TEXT [Commentary]

8. Miscellaneous remarks about relationships and accountability (9:38-50)

38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.”

39 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40 Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.

42 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell[*] with two hands.[*] 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet.[*] 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’[*]

49 “For everyone will be tested with fire.[*] 50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.”

NOTES

9:41 that person will surely be rewarded. The one who gives a cup of water to a person who bears the name of Christ will be rewarded. The scorching sun of the area made the simple offer of a cup of water an act of hospitality.

9:42 if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin. The warning is probably directed toward a serious sin such as defection. The verb skandalizō [TG4624, ZG4997] refers to stumbling over an obstacle (Cranfield 1959:313).

it would be better . . . to be thrown into the sea. To lead someone to reject Christ is to face serious consequences. A cruel demise such as being drowned by the weight of a millstone would be a better fate. Even the least of those who belong to Jesus means this much to him. We must avoid being a conduit for sin.

9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. Jesus now follows with three illustrations that take the same form. If a hand, foot, or eye is a cause of sin, one should “cut it off” or “gouge it out.” The remark is rhetorical, for if the command were followed literally, only two violations would be permitted (on the debate as to whether these remarks are literal or rhetorical, see France 2002:382, who notes that Deut 14:1 prohibits self-mutilation)! On tracing sin to different body parts, see Job 31:1, 5, 7; Prov 6:16-19; Rom 3:1-18.

the unquenchable fires of hell. The Gr. term for “hell” is geenna [TG1067, ZG1147]. In 9:48, Jesus states that in Gehenna, the “maggots never die and the fire never goes out.” Jdt 16:17 gives a Jewish view of judgment as endless conscious torment, since the condemned weep forever. See also Sir 7:17, where fire and worms await the dead. Hooker (1991:232) argues that Mark’s image is of a fire that burns endlessly, not of a body that burns endlessly. Judith does not read that way. See also 1 Enoch 27:2; 54:1-6; 90:26-27; 4 Ezra 7:36-44, which do appear to teach annihilation; see 4 Ezra 7:61, where the dead are extinguished by fire, so also 2 Baruch 85:13-15. In contrast, Sibylline Oracles 2:283-312 foresees eternal torment.

9:44, 46, 48 where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out. Mark 9:44 and 9:46 are part of a textual problem, since many key MSS ( B C L W) do not include them. The parallelism with the end of v. 48 that vv. 44 and 46 reflect might suggest that the verses belong to Mark, as then all three illustrations would be virtually parallel in wording. It is harder to explain how the verses dropped out, if they were original (Metzger 1971:102), so it is likely that 9:44, 46 were not originally part of Mark. However, 9:48 is original to Mark.

9:49 tested with fire. The Gr. reads “salted with fire,” which the NLT has rendered in a way that makes the figure clear. In addition, some MSS add, “and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” This makes each sacrifice accountable as well. This reading, which comes with variations in the Gr., is not in the best MSS and is probably not original to Mark. The first remark shows the “word stitch” character of this section as it connects with the mention of the fire of Gehenna in the earlier verse. There is no contextual carryover of subject, merely a linking of texts using fire or salt. This verse underscores that everyone has ongoing accountability to Jesus for their actions. Testing through persecution should keep each person fresh (Lane 1974:349; 1 Pet 1:7; 4:12). The root of the image is in OT sacrifices that contained salt (Lev 2:13; Ezek 43:24).

9:50 if it loses its flavor. Jesus used the figure of salt, again on the word stitch basis, to call for effectiveness from his disciple. Salt is for seasoning, but if it loses its taste, it is worthless.

You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other. The exhortation is to “remain salty”—to exercise distinctive behavior that leads to peace and unity with others. This is one way the disciples would mark themselves out as different from the world.

COMMENTARY [Text]

John of Zebedee, of the inner circle of the disciples, saw someone performing an exorcism in Jesus’ name. John thought this person should be stopped because he was not one of the Twelve. Jesus said the issue was not whether he belonged in the group, but whether God was working through him in such a way as to affirm God’s presence in Jesus. Thus Jesus said, “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me” (9:39). Jesus affirmed that ministry in his name was not limited to an elite few and that a person who was a vessel of God’s power was not an enemy, but an ally in ministry. This was yet another blow to the disciples’ impression that they had special status (France 2002:376).

Jesus said, “Anyone who is not against us is for us.” In the context of rejection surrounding Jesus, those who supported him or who did not oppose him should be appreciated (see Num 11:26-29). Those who were responsive to him should be seen as allies with the potential to be more fully responsive. The new community Jesus was building was not an exclusive club. Those who appreciated Jesus or were open to him were welcome. France (2002:378-379) says that in all of these examples, “disciples are called on to be cautious in drawing lines of demarcation. They are to be a church, not a sect.”

Jesus then addressed the serious issue of upsetting another person’s faith. Jesus warned: “if you cause one of these little ones who trust in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck.” Then Jesus spoke of avoiding anything that would cause a person to sin. Better to destroy one’s hand, foot, or eye than to go to hell. The point is that the hand, foot, or eye should not be used as instruments for sin and should be severed from such a use. “Whatever in one’s life tempts one to be untrue to God must be discarded, promptly and decisively, even as a surgeon amputates a hand or a leg in order to save a life” (Lane 1974:348).

The second of the three illustrations has only a slight variation in form in that the Greek changes from referring to entry into “the life” (eternal life) to entry into the Kingdom of God. The shift shows that the “what” (the life) takes place in the context of the “where,” through entry and membership in the Kingdom. “It’s better to enter eternal life/the Kingdom of God. . . than . . . be thrown into hell.” It is far better to deal with sin and to handicap the agent of sin than to leave sin unaddressed and find oneself condemned to hell (geenna [TG1067, ZG1147]). This is the only place that Mark refers to Gehenna, whose name comes from the place where Jerusalem endlessly burned its garbage (2 Kgs 23:10). Jesus very graphically called his disciples to deal seriously with sin, removing it at its root.

Gehenna (hell) is a place of endless destruction and torment where maggots do not die and the consuming fire always burns. The NLT image of the maggot is a modern expression for the idea expressed in Greek that the “worm” never dies. That image comes from Isaiah 66:24, where the damned are tormented by a never-dying worm that signifies the permanence of judgment. The image is intended to be gruesome. Gehenna is a place to avoid at all costs.

By way of summary, this unit is a collection of sayings about relational responsibilities. The disciples were not to be elitists. Ministry in Jesus’ name by those who were responsive to him should be respected. However, disciples should be intolerant of their own sin, knowing that they are accountable before God. Leading a disciple to defect from God is worse than criminal and deserves a punishment worse than drowning. Disciples should separate themselves from those dynamics within themselves that lead to sin. Correcting the sin that limits our “freedoms” is better than experiencing judgment in Gehenna. Finally, we need to be salt, recognizing that each act is weighed by God to keep us fresh, even through suffering. The call to be salt also means that disciples should be at peace with each other. Disciples should not be concerned with rank or with trying to control who can minister in God’s name.