In Mark 9:49-50, Jesus said “Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.” Some manuscripts add “and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.”
The context in which Jesus said these words is in a discussion the disciples were having about 1) who is the greatest, and 2) no one else can join our “Jesus Club,” (see Mark 9:30-50). Jesus answered them quickly by saying that the one who desires to be first must be last and a servant of all, and that anyone who does good in the name of Jesus and is not against Him is for Him. Then Jesus immediately talks about sin—that if anyone makes any of those who love and follow Jesus to sin, then they should cut off the part of the body that causes them to sin because it is better to go into the Kingdom of God physically incomplete than go whole into Hell. At first glance, the first thought is, “Wow, that’s weird.” And then we quickly move to the thought, “Is Jesus telling us to mutilate ourselves?” Then we say, “I don’t get it, let’s move on to the next chapter!”
Before we breeze in to the next chapter, let’s look at meaning of “saltiness,” and uncover the meaning of all Jesus was saying. Jesus is making a reference back to Leviticus 2:13 where it says, “You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.” Salt is used as a preservative and for flavor. It is quite significant that the salt was added to every sacrifice that was offered in the Old Testament—it is a symbol of a deeper truth.
Jesus tells His disciples that they are the “salt of the earth,” (Matthew 5:13), and that they will be “salted with fire,” (Mark 9:49). Down at the essence of its meaning, Jesus is telling His followers that we are Living Sacrifices given for the benefit and inclusion of other people. Those who serve Jesus and are His disciples will sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others—we serve them ahead of ourselves, and we refuse to do anything that will cause them to sin. Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation, He is saying that it is better to rid ourselves of what we have and anything we do if it causes someone else to miss out on what God has for them, and so that others can enjoy complete freedom in Jesus Christ. Our self-giving makes a way for them to enter into fullness instead of us barring the way to their freedom because we do certain things, (compare with 1 Corinthians 10:23-24). In short, our sacrifice to the Lord is to love others and to serve them so that they can succeed. These are “the greats” in the Kingdom of God. The saltiness offered with our self-sacrifice is a symbol of God’s character in us. God must characterize everything we do and everything we are as we offer ourselves to Him. He is love, and we are to love as He loves. What good is our worship and Sunday attendance if we don’t have this right in our lives? The greatest sacrifice and worship we could ever offer to God is to love and serve the people who He loves so deeply. Life is not about us. It is about Him. It is about others. The moment life becomes about ME, we’ve missed the point of it all.
Pastor Kyle Bauer
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