Mark 9:45-50

If your foot causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter life lame than to be thrown into hell with two feet. ⁴⁷ If your eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter God’s kingdom with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two. ⁴⁸ That’s a place where worms don’t die and the fire never goes out. ⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good; but if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? Maintain salt among yourselves and keep peace with each other.”

Key Verse:

If your eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter God’s kingdom with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two. —Mark 9:47

Commentary:

Jesus talked about hell (Gehenna; valley of Hinnom) as a place where all evil is separated from God’s holiness. He warned the disciples of the seriousness of sin. The description of the fire and the worm in verse 48 is a reference to Isaiah 66:22-24. Isaiah’s prophecy highlights how evil must be separated from God’s glory. This passage is more about how we are called to live our lives on earth than it is about what happens in hell. Salt is used for preservation, and it was used during Old Testament sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13). Fire is used to purify. Salted with fire was possibly a call for the disciples to live sacrificially and to pursue righteousness at all costs. Getting rid of the sin in our lives will help us remain salty and live peacefully with others.

Questions to Discuss:

What else does the Bible say about salt in Matthew 5:13-16?

Do you believe Jesus was referring to a literal place where evil people go when they die? Why or why not?

How will we ever be considered righteous before God?