Mark 9:49, "Salted with fire" Revisited

[Homer]

After some study, I have another view of Mark 9:49.

Mark 9:49 (NASB)

49. “For everyone will be salted with fire.

I think the difficulty with this verse is caused by taking "everyone" to mean all peoples inclusively, i.e., all who have ever lived, rather than all of a class of people. The Greek word translated "everyone" here is Strong's #3956, pas, which was used by Jesus elsewhere in Mark, obviously in a sense other than meaning all peoples:

Mark 13:13 (NASB)

13. You will be hated by all (#3956) because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

Obviously, all persons will not hate the disciples; only the class of persons rejecting their message. And in Mark 1:5, Mark used the Greek word twice to say:

Mark 1:5, Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

5. and there were going forth to him all (#3956) the region of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and they were all (#3956) baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

We know that here Mark used hyperbole for we are informed elsewhere in the gospels that the Pharisees went there and refused John's baptism.

Considering the context:

Mark 9:43-49 (NASB)

43. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44. [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 45. If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46. [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47. If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48. where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

49. “For everyone will be salted with fire.

If we understand "fire" in verse 49 to be a reference to hell, then "everyone", understood to mean all persons, becomes an untenable position. Obviously, all persons will not be cast into hell. Verse 48, then, applies to the rejected, and verse 49 is a reference to those who remain faithful to God in the face of all those who hate them "because of my name".

The "fire" then, in v.49 is a reference to our sacrifice, Romans 12:1:

12. Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

And the anticipated trials and persecution:

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NASB)

6. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7. so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1 Peter 4:12 (NASB)

12. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

[Tres]

To me it looks a lot like a reference to the coming fire of AD 70.

[Homer]

Tres,

You wrote:

To me it looks a lot like a reference to the coming fire of AD 70.

Interesting idea. So your understanding is that the statement in v. 49 is applicable to the unbelieving Jews? It appears (reading the context from v. 30 on) that the words were spoken to the disciples. Why would he have said this to them if it was about the Jews who suffered the destruction of AD70 while the disciples escaped? If your view is correct then the saying is inapplicable to us, no?

[Tres]

I would say that it is applicable to us insomuch as we are in the same danger, albeit somewhat figuratively, if we reject or turn away from the Holy One of God. I believe the judgement of the generation that rejected Jesus and 'paid' for the blood of righteous Abel to Zechariah also in some measure prefigures the judgement awaiting others. At least much of the condemnation language would tend to agree with fire type punishment. Even the Peter passage that speaks of elements melting in the heat does for me conjure up pictures of the the gold in the temple melting and running down like water between the stones which would later each be upturned, as Jesus said they would be, as Roman soldiers mined them for the yellow veins.

[Singalphile]

Hello.

So, you're suggesting that fire means tribulation, and salted means tested? That could be, I suppose. "Fire" as tribulation makes sense. I could see "salted" as "tested", but also "preserved" or "purified" or "prepared" (for sacrifice). I'm not sure that I see how "everyone" is a reference to the faithful, necessarily, but it certainly could be, I think, since the next verse leads into a talk about the salt being good.

I can't remember if it has been noted, but some texts apparently have the additional clause, "and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt," after verse 49, for what that's worth.

Good thoughts, but it's still a bit puzzling.

[Homer]

Hi Singalphile,

"and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt" is thought to be a copyist's addition based on Leviticus 2:13.

IMO the verse makes no sense if it is applied to all people. It makes good sense applied to disciples. One understanding would be that the fire is the Holy Spirit:

Matthew 3:11, (NASB)

11. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Or, what seems most likely to me, Mark 9:43-47 says we must even sacrifice our bodily members if necessary to enter the Kingdom, and in v. 49 the total self is in mind ("a living sacrifice"). The fire then, as Peter indicated, represents persecution, trials, and suffering. This fire purifies the Church.

[Tres]

Mt 3:11 does end with the word 'fire' just as do vss 10 and 12 in speaking of Judgement.

[steve7150]

Matthew 3:11, (NASB)

11. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Or, what seems most likely to me, Mark 9:43-47 says we must even sacrifice our bodily members if necessary to enter the Kingdom, and in v. 49 the total self is in mind ("a living sacrifice"). The fire then, as Peter indicated, represents persecution, trials, and suffering. This fire purifies the Church.








"For everyone will be salted with fire." To me it sounds like when Jesus says "for" he is explaining either you sacrifice your lusts of the flesh or you shall be salted with fire in Gehenna. Although Jesus is speaking to his disciples which was very often the case , it sounds like the "everyone" he means is literally everyone because i see only two choices which are either you go through fire in this life or in gehenna which sounds like the next choice. Two choices which are this life or the next life because he contrasts one with the other by using the word "for" which really means "therefore."
If Gehenna were inescapable then there would be no purpose for the purification but if everyone is destined to be salted with fire and if this does refer to Gehenna (LOF) then it sounds like it is possible to get out. Obviously those in Gehenna would be the unsaved but Jesus is including them as receiving the same salt as believers receive in this life.
I'm not really sure from the words why this refers to 70AD. In other words why would being salted with fire refer to the destruction of 70AD. If Jesus meant 70AD should he not have replaced the word "salt" with "destroyed?"

[Roberto]

Homer,
I see the point you made about "all" being not literal. But how is the word used if it is intended to be literal? Can it mean a literal "all"?
R

[Singalphile]

I see the point you made about "all" being not literal. But how is the word used if it is intended to be literal? Can it mean a literal "all"?

That questions not addressed to me, but I'd like to say that it's sort of like the "limited negative" formulation. Without a hard and fast rule about when it's being used, it can be hard to tell. You just have to go by context and/or common sense, as best as you can, I guess.