A Salty Character

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

A SALTY CHARACTER

Mark 9:49-50

49 Everyone will be salted with fire.

50 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." 

NIV

Although Jesus included this statement with those about cutting off a member of ourselves that causes us to sin, and about causing someone else to sin, we included no comment about this fire and salt. The reason we left it alone then was that it appears to be very complicated and we have to spend time pondering on these words, before we might be able to glean a truth we can apply to us. When Jesus said that everyone will be salted with fire, which had to include us, for we are or would be considered one of the “everyone” he was speaking about. So what does it mean to be salted with fire? When we look back at the law, which we think Jesus was referring to, all the grain offering the Israelites were to bring to the altar were to include salt.

Lev 2:11-13

11 "'Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in an offering made to the LORD by fire. 12 You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. 13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

NIV

We would have to think that as we have also been instructed that we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God, that we should be salted with fire. Now to be salted with fire might mean that the fire could stand for trials, but Jesus also went on to say that salt is good and if it loses its saltiness, it cannot be salty again, and this was explained a little fully in Matthew’s account when Jesus told his disciples, and again that would include us, that we are the salt of the earth and if the salt loses its saltiness it is no good, but to be thrown out and trampled by men. So then if we lose our saltiness, what happens to us? Certainly in the time of Leviticus when the law about salting the grain offer and even in the time of Jesus salt was mainly used as a preservative against decomposition or deterioration which is also called putrefaction. Hence we are either to preserve ourselves unto God, or we are preserved for the future life in the new city of Jerusalem, or we are to be the salt of the earth, preserving it from destruction. However, when we consider salt kept organics from putrefaction, then if we are salted by fire, if we are a sacrifice unto God and are salted, then we should be kept, or keep ourselves from rotting, as being rotted by the impurities of this world. This world is decomposing right before our eyes, it has lost any sense of saltiness and it will, as it is being trampled on by men. Although many of them are focused on environmental issues, they are without salt and thus are trampling on this earth and themselves. They have lost whatever saltiness they might once have had if any at all. Once we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He salted us with fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit, as it appeared over the heads of the disciples. When we are told not to quench the Spirit that is also in the sense of quenching a fire, extinguishing the flames. So then we let us be that salty character.