Defining Kingdom Expectations—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 18B (Mark 9:38-50)

Mark 9:38-50 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

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 deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

⁴² “If any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and 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 to have two feet and 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 to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.

⁴⁹ “For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

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                I think it’s a human tendency to create boundaries. We like to know who belongs and who doesn’t. We create rituals and markers that define those boundaries. For Jesus’ disciples, who are still trying to figure out what Jesus is up to, as well as their place in Jesus’ community, defining boundaries is important. Jesus already dealt with an argument that erupted among his disciples about who was the greatest. He answered their question by taking a child into his arms and telling them that whoever welcomed a child like the one he embraced, received him and the one who sent him (Mk. 9:33-37). In doing this, Jesus wanted his disciples to know that the way they treated a child, who represented a larger grouping, the marginalized of society, was the way they welcomed him.

                After Jesus said this, John, one of his disciples, asked a question about who belonged and who didn’t. He pointed out that they had seen someone who didn’t belong to their community casting out demons in the name of Jesus. They told him to stop because he wasn’t part of the community. In other words, in John’s mind, he was acting without authorization. In the minds of many in the church proper authorization is very important. Being that I am an ordained minister, with standing in my denomination, I understand the need to protect our status as clergy. After all, I had to school and then face a commission on ministry who judged my fitness. My denomination isn’t nearly as strict as some others. In any case, John was concerned that someone was acting on behalf of Jesus without proper authorization and they thought he should stop. But, Jesus had other ideas. He simply told John and his colleagues not to stop the person. After all, no one can do a deed of power in the name of Jesus and then speak evil of him. Therefore, “whoever is not against us is for us.” I think John had that reversed. Whoever is not for us (that is, part of the group) must be against us. Jesus goes on to let his disciples know that if a person gives them a cup of water because they bear the name of Jesus, they won’t lose their reward. It does seem that there is a wideness in God’s mercy that includes those who do good in the name of Jesus even if they haven’t fully joined up.

                Now for the bad news. Jesus offered his disciples a rather expansive vision of what the realm of God might look like. But, Jesus also speaks here about the day of judgment. The message is pretty strong. For those of us who reject the idea of a literal hell, this is one of those problematic passages. There is no getting around the message here that God can and will judge us all. Jesus warns those who put a stumbling block before one the “little ones.” Since Jesus had just spoken of welcoming a child, I’ve always read this as a reference to a child, though Jesus could have a larger group in mind. The word translated as “stumbling block” is skandalizein. In other words, don’t scandalize the little ones such that they end up sinning. Whether a child or another follower of Jesus, the warning is clear, don’t do something that will put a stumbling block in front of someone that causes them to sin. Such an offense is so heinous that it is better to have a millstone hung around one’s neck and thrown into the sea. He goes on from there to suggest that if a person’s hand offends, it’s better to cut it off and be maimed than to be cast into hell with two hands and suffer in unquenchable fire. The same goes for your feet. In fact, it’s better to enter God’s realm with one eye than to go to hell where the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched, with two eyes.

                A lot is going on in this passage. I need to address the references to hell, but first I want to address the little ones Jesus speaks of. Let’s imagine for a moment imagine Jesus, taking that child that he had earlier embraced, and think about what Jesus might be saying when speaking of this stumbling block, this scandal, that might cause that child to sin. It’s good to remember that children watch and listen to the adults in their lives. As a parent, that is rather scary. I know that I have said things and done things that could have been a stumbling block for my son. So, we must remember they hear what we say. They see what we do. It’s not just us as parents, it’s everyone out there. That includes preachers, teachers, and politicians. When they see and hear politicians lie, speak derogatorily about others, make fun of them, calling them names, then why not follow suit?

                While we ponder the need to refrain from scandalizing the little ones, whether children or not, we also need to address the reference to hell. While Jesus may be going a bit overboard in his recommendations for avoiding hell, he still speaks of it. The word translated as hell in this case is “Gehenna.” This is a reference to a valley outside Jerusalem that was connected with child sacrifice during the reigns of several Judean kings, including Ahaz (2 Chr. 28:1-4), Manasseh (2 Chr. 33:6). It was a practice that Josiah abolished during his reforms in the seventh century BCE. In apocalyptic literature, it was referred to as a place of punishment. It took on an even greater role as a metaphor for the realm of divine judgment in Christian circles. I do believe that we need to be careful in how we read and interpret this passage. The nature of the punishment could be interpreted in several ways including annihilation. While the fire is unquenchable, that doesn’t mean the punishment is eternal. On the matter of hell, I will note that it is a complicated question, such that my writing partner Ronald J. Allen and I are writing a sequel to our book Second Thoughts about the Second Coming, which will be titled Second Thoughts about Hell. It is wise here, I believe, to step cautiously, recognizing the reference, affirming the reality of divine judgment, but also remembering that God is merciful. That said, this gives no excuse to act in scandalous ways. After all, one of the biggest reasons why so many today want to have nothing to do with the church is the hypocrisy they see. They see the scandals and they walk away.

The conversation starts with a question about boundaries. John sees someone doing something good in the name of Jesus, but he’s concerned that this person is operating outside the boundaries of their community. He’s not one of us, so we tried to make him stop. But Jesus said no, that’s not the way he works. Then he moves on to deal with people within the community who cause others to stumble. Don’t do it because there are consequences. Finally, he tells them that everyone is going to be salted with fire. So, what does salt have to do with what Jesus is talking about here?

                The reference to being salted with fire is difficult to figure out. It defies interpretation. But, the final point, which speaks of salt being good, but of little use if it loses its saltiness, might serve as a good reminder that we should not lose the qualities that are connected with salt. Salt was used as a preservative, but if it loses its ability to preserve then it’s of little use. Taken together salt and fire might speak of being people who work to preserve and purify the community so that the causes of scandal will be removed. So, Warren Carter suggests this possible interpretation:

If followers have practices that threaten, not preserve, the community—questing for greatness and dominance (9:33-35), rejecting the powerless and those of low status (9:36-37), excluding others (9:38-41), harming other followers (9:42), personal failings that hinder following Jesus (9:43-48)— “how can you season” the community? Verse 50b answers by exhorting followers to have “salt in yourself,” taking responsibility for their own actions so as to preserve the community in their actions and personal practices and in being “at peace with one another.”  [Mark: Wisdom Commentary, p. 261].

I believe that this is a word of wisdom. The references to hell in this passage are problematic, especially if they are read in support of eternal torment. However, Jesus does speak in several places in the gospels about divine judgment. The point here is that there are consequences for actions that scandalize the little ones, whether they are children or some other vulnerable person or group.

The final word is simply this: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” It’s worth remembering that in the first century, salt was quite valuable. It served to flavor and preserve food, had medicinal properties, and could even serve as one’s salary. It also served as part of one’s offering to God:  “All your grain offerings you shall season with salt; you shall not omit from your grain offerings the salt of the covenant with your God; with all your offerings you shall offer salt” (Lev. 2:13). So be the salt of the earth by being at peace with one another! We can start by following Jesus' lead and include others not exclude them from the community.