For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt

 "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 we read that Jesus and disciples departed from the region of Caesarea Philippi (after a dispute with some scribes), and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And he sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "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."  My study bible explains that little ones include all who have childlike humility and simplicity, all who are poor in spirit.  We recall from Saturday's reading (above), that Jesus taught, "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."  Here, He begins solemnly to teach the disciples their duty, as those who will be the bishops of the Church, and to charge them most solemnly with responsibilities toward those who will seek Him through them, those who will be in their charge.  He is still teaching them what it means to be "great" (see Saturday's reading, above).  There are severe consequences to the abuse of power.

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.'"  My study bible suggests here that the reference to mutilation is an illustration of decisive action to avoid sin and does not advocate literal amputation.  This also refers to harmful relationships that must be severed for the salvation of all parties (see Luke 14:26, 1 Corinthians 5:5).  As Jesus is referring to the abuse of  the "little ones" in His Church (that is, those of lower status and power than the disciples who will be the bishops), He uses images illustrative of any kind of "trespass."  A hand may strike at another, or grasp what doesn't belong to it.  A foot treads where it doesn't belong, into things which are not one's business.  An eye may lust with greed or desire upon what doesn't rightfully belong to oneself.  In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus speaks about adultery.  Addressing men, He uses similar language regarding covetousness for another's wife.  There He speaks of removing an eye or hand (the eye that looks with lust, the hand that grabs what doesn't belong to it), rather than the whole body being cast into hell.  The image of the worm and the fire is from Isaiah 66:24, itself a dire prediction about the fate of those who transgress against God.  Jesus' "bottom line" here is that simply because they are His disciples, and for all those who follow who will be authorities in the Church, their positions give them greater responsibility to treat the littlest and most powerless with care, not leeway to do as they please.  Discipleship demands reciprocally more of those with greater authority.

"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."   My study bible says that being seasoned with fire means being tested to see if one's faith and works are genuine (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15).  When Jesus tells us that every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt, He's quoting Leviticus 2:13, in which salt stands for the remembrance of God's covenant with God's people.  Salt was the ancient world's preservative, before refrigeration; it is also anti-bacterial.  Moreover, salt is a fixative, long used to make dyes adhere to fabric.  My study bible says that because of its preservative powers, necessity for life, and ability to give flavor, salt had religious and sacrificial significance.  Moreover, to eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples, again using the image of salt:  "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."

Fire is an important image in the context of Scripture.  If we look closely at the many references to fire, we see that it is an image for the energies of God in various forms.  The angel of the Lord appears to Moses out of a bush that seems to be burning with fire, and yet is not consumed; moreover, God calls to Moses from the midst of this bush (Exodus 3:1-4).  We read that the Lord went before the Israelites, leading them as a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21).  From evening until morning, it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire (Numbers 9:15).  The glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on top of the mountain (Exodus 24:17).  Moses reminds the people that the Lord talked to you face to face from the midst of the fire (Deuteronomy 5:4).  But when there was rebellion against Moses and the Lord of Israel, a fire came out from the Lord and consumed those offering incense to a false god (Numbers 16:35).  In Daniel's vision of the Ancient of Days, the throne is a fiery flame, and its wheels a burning fire (Daniel 7:9), and a fiery stream passes before Him (Daniel 7:10).  In front of Gideon, the angel of the Lord put out a staff and fire came out of the rock to consume his offering of meat and unleavened bread (Judges 6:21).  A chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, takes Elijah by whirlwind into heaven rather than death (2 Kings 2:11).  When a foreign surrounds them, Elisha prays that a young man might have his eyes opened, and he sees a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:16-18).  These are only a handful of images of fire associated with the energies of the Lord.  We cannot presume that the image Jesus gives us is something separate, a different energy that also belongs to God.  Rather "hell" is a place where the energies of God burn away and purify that which is not compatible with those energies, the things we cling to that keep us separate from God.  In the letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul quotes from Proverbs 3:11-12:  My son, do not despise the correction of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives (Hebrews 12:5-6).   In the same chapter, St. Paul repeats the message that "the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God" (Deuteronomy 4:24).  This seemingly dual action or nature of the Lord for both correction and love is really one and the same; as God's energy is one.  St. John tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8).  But love has something to teach us, is something we strive to emulate and become a part of -- and that which is incompatible with love is burned through its actions.  When we cling to and make a part of ourselves that which is separate from God, when we refuse to cut off those things that are offensive to this love, so we experience the burning of the eternal fire of God, and this gives us the image of hell.  For the Orthodox, it is often said that hell is not a place nor a description of any location.  It is rather a state of mind.  All of these examples from Scripture, in both Old and New Testaments, point to one common theme:  that what God offers us through grace and God's nature as love is a kind of discipleship that teaches us something, designed to get us somewhere, to make something of us.  For those who would assume responsibility in the Church, it means bearing a responsibility to others -- and especially to those without power and authority -- to act within and bear that love as Christ's servants and messengers.  That requires of us a discipline, a willingness to sacrifice the hand or foot or eye that offends and goes where it shouldn't go.  It requires of each of us a personal commitment to be made into something, to grow, to be good disciples, and to accept and implement correction first of all to ourselves where it is needed.  There seems to be a modern falsehood (perhaps we may even call it heresy) that assumes love is mere indulgence of all our whims and desires.  Let us consider the jealous God who is a consuming fire, the God who loves us -- who is love -- and who calls to become "like Him," in whose image and likeness we are made.   For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.   This is the fire of love, the salt of love.