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Scripture Reading: Mark 9:38-50
In this message we shall consider 9:38-50.
As we pointed out in the foregoing message, in verse 38 John said to the Lord Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name who does not follow us, and we forbade him, because he was not following us.” This was John’s impetuous act as a son of thunder. This act was against the virtue of the Slave-Savior whom he accompanied. This is proved by the Lord’s response in verse 39: “Do not forbid him, for there is no one who shall do a work of power in My name and be able soon to speak evil of Me.” Here we see the Slave-Savior’s tolerance, in the practice of the gospel service, toward His believers who were different from those closer to Him.
In verses 40 through 50 there are many puzzling things. In verse 40 the Lord Jesus says, “For he who is not against us is for us.” For years I was bothered by this verse and had trouble understanding it, because I thought that it contradicted the Lord’s word in Matt. 12:30. Actually there is no contradiction between these verses. Both issued from the Slave-Savior’s mouth and may be considered maxims. The maxim in 9:40 speaks of the outward formality in practice regarding those who are not against the Slave-Savior (v. 39). The maxim in Matthew speaks of inward unity for purpose regarding those who are against Him (Matt. 12:24). To maintain inward unity we need to practice the word in Matthew, and for the outward formality we should practice the word here and tolerate believers who are different from us.
In 9:41 the Lord goes on to say, “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are Christ’s, truly I say to you that he shall by no means lose his reward.” In verse 38 we see how John behaved as one who dealt with others. The Slave-Savior’s wise word in verse 40 turned him and the other disciples to be those cared for by others. This implied that whether it was they or other believers — all were under the Lord’s care because all were His. Whether it was their treatment of the other believers or other believers’ treatment of them, if it was in the Lord’s name, even the giving of a cup of water would be rewarded by Him.
In verse 41 the Lord speaks of someone giving a disciple a cup of water in His name because he is Christ’s. This indicates that the Slave-Savior recognized that the one forbidden by John was a genuine believer and that he belonged to Him. This should have been a lesson to John.
In 9:41 the Lord says that the one who gives a disciple a cup of water “shall by no means lose his reward.” This reward will be given in the coming kingdom age (Luke 14:14). The reward mentioned here is something in addition to eternal salvation. Eternal salvation is by faith, having nothing to do with our work (Eph. 2:8-9), whereas reward is for our work after we are saved (1 Cor. 3:8, 14). It is possible that we shall fail to receive a reward but instead suffer loss, even though we are saved, because we are lacking in the work which the Lord can approve (1 Cor. 3:15). At the Lord’s coming back the reward will be given to us according to our works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 1 Cor. 4:5). It will be decided by the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10) and enjoyed in the coming kingdom (Matt. 25:21, 23).
In Mark 9:42 the Lord continues, “And whoever stumbles one of these little ones who believe, it is better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck, and he be thrown into the sea.” Here the Slave-Savior turns the subject from John and the other disciples to His believers in general, all of whom He considers little ones (not related to the little children in verse 37), including John, the other disciples, and the one forbidden by them. This may be regarded as a warning to John and the other disciples not to cause to stumble any one of His believers who differed from them in following Him.
Verse 43 says, “And if your hand stumbles you, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go away into Gehenna, into unquenchable fire.” Here the stumbling one is changed from a person to a member of the believer’s fleshly body. The believers should not cause one another to stumble; neither should they be caused to stumble by their own fleshly members. This indicates how precious the believers are in the eyes of the Slave-Savior. They should all be fully preserved for Him. All the stumbling factors concerning the believers should be seriously dealt with.
In verse 43 “life” refers to eternal life, which the overcoming believers will enjoy in the coming kingdom. To inherit eternal life (Matt. 19:29) is to be rewarded in the coming age (Luke 18:29-30) with the enjoyment of the divine life in the manifestation of the kingdom.
“Gehenna” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Ge Hinnom,valley of Hinnom. This was a deep and narrow valley near Jerusalem, the refuse-place of the city, where the bodies of criminals were cast, along with all kinds of filth. It was also called Tophet, or Topheth (2 Kings 23:10; Isa. 30:33; Jer. 19:13). Because of its continual fire, it became the symbol of the place of eternal punishment, the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).
In Mark 9:43 “unquenchable fire” is in apposition to Gehenna. According to the context, it denotes a dispensational punishment, suffered by the defeated believers, such as being hurt of the second death in Revelation 2:11. As used in this verse, it does not refer to eternal perdition.
In 9:45 the Lord says, “And if your foot stumbles you, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than having two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.” This is very similar to the word in verse 43. (In verses 44 and 46, some manuscripts insert, “Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”)
In verse 47 the Lord continues, “And if your eye stumbles you, cast it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna.” To enter into the kingdom of God is to enter into the enjoyment of eternal life in the coming age.
Verse 48 says concerning Gehenna, “Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” This word is a quotation from Isaiah 66:24.
Verse 49 says, “For everyone shall be salted with fire.” The purpose of this salting is to have the germs of corruption through sin killed and eliminated in order that sin-committing believers may be preserved (see Lev. 2:13; Ezek. 43:24).
The fire in Mark 9:49 is a refining fire (Mal. 3:2), a purifying, purging fire, as in 1 Corinthians 3:13, 15 (see Isa. 33:14), which will purge, in the kingdom age, the believers who commit sin and are unrepentant in this age, as a dispensational punishment. Even in this age God purges the believers through trials as by fire (1 Pet. 1:7; 4:12, 17). Dispensational punishment by fire in the coming age is in the same principle as God’s chastisement through sufferings as by fire in this age.
In verse 50 the Lord Jesus concludes, “Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltness, with what will you restore its saltness? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Salt by nature is an element that kills and eliminates the germs of corruption. For the believers in Christ to lose their saltness means that they have lost their salting function. In such a case, they have become the same as earthly people and can no longer be distinguished from unbelievers.
The application of the Lord’s word here concerning salt differs from that in Matthew 5:13 and Luke 14:34. In Matthew and Luke, salt, portraying the believers’ influence upon the world, is for salting the corrupted world; salt here, in apposition to purging fire, is for the salting of sin-committing believers, even as God’s chastisements salt or purge sinning believers in this age. Hence, the believers should “have salt in themselves” so that they may be purified not only from sins but also from any divisive factor, such as that exhibited by the impetuous John in forbidding a brother who differed from him and in arguing for greatness. This purifying is that they may “be at peace with one another.” Such purging salt purges the believers’ speech as with grace (Eph. 4:29) that they may keep peace with one another (Col. 4:6). This way of speaking is very different from John’s word to the brother who differed from him. Therefore, the entire section at the close of chapter nine (vv. 38-50) presents the Slave-Savior’s teaching concerning the believers’ tolerance for the sake of unity.
We need to understand 9:38-50 in the light of the vision given in 8:27—9:13 concerning Christ, His death, and His resurrection. Apart from that vision, we do not have the way to understand this section of the Gospel of Mark. The key that opens these verses is Christ with His death and resurrection.
We have pointed out that in 9:38 John told the Lord Jesus that they saw someone casting out demons in His name who did not follow them, and they forbade him, because he was not following them. It seems that John was saying, “This man was casting out demons in Your name, Lord. Yet, he would not follow us. He is divisive, sectarian. Because he causes trouble, we forbade him to cast out demons in Your name. I told him that either he should come along with us, or he should stop casting out demons in Your name.”
In this situation could John say that he was living Christ, that now it was no longer he, but Christ? Certainly not. Had John been terminated by Christ’s death, and had His resurrection been wrought into him? Not at all! In 9:38 John was still a natural son of thunder. He was still in himself, even in an enlarged self. When the Lord was speaking to the disciples concerning humility, John even went on in verse 38 to change the subject.
The Lord’s reply in verse 39 must have come as a great surprise to John: “Do not forbid him, for there is no one who shall do a work of power in My name and be able soon to speak evil of Me.” Here the Lord Jesus was saying to John, “You should not forbid him. He is not against Me; rather, he is for Me. All the believers are mine.”
In verse 41 the Lord went on to say, “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are Christ’s, truly I say to you that he shall by no means lose his reward.” Here the Lord may have been saying, “Instead of forbidding this one to cast out demons in My name, you should give him a cup of water to drink. If he serves one of you with a cup of water, this will be remembered by Me. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink in My name will receive a reward in the coming age.”
In verse 42 the Lord goes on to speak a serious word about causing to stumble those who believe in Him: “And whoever stumbles one of these little ones who believe, it is better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck, and he be thrown into the sea.” How serious it is to cause to stumble those who believe in the Lord! John may have been shocked at this word concerning the seriousness of causing another believer to stumble. He might have said to himself, “If I cause another believer to stumble, my future may be worse than that of someone who has a millstone hung around his neck and is thrown into the sea.”
In verses 43 through 48 the Lord turns from the matter of causing others to stumble to causing ourselves to stumble. He points out that we may be caused to stumble by our hand, foot, or eye. It is serious to cause another believer to stumble, and it is also serious for us to be caused to stumble by any part of our fleshly body. The seriousness of this is indicated by the fact that if we are caused to stumble by a member of our body, we may be thrown into Gehenna, into unquenchable fire.
Some Christians may be greatly surprised to hear that a believer may be cast into unquenchable fire. They may wonder how it could be possible for a saved one to be punished by fire. Concerning this, we need to consider the word of the Lord Jesus. He is the One who said that if we are stumbled by a member of our body, we may be cast into unquenchable fire.
In 9:41 the Lord speaks of reward, and in 9:42-48 He speaks concerning punishment. Both the reward and the punishment will be in the coming age, in the age of the kingdom. In the coming age the one who gives a disciple a cup of cold water to drink because that one is Christ’s, will be rewarded. Likewise, the punishment spoken of in these verses will also be in the coming age.
In 9:43 the Lord speaks about entering into life. One aspect of the punishment in the coming age is losing the enjoyment of eternal life. As we have seen, here it is not a matter of receiving eternal life; instead, it is a matter of entering into eternal life. We received eternal life when we were regenerated. But entering into eternal life is a matter of the coming age, the age when the kingdom of God will be manifested. It is still pending whether or not we shall enter into the enjoyment of eternal life in the coming age. We may be hindered by the lust of our hand, the lust of our foot, or the lust of our eye. The lust in our members may cause us to lose the enjoyment of eternal life in the coming kingdom age. Instead of entering into this enjoyment, we may be punished by fire.
When some hear that believers may suffer in the coming age, they may say, “This is serious! How could redeemed ones suffer such a punishment? Isn’t the redemption of Christ complete and adequate?” Yes, Christ’s redemption certainly is complete and adequate. Nevertheless, it is a fact that redeemed ones often receive some punishment by God in this age. According to 1 Peter 1:7 and 4:12, and 17, the believers may be purged through trials as by fire. For example, 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think the fiery ordeal among you is strange, which is coming to you for a trial, as a strange thing happening to you.” The Greek word rendered “fiery ordeal” is purosei.This word means burning and signifies the burning of a smelting furnace for the purification of gold and silver (Prov. 27:21; Psa. 66:10). Peter considered the persecution the believers suffered as such a burning furnace used by God to purify their life. This is God’s way to deal with the believers in the judgment of His governmental administration, which begins from His own house (1 Pet. 4:17-19).
Many Bible teachers realize that it is possible that God’s redeemed people may suffer God’s punishment in this age. Since the redeemed ones may suffer God’s punishment in this age, why should we think that it is not possible for them to suffer His punishment also in the coming age? Who has the ground to say that the believers cannot suffer the punishment of God in the coming age? The Bible does not tell us such a thing. On the contrary, the Bible reveals that God knows how to execute His punishment both in this age and in the coming age. For example, a father may consider what is the best way to discipline his child. He may carry out the discipline immediately, or he may choose to wait for a period of time. He will consider what is the best time to administer discipline to his child. In a similar way, God knows what is the best time for Him to discipline His children, and he also knows the best way.
The New Testament indicates that genuine believers, those who have been fully redeemed by Christ, may still suffer God’s discipline, God’s chastisement. The fact that God may discipline the believers does not mean that Christ’s redemption is not complete or adequate. Even though Christ’s redemption is fully complete and adequate, we still need to take Christ and be replaced by Him. We still need to pray and thereby be able to say in a practical way, “No longer I, but Christ.” If we do not take Christ in this way, we may be caused to stumble by the lust in our hand, foot, or eye. Then instead of enjoying eternal life in the coming kingdom age, we shall suffer God’s punishment.
Whether in the coming age we enjoy eternal life or suffer punishment depends on how we live today. We need to have a life of prayer and continually call on the name of the Lord, telling Him, “Lord, it is no longer I, but You. Lord, in every matter of my living may it be no longer I, but You. Lord, I take You as my replacement. Replace me through Your death and resurrection. Lord, I realize that I have been terminated on the cross, and I also realize that in Your resurrection You are living in me. Now I can say in my experience that it is no longer I who live, but You, Lord, are the One living in me.”
If this is your experience, then you will overcome the lust in your hand, foot, and eye. You will be a person taking Christ as your replacement, enjoying Him as everything in your daily living, and living Him in a practical way. As a result, nothing will cause you to stumble, and neither will you cause others to stumble. Because you are filled and saturated with Christ, no part of your being will be able to cause you to stumble. Instead of being caused to stumble, you will be able to praise the Lord and say, “Hallelujah, it is no longer I, but Christ! Hallelujah for Christ! Hallelujah for His death and resurrection.” This enjoyment today will bring you into the enjoyment of eternal life in the coming kingdom age. This is to enter into the coming kingdom and to be kept away from God’s dispensational punishment in the kingdom age, a punishment that takes place temporarily for a certain period of time.
In 9:49 the Lord says, “For everyone shall be salted with fire.” This indicates that fire will function as salt, and we shall be salted with this fire. This salt kills the germs of lust that are within us. Although we have been saved and are children of God, we still have many “germs” within us. Therefore, we need the “salt” of “fire,” a “fire-salt,” to kill these germs and purify us. This is not merely a punishment; it is also a preservation. This fire-salt will preserve us from being corrupted eternally.
If we see what is revealed in these verses, we shall pray, “Lord Jesus, may it be no longer I, but You in my daily living. In all things and in relation to all people, may it be not I, but You. Lord, I need to be a praying person. Through prayer I can overcome the lust that is within me. Lord, I have been crucified with You, and now You are living in me.”
Through the cross we have been terminated, and in resurrection Christ has been brought into us. Now we should enjoy Christ and live Him. Day by day we should live a life in His death and resurrection. Then truly it will be, “No longer I, but Christ.” If we live such a life, we shall not cause others to stumble, and we shall not be caused to stumble by any lust that is within us. Then in this age we shall enjoy Christ and in the coming age we shall enter into a fuller enjoyment of eternal life, the enjoyment of the coming kingdom.
