept would parallel phrases like, “if they shall fall away” (Heb 6:6), being “entangled again” in the things from which we were delivered, and being “overcome” (2 Pet 2:20), and sinning wilfully “after that we have received the knowledge of the truth” (Heb 10:26). What happens to those so characterized.
HOW CAN IT BE RENEWED? Jesus asks, “wherewith shall ye season it?” or, “with what will you make it salty again?” NASB When once the salt has lost its unique properties, how can such properties be restored? Men may theorize about this, but the Scriptures address the matter with alarming clarity. Matthew says it this way: “it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matt 5:13). Luke says, “It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out” (Lk 14:35). Is it remotely possible to soften those words, or make them more palatable?
Let us see how the Spirit spoke of this condition under other figures. Concerning those who “fall away” He said, It is impossible “to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Heb 6:6). Concerning those who become entangled in the things from which they were delivered, and are overcome, it is written, “the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” (2 Pet 2:20-21). And, of those who sin wilfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth, it is written, “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (Heb 10:26-27). That is descriptive of becoming “good for nothing” and being “cast out.”
God will maintain no children in His house who do not bear in themselves the qualities received in salvation. No one will be allowed to be ornamental, with no God-glorifying utility. I understand that this sharply clashes with popular approaches to being saved – approaches that allow for carnality at the worst, and juvenility at the best.
Saltiness is the opposite of causing offences. It is what contributes to building up instead of stumbling. It causes one to be a contributor instead of a thief and a robber.
HAVE SALT IN YOURSELVES
“ 50b Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.”
HAVE SALT IN YOURSELVES. Other versions read, “Have salt among yourselves,” CSB “Have salt in you,” DOUAY “Have salt within you,” GWN “Let there be salt in you,” MRD “You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves,” NLT “See that ye have salt in yourselves,” TNT “Don’t lose your flavor,” LIVING and “Keep on having salt among yourselves.” ISV
Who dares to ignore this summons? We are to be the kind of people through whom Divine influences can be brought to bear upon men. There must be no inhibiting factors in us that darken the light, and finally put it out altogether, so that nothing of God can be seen in us. If men can make no association between God and us, of what good are we? Some may bluster and say we have no right to judge, and that every person has a right to their own opinion. But this is nothing more than smoke that obscures the truth. If any of us has really lost our saltiness – the unique properties that make us different from the world – here is the truth of the matter: we are useless! That is, useless to God! Of what value is a person whom God cannot use in the fulfillment of His eternal purpose? Where is there a place for them in the body of Christ? And if there is such a place, precisely in what sense are they part of the body?
Christ’s admonition addresses both the individual and the group. Each person is to have the savory salt of grace – “within you.” GWN And, the assembly is to have it as well – “among yourselves.” NLT Every person and every assembly must have the capability to contribute to the work of Christ. They must be a resource through which the Lord can work. Grace must be resident within them, and flow out to others. If we are not working together with Christ, what evidence is there that He is in us? That is precisely why we are admonished, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Cor 13:5).
What God gives His people must be possessed: “have salt in yourselves.” If the Lord is noted for giving “more grace” (James 4:6), then we are to be noted for receiving “more grace.” If “grace and peace” are “multiplied” unto us “through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Pet 1:2), then we are to be noted for increased measures of those blessed gifts. “Have grace in yourselves!” If Jesus gives us peace (John 14:27), then we are to be noted for possessing it. “Have grace in yourselves!”
HAVE PEACE ONE WITH ANOTHER. This is not another statement, but a continuation of “Have salt in yourselves . . . ” Just prior to this, the disciples had been disputing among themselves “who should be greatest” (Mk 9:33-34). Now, Jesus admonishes them to have done with such disputations, replacing such discussions with having “salt” in themselves.
Years later Paul would admonish the church, “I . . . beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”(Eph 4:1-3). He exhorted the brethren in Rome to pursue things that “make for peace” (Rom 14:19). He reminded the Corinthians that “God hath called us to peace” (1 Cor 7:15). He told the Colossians, “let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Col 3:15). The Thessalonians were admonished, “be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thess 5:13). Peter exhorted believers to “seek peace, and pursue it” NKJV (1 Pet 3:11).
Why did Jesus and the apostles place such stress upon believers being at peace among themselves? Judging from the status of Christendom as a whole, one might conjecture that these words were not even in the Scriptures. However, they are present, and that for a reason. James affirmed peaceableness to be the second great trait of the wisdom that comes from above. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable . . . ” (James 3:17). He also cites the reason for this condition. “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace” (James 3:18). That is, righteousness springs forth from peaceful environs. The “new man” is cultured, edified, and renewed in a setting devoid of contention, strife, and carnal competition. Discord creates a surrounding where grace is stifled, and “the flesh” flourishes. Who does not know from experience that this is the case.
When we have salt in ourselves, it does not automatically make for peace, as though it was some magic potion. It equips us to express Divine qualities that strengthen the work of God in others. This is what keeps us from causing offenses – throwing stumbling blocks in the path of others. Jesus has already said that offenses are inevitable: “For offenses must come.” He also added, “but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh” (Matt 18:7). It is therefore on the part of wisdom to take the words of Jesus seriously, allowing them to mold our thinking.
Let us see to it that as an assembly, we have salt – salt in increasing and productive measures: salt that does not lose its savor. We are not in a world that is conducive to such things, but they are available in abundance in the heavenly places in which we have been placed in Christ Jesus. May the salt of grace be found in abundance in you.