This verse reminded me of my early days as a Christian. I became a Christian when I was working as an engineer in Ottawa. The church where I was attending had many university students many of whom were members of a Christian fellowship group called CCF (Chinese Christian Fellowship). I started going there because of the attraction of young people being very enthusiastic about their faith. I soon joined an organizing committee for a devotional conference for Christian students across the province. It was held annually in the campus of Trent University, thus the conference was fondly referred to as "Camp Trent". I was there the year before and was greatly encouraged by it. So I became more involved with the organization of the conference that year. That is probably why I have always been involved with campus ministries, even to this day.
At this conference the main speaker used Mark 9:49 to admonish us to give ourselves wholly to God. I don't remember exactly what he said but I remember something about how difficult it was to interpret this verse. So I decided to do a little more research on it now, more than 35 years later!
Barnes Notes: Every one shall be salted with fire - Perhaps no passage in the New Testament has given more perplexity to commentators than this, and it may be impossible now to fix its precise meaning.
Weston W Fields from Grace Theological Seminary wrote a scholarly piece on this. He said in his introduction: "Among the difficult sayings of Jesus, Mark 9:49 is one of the most enigmatic. What could Jesus have meant when he said, 'Everyone will be salted with fire'? Stated in a context of judgment in the fire of Geh-Hinnom (the valley of Hinnom outside the southwest walls of Jerusalem), this strange mixture of salt and fire has perplexed Greek scholars for a very long time."
These are some of the points I have learned through reading his article and other references (see bottom of the blog), plus my own reflection:
- Although the New Testament text was written in Greek, there is a need to understand the context in its Hebrew lingual background. So the meaning of "salted with fire" can represent a Hebrew idiom that described the sacrificial procedure where the animal would first be salted (to achieve homeostasis) prior to being burned in fire. Apparently this way of interpreting scripture is particularly important when reading through the Book of Mark.
- In Judges 9:45 (note the exact chapter and verse numbers as Mark 9:45!) "All that day Abimelek pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it." This verse and in other places in scripture, the meaning of "to salt" is often associated with "to destroy completely". The Old Testament (OT) was written in Hebrew but the New Testament (NT) in Greek. It is possible that when a NT writer translated literally an OT story (such as "to salt" as in "to destroy completely"), the original meaning (of "to salt") is lost.
- Looking at the previous verses prior to Mark 9:49 :"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Everyone will be salted with fire." (Mark 9:42-49) The sin of causing one of these little ones to stumble is huge, as is the consequence of it. Whatever it takes, we must avoid the punishment where everyone (of those who committed the sin) will be destroyed by fire.
- Interestingly the verse that follows immediately after is “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50). It brings to mind the Sermon on the Mount in Matthews 5: 13-16. Jesus used the Salt and Light metaphorically to encourage us to live lives that represent Jesus Himself ("In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16). Salt serves the function both to preserve and to add taste. Our lives should keep society from moral decay and help everyone find the true meaning of life.
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6)
"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)
" For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Yes JESUS!!!
Other references:
Bible Hub: http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/9-49.htm
Weston Fields: http://www.jerusalemperspective.com/2192
Rethinking Hell (by Chris Date): http://www.rethinkinghell.com/2012/06/salted-with-fire-annihilation-and-mark-949/
JP's mind: https://jpsmind.wordpress.com/2007/06/03/salted-with-fire/
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