Fire… May 28
Mark 9:49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
The use of salt and fire here is perplexing. We live in a different time in which the symbolism of these two things is less apparent. Even the literal importance of both fire and salt has been lessened by electricity (light and heat) and refrigeration (food preservation).
Jesus is speaking to Jewish people in terms they understand, so let us look through the lens of their Law and Prophets.
Keep in mind the context of Isaiah 66:24. This is an end of time prophecy. The faithful of all nations will bring a sacrifice “to My holy mountain in Jerusalem” (vs. 20). All who come to worship God,
“And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (vs 24)
Isaiah begins the chapter by condemning those who worshipped false images and “Who cast you out for My name’s sake” (vs 5). Evil has tested the faithful. Perhaps we could say that the faithful had been “seasoned with fire,” remained strong even under trial.
For four thousand years before Jesus, metals were “seasoned with fire” to make them stronger. This was a well-established practice and provides a figurative picture of what happens to those faithful to God when the godless rule.
And Salt May 29
Mark 9:49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
Sacrifices seasoned with salt can be understood through the lens of Isaiah looking back on the time of the Israelites in the Sinai Desert.
From the time of Moses, certain sacrifices were to be “seasoned with salt,” as in Lev. 2:13:
“And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.”
Note the reference to “salt of the covenant,” a reference to the covenants with God, for example, with Aaron and the Levite priesthood (Num. 18:19) and David (2 Chr. 13:5). Salt was recognized both as a purifier/antiseptic and an enhancer of flavor.
The preservative nature of salt made it symbolic with covenants, formalized relationships.
The flavor of salt testifies to the nature of the substance. A tasteless salt casts doubt on the substance as being salt. The relationship that has lost its flavor is lifeless, as meaningless as salt for the enjoyment of a meal.
To have “salt in yourselves” is to maintain the covenant nature of a relationship with God. The life and endurance of that relationship are what give us life and endurance in the world.
A Contentious Issue May 30
Mark 10:1 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.
2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.
Jesus and the disciples have moved further south to Judea. Here the Pharisees ask Jesus whether divorce is lawful.
Both the secular and the spiritual standards governing relationship between the sexes has been an issue since shortly after there was only one man and one woman.
The primary initial conflict had been multiple wives. Lamech, the great-great-grandson of Cain boasted of two wives (Gen. 4): Zillah, Strong’s 6741, “shade, shadow,” probably lived in the background, doing the work; Adah, Strong’s 5711, “ornament,” may have been the first trophy wife.
The Ten Commandments destroyed the concept of multiple wives, a tradition practiced even by Jacob/Israel. Soon after the Ten Commandments had become law, Moses was faced with the question of divorce. A law intended to remove polygamy resulted in a new law establishing a new tradition, serial polygamy.
The question is interesting because even the Pharisees were divided on this contentious issue. The more liberal teaching of Hillel allowing divorce for any cause while Shammai held only flagrant immorality allowed divorce. John the Baptist’s view on this question had cost him his life.
The Pharisees undoubtedly saw that this was a no win question for Jesus, one that would alienate some followers regardless of which way He answered.
Neither Nor May 31
Mark 10:3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”
5 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Jesus does not give the “yes” or “no” response expected. Responding to legalists, Jesus asks them what the law gave as an answer to the question.
The questioners answer in a summary from the Law of Moses, Deut. 24:1, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”
The Pharisees look to the Law, and they look to the books of Moses for the answer to questions of the Law. The dispute between Hillel and Shammai was based on differing interpretations of the same Scripture, and Jesus was not going to choose one man’s interpretation over another.
Jesus acknowledges the Law’s allowance for divorce, but He makes two points clear.
First, divorce is allowed because of the hardness of the people’s hearts. This was not the original intent of marriage, to end in divorce. Divorce is a concession to mankind’s nature.
Second, this source justifying divorce came from a retelling or repetition of the Law (“Deuteronomy”). Deuteronomy is attributed to Moses recounting the history of the Exodus and reviewing the laws given over the course of the journey to the Promised Land. Divorce is an amendment to the prior understanding of marriage, as Jesus makes clear.
Simple Math June 1
Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Jesus quotes from Genesis to establish that divorce undermines the intention of marriage – the inseparable union of two people – intended from the beginning.
He quotes from Gen. 1:27 – “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” This could be understood as creating persons that were both male and female, a union later separated into male and female.
In Gen. 1:21-22, God removes a side or half of Adam (not just a rib) to form a separate being, Eve.
And from Gen. 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Here is restoration of the union of the two halves that once comprised Adam.
Jesus appeals to a higher authority than Moses. As a summary answer to the question, He states, “…what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
One became two that they could become one again. There was no further division in God’s plan.
More Simply June 2
Mark 10:10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. 11 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Jesus has given a very hard answer to the legalists who questioned Him. He did not fall into the trap they had intended, denying the law that Moses had given. They found themselves as the guilty party because of the charge of the hardness of their hearts.
The disciples question Jesus further on this. Surely Jesus is not going against the dissolution of marriage, a right that is as secularly fundamental as the marriage institution itself.
Jesus expresses His opinion even more bluntly than He had spoken to the Pharisees. He states that divorce does not dissolve the union of marriage. Anyone who divorces and remarries is thus guilty of adultery.
Matthew reports that the disciples are very discouraged by this response. “His disciples said to Him, ‘If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’” (Matt. 19:10)
Jesus has a way of putting issues turned gray by the Pharisees’ teaching into clear black and white.
Little Children June 3
Mark 10:13-14 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
The disciples are vital to the Gospel stories for many reasons. They are not only students learning from their Master, they perform many of the basic necessary functions for survival, such as begging for support in terms of food, lodging, and basic necessities. They managed the crowds, keeping order and protecting Jesus from being overwhelmed.
These men also act as foils to Jesus, providing an opportunity for the authors of the Gospels to further explain and clarify the teachings of Jesus. These men are representative of us all, asking the questions and misunderstanding the answers just as effectively as many in the crowds of the time and as the readers of the Gospels over the centuries.
In the name of protecting Jesus from the distractions that children might cause, the disciples rebuked the parents who brought children. After all, Jesus is teaching things hard to understand, intended for adults!
The disciples are having difficulty with many of Jesus’ teachings/ How much more difficult would be those teachings for children!
Or is that Jesus’ point: that only those with the open minded simplicity of a child can understand?
Next day
Mark 9:49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
The use of salt and fire here is perplexing. We live in a different time in which the symbolism of these two things is less apparent. Even the literal importance of both fire and salt has been lessened by electricity (light and heat) and refrigeration (food preservation).
Jesus is speaking to Jewish people in terms they understand, so let us look through the lens of their Law and Prophets.
Keep in mind the context of Isaiah 66:24. This is an end of time prophecy. The faithful of all nations will bring a sacrifice “to My holy mountain in Jerusalem” (vs. 20). All who come to worship God,
“And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (vs 24)
Isaiah begins the chapter by condemning those who worshipped false images and “Who cast you out for My name’s sake” (vs 5). Evil has tested the faithful. Perhaps we could say that the faithful had been “seasoned with fire,” remained strong even under trial.
For four thousand years before Jesus, metals were “seasoned with fire” to make them stronger. This was a well-established practice and provides a figurative picture of what happens to those faithful to God when the godless rule.
And Salt May 29
Mark 9:49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
Sacrifices seasoned with salt can be understood through the lens of Isaiah looking back on the time of the Israelites in the Sinai Desert.
From the time of Moses, certain sacrifices were to be “seasoned with salt,” as in Lev. 2:13:
“And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.”
Note the reference to “salt of the covenant,” a reference to the covenants with God, for example, with Aaron and the Levite priesthood (Num. 18:19) and David (2 Chr. 13:5). Salt was recognized both as a purifier/antiseptic and an enhancer of flavor.
The preservative nature of salt made it symbolic with covenants, formalized relationships.
The flavor of salt testifies to the nature of the substance. A tasteless salt casts doubt on the substance as being salt. The relationship that has lost its flavor is lifeless, as meaningless as salt for the enjoyment of a meal.
To have “salt in yourselves” is to maintain the covenant nature of a relationship with God. The life and endurance of that relationship are what give us life and endurance in the world.
A Contentious Issue May 30
Mark 10:1 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.
2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.
Jesus and the disciples have moved further south to Judea. Here the Pharisees ask Jesus whether divorce is lawful.
Both the secular and the spiritual standards governing relationship between the sexes has been an issue since shortly after there was only one man and one woman.
The primary initial conflict had been multiple wives. Lamech, the great-great-grandson of Cain boasted of two wives (Gen. 4): Zillah, Strong’s 6741, “shade, shadow,” probably lived in the background, doing the work; Adah, Strong’s 5711, “ornament,” may have been the first trophy wife.
The Ten Commandments destroyed the concept of multiple wives, a tradition practiced even by Jacob/Israel. Soon after the Ten Commandments had become law, Moses was faced with the question of divorce. A law intended to remove polygamy resulted in a new law establishing a new tradition, serial polygamy.
The question is interesting because even the Pharisees were divided on this contentious issue. The more liberal teaching of Hillel allowing divorce for any cause while Shammai held only flagrant immorality allowed divorce. John the Baptist’s view on this question had cost him his life.
The Pharisees undoubtedly saw that this was a no win question for Jesus, one that would alienate some followers regardless of which way He answered.
Neither Nor May 31
Mark 10:3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”
5 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Jesus does not give the “yes” or “no” response expected. Responding to legalists, Jesus asks them what the law gave as an answer to the question.
The questioners answer in a summary from the Law of Moses, Deut. 24:1, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”
The Pharisees look to the Law, and they look to the books of Moses for the answer to questions of the Law. The dispute between Hillel and Shammai was based on differing interpretations of the same Scripture, and Jesus was not going to choose one man’s interpretation over another.
Jesus acknowledges the Law’s allowance for divorce, but He makes two points clear.
First, divorce is allowed because of the hardness of the people’s hearts. This was not the original intent of marriage, to end in divorce. Divorce is a concession to mankind’s nature.
Second, this source justifying divorce came from a retelling or repetition of the Law (“Deuteronomy”). Deuteronomy is attributed to Moses recounting the history of the Exodus and reviewing the laws given over the course of the journey to the Promised Land. Divorce is an amendment to the prior understanding of marriage, as Jesus makes clear.
Simple Math June 1
Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Jesus quotes from Genesis to establish that divorce undermines the intention of marriage – the inseparable union of two people – intended from the beginning.
He quotes from Gen. 1:27 – “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” This could be understood as creating persons that were both male and female, a union later separated into male and female.
In Gen. 1:21-22, God removes a side or half of Adam (not just a rib) to form a separate being, Eve.
And from Gen. 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Here is restoration of the union of the two halves that once comprised Adam.
Jesus appeals to a higher authority than Moses. As a summary answer to the question, He states, “…what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
One became two that they could become one again. There was no further division in God’s plan.
More Simply June 2
Mark 10:10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. 11 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Jesus has given a very hard answer to the legalists who questioned Him. He did not fall into the trap they had intended, denying the law that Moses had given. They found themselves as the guilty party because of the charge of the hardness of their hearts.
The disciples question Jesus further on this. Surely Jesus is not going against the dissolution of marriage, a right that is as secularly fundamental as the marriage institution itself.
Jesus expresses His opinion even more bluntly than He had spoken to the Pharisees. He states that divorce does not dissolve the union of marriage. Anyone who divorces and remarries is thus guilty of adultery.
Matthew reports that the disciples are very discouraged by this response. “His disciples said to Him, ‘If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’” (Matt. 19:10)
Jesus has a way of putting issues turned gray by the Pharisees’ teaching into clear black and white.
Little Children June 3
Mark 10:13-14 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
The disciples are vital to the Gospel stories for many reasons. They are not only students learning from their Master, they perform many of the basic necessary functions for survival, such as begging for support in terms of food, lodging, and basic necessities. They managed the crowds, keeping order and protecting Jesus from being overwhelmed.
These men also act as foils to Jesus, providing an opportunity for the authors of the Gospels to further explain and clarify the teachings of Jesus. These men are representative of us all, asking the questions and misunderstanding the answers just as effectively as many in the crowds of the time and as the readers of the Gospels over the centuries.
In the name of protecting Jesus from the distractions that children might cause, the disciples rebuked the parents who brought children. After all, Jesus is teaching things hard to understand, intended for adults!
The disciples are having difficulty with many of Jesus’ teachings/ How much more difficult would be those teachings for children!
Or is that Jesus’ point: that only those with the open minded simplicity of a child can understand?
Next day
