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Definition Of Salt (30-32, 49-50)
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise." 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
The Bookends Of Our Passage
These are the bookends of the passage -- two statements. The first one was hard for the disciples to understand. The last one is hard for us to understand.
Some wonder if Jesus collected all his parables about salt and clustered them together at the close of this teaching. I don't know. But one statement stands out as easier to understand than the rest. It is the last phrase: Have salt in yourselves.
He said this after speaking of those who would be salted with fire.
Fire and salt are similar -- they both, especially to ancient societies, have a purifying effect. Each eradicates impurities.
So when Jesus told them to have salt in themselves, it was his way of showing them their need for a purifying fire to develop within (50). And, we also, like the disciples, are Jesus' kingdom ambassadors. There is a kind of internal fire we all need, a salt that permeates within, shaping us for his mission.
First, The Cross
And where does this fire start? With an understanding of the cross. Jesus' gospel is the neverending goldmine of study and meditation the disciple needs. The disciples didn't understand the cross yet, and they were afraid to ask Jesus what he meant (32).
Eventually, they embraced the teachings Jesus gave in this section. These teachings are the result of having Jesus' salt, that holy fire, within you. We need each today. So let's observe what a holy and purifying salt within will do to us today.
1 Serves For The Name (33-37)
33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?" 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
Their Discussion
What did they fight about? Who among them was the greatest (34)?
When they came to their quick stopover at Capernaum, Jesus asked them what they were talking about on the road (33). He knew. They knew. But they were embarrassed by themselves, so they kept silent.
Last / Servant
Jesus responded to what they wouldn't confess. He said, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all" (35).
For Example: Receive A Child
To drive his point home, Jesus sought an example.
Jesus took a child and told the disciples to receive people like them. Don't miss the lesson. He wanted his disciples to learn how to serve others.
Children In That Culture
The example is difficult for us to follow because we live in a society that adores children.
But this was not the attitude of Jesus' time. Since children contributed less, they weren't revered.
People In Need
So the child, in that society, was a good picture of a person in need. Jesus was telling his disciples that greatness comes in being last, the servant of all (35). And who did they need to serve? People who needed their care and service, just like this child needed the aid of his parents.
Reception of God!
But Jesus went on. When you serve someone in need in his name, you are receiving him. And when you receive him, you are receiving the Father (37). To serve those in need is -- in effect -- serving God himself. And serving God is what great people do.
Service For Christ's Name
Remember the salt. It needed to be within them. The disciple of Christ burns for the name of Christ. It makes them want to do everything for his name, as an ambassador of his name.
Service In Our Context
But what does serving those in need look like in our context? Each of us must pray and ask the Spirit to show us the people of need who are around us.
But I would like to offer one suggestion -- your workplace. No matter your situation, if you haven't already, I want you to see your work as a significant way to serve those in need.
When you go to work as merely a way to make a paycheck, you are missing the point. If you do it for yourself, you've not allowed the salt of Christ to get its way into your heart. But once a holy desire consumes you, you will see everything you do as a way to live out the name.
The gadgets you create, the minds you shape, the employees you hire, and the services you offer can all be done as an act of service to those in need. This is honoring to God, a way to serve those in need.
2 Enlarges Fellowship (38-41)
38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
John Remembers A Recent Episode
Jesus spoke to his disciples about receiving people like the child in his name (37). The phrase triggered John. He remembered how he and the disciples had recently tried to stop someone casting out a demon in his name (38).
John said he tried to stop the man "because he was not following us" (38). Somehow following Jesus had turned into following the disciples.
Don't Stop Him
Immediately, Jesus corrected John: "Do not stop him" (39). It is written in a tense that carries it forward to our present day, something like "don't stop people like him."
Why?
But why shouldn't they stop the man or people like him? Jesus said, "The one who is not against us is for us (40). This man was casting out demons in my name, but even a cup of water given in my name will receive a forever reward (41)."
The Purifying Salt Of The Cross Should Produce Enlarged Fellowship
But this passage is important today. From it, we learn how an inner fire or salt for Jesus will produce an enlarged fellowship. The disciples should have viewed this independent man as an ally, not a threat. Though they didn't know each other, they were on the same team.
This idea must be balanced by proper tests of orthodoxy. People who believe the wrong things about Jesus aren't on our team just because they use his name in some way. But we should still be impressed with the large fellowship Jesus encouraged.
Paul's Example
Paul was the kind of man who simply rejoiced at the preaching of Christ, even if done by people he did not otherwise see eye to eye. While in prison, he told the Philippians he heard of other preachers freely roaming their region. He said:
Philippians 1:15 & 18 (ESV) — 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice...
Our Time
This is a helpful word in our modern time. The presidential election, the social upheaval of our time, and the debate around reopening churches all have the potential to divide God's people. On top of this, we already have denominations, doctrines, and methodologies that divide us.
In the midst of all this, we must remember that gospel-loving, Jesus-centered, Bible-studying, God-fearing people will disagree. If we lose our love for one another, no matter the outcome, we have lost.
3 Proactively Combats Sin (42-48)
42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'
Hell, The Unquenchable Fire
The whole passage is sobering for various reasons. The major reason is Jesus' persistent mention of hell (43, 45, 47). He calls it "the unquenchable fire" (43). Quoting Isaiah, he referred to it as a place "where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" (48, Isaiah 66:24). Hell's suffering is eternal.
The word Jesus used for hell is the Greek form of the Hebrew words for "The Valley Of Hinnom." This was a ravine on Jerusalem's south side, and over the years, it became the city dump. The fires there always burned the rubbish put into it. They continually smoldered. Over time, it became an appropriate symbol of divine judgment. So, we know this is a sobering passage with a serious warning.
Hyperbole
But I am sure you have instinctively understood Jesus' words about the millstone and the dismemberment of body parts as hyperbole.
Proactively Combats Sin
With the inner drive of holiness propelling us, we should live in a way that proactively combats sin.
Every Part Of Us
And you must have this passion within if you expect to make it far in the Christian life. You must understand what the cross has done to you. There is no separating you and your Lord. Your identity is wrapped up in him.
Today, your new inner person battles the body of sin. Your hands, your feet, your eyes -- all the parts Jesus mentioned -- will come together as instruments of temptation. Using them in the wrong way, you could be drawn into behavior that is inconsistent with who you are in Christ.
The person with holy fire in them is not perfect. They will battle sin, and sometimes they will lose. But they know the sacrifices they must make to obtain a holy life are worth it.
Old Testament Priests
When the priests of the Old Testament were ordained, they offered a sacrifice for their sins. The blood of the sacrifice was placed on their ears, their hands, and their feet.
Believers should see themselves in the same way. We have been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:19).
Conclusion (49-50)
49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
The Road
The disciples were not at peace with one another. On that road, they argued about who was the greatest. But, if this salt could get inside them, this holy fire that burns for purity of heart, everything would change. They would serve the least. They would have fellowship with believers they didn't agree with on all points. They would battle against sin within.
And all that would lead them to "be at peace with one another" (50).