If the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where

'Their worm does not die,

And the fire is not quenched.'

"And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where

'Their worm does not die,

And the fire is not quenched.'

"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where

'Their worm does not die,

And the fire is not quenched.'

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

- Mark 9:42-50

On Saturday, Jesus taught His disciples important lessons about humility. He first began by speaking to them once again about what is to befall Him -- that He will be rejected, and suffer and die, and on the third day rise again. But the disciples were speaking about their positions in the kingdom, and who will be the greatest. He teaches them. "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Bringing forth a child, He says, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me." John asks about others, not of their group, whom they saw casting out demons in Jesus' name. Jesus teaches, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'" Here Jesus gives what is perhaps the most stern warning He will deliver, and it is to the disciples. If they would be great, they must be servants of all, they must be last -- in this sense, He is truly teaching the disciples that they must be "like Him" to the last. My study bible has an illuminating note: "A major cause of stumbling for Christians is that their leaders seek to be great. To bring leaders to servanthood, Jesus requires not physical mutilation but uncompromising detachment, even from the most precious relationships or possessions, if they cause sin. As a negative motivation, He portrays eternal torment." Jesus quotes here from Isaiah 66:24. To "cut off one's hand" is a metaphor for what it is like to cast off the things that are within us, that we feel are a part of us, that we need to leave behind, whatever it is we may be attached to that is precious to our sense of ourselves, but which, in effect, creates self-centeredness. As we go forward in a journey of faith we might find we are called upon to give up many things we thought we needed, but selflessness is just that -- the call to spiritual growth and understanding of the person Christ calls us to be, to become. For that, we "empty" in order to be filled: we give up our ways for His ways as He calls us forward into them. Here, we remember, the emphasis is on humility and service: this is especially so for those who would be leaders in the church -- and the "little ones" (as my study bible says) are the "humble believers with no pretensions to greatness. Leaders are to be 'last': faithful and serving."

"And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'" What is it to detach from our most precious possessions or relationships -- and perhaps, more deeply, the things within ourselves to which we cling desperately for a sense of identity? We exchange these things for a higher, better reality, for participation in the Kingdom. The alternative is dire, in the extreme way Jesus portrays here! The importance, apparently, cannot be minimized. To become who we truly need to be in the Kingdom, for participation in it, is the most precious thing of all.

"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'" So important is this teaching that Jesus repeats three times - not only the warning in the passage from Isaiah, but also a sense of what it is to lose what feels precious in exchange for the life of the Kingdom. A hand, a foot, an eye -- each costing a person a great deal. But worthwhile for the life of the kingdom. And, we remember, this is all done in the context of the need for humility, to understand what it is to serve and to be truly "great" -- especially for the little ones who will come in His name.

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another." To be seasoned with fire is essentially to face the life of this purification process -- what are we willing to forgo to continue in the Kingdom? How is it we may be called upon to change, to "sacrifice?" My study bible points out that there are mixed, negative and positive, images of salt here. But for a "sacrifice" to be seasoned with salt teaches us something of the great power and value in change, repentance, humility. My study bible says, "Every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt tells us suffering will happen to all who follow Christ, a positive experience when undertaken in humble faith. Salt is good refers to the special quality of life expected of disciples, particularly those whom Christ has called to spread His gospel. Have peace with one another suggests that one way to lose flavor as salt is to be striving for greatness." In a sense, the "salt" in this passage in the Greek is the fire -- we are all to be seasoned with something special. And if not with this salt, with what will we be seasoned then? As I see it, this "fire" of God is one in which we either accept the purification, or we identify with that which must be sacrificed. Ultimately, it is God's love that is the fire that calls us forward: are we going to be salted with it to preserve ourselves for the Kingdom? Or will we persist in holding as identity that which we must discard in order to be a part of this Kingdom, that which the fire burns? I think Jesus presents the disciples with a stark choice of what it is to truly serve, to grow to greatness in the Kingdom. And it all hinges upon how we regard the "little ones" and what we are willing to give up when we are called to do so. Will you be salted with the salt and fire of God? If not that, then with what will we be seasoned? Let us remember that salt, in the ancient world, is more than seasoning for flavor, but a preservative. With what will you be salted for His kingdom? To "have peace with one another" brings us to the idea not only of not striving in competition for greatness, but also to share God's peace, Christ's peace. It gives us a hint of the flavor of the seasoning!