October 19, 2003 Mark 9:38-50
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.
I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ”‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Everyone will be salted with fire. “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.”
Several weeks ago Rush Limbaugh made a comment that stirred the pots of sports talk and the national media when he said that Donovan McNabb was over-rated because the media wanted black quarterbacks to succeed. After the statement was made, talk shows were lighting up with comments, and the national news media was having a feeding frenzy. ESPN was also criticized for even bringing Rush into the program. “They should have known what they were getting,” many said. They were looking for someone to stir the pot and add some controversy, and they got it - more than they wanted.
On the Washburn Campus a statue was put up called “Holier than Thou.” It’s the portrayal of a Catholic Priest who looks like he’s three sheets to the wind. If I remember correctly, the quote below it ridicules the priests who the artist had to confess to, who were also molesting children. This statue has also caused a wave of criticism and controversy on campus. According to the panel that accepted the statue, it was meant to “generate discussion.” If that was it’s goal, it definitely was met.
There are some people that love controversy - to stir the pot. Whereas most people don’t like to argue, you’ve always got some people who love to say things or do things just to get people worked up. You might say that they like to add some salt to a bland conversation. Sometimes it is obnoxious and out of line. But sometimes a seemingly radical statement can serve to open people’s minds to think outside the box - or at least get them to defend what they disagree with.
Wouldn’t you say that in a good sense - Jesus was one of the kind of people? When he spoke, people didn’t fall asleep. They would either end up steaming mad, warm and fuzzy, or at the very least perplexed. Scriptures never record anyone falling asleep during any of his sermons. He had an extreme way of saying things that caused divisions and making people angry or happy. Maybe that’s why they accused him of being an insurrectionist. He does the same thing in today’s text - by speaking in an extreme manner about several things. This was a good thing - and He recommends us to do the same thing. So the theme for today is -
Don’t Forget the Salt
I. The salt is needed
Just last week we learned about how the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. They were all wrapped up in who could do the greatest things to get the greatest rewards on Judgment Day. It really came down to a competition for them - on who could do the most and the greatest things. You can tell how the disciples were letting their quest for greatness effect the way that they got along with one another and also how they treated other Christians in a bad way. “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
Why did the disciples stop the man driving out demons? He wasn’t doing anything wrong, and he wasn’t misusing Jesus’ name. They told him to stop, simply because the man WASN’T ONE OF THEM. In light of their previous argument you can’t help but assume that they really stopped him because wanted the glory for themselves - and they didn’t like to see anyone else with the same powers they had been giving. So they found a reason to stop him. It’s much like the story of young Joshua. When he heard that other people prophesying besides Moses, he was panicked about it and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” (Numbers 11:26) Even though there was nothing wrong with what they were doing, he wanted them to stop - because he wanted Moses to have all of the prophesying power. These reactions revealed an ungodly and selfish jealousy - that wanted to have a monopoly on doing the recognizable things.
This same sin has been repeated time and again throughout the centuries. You would think that two people trying to chase out demons would both let each other go at it. But what happens? One starts having more “success” or “recognition,” and then the other becomes jealous. It even happened with John’s disciples regarding Jesus. Then, instead of rejoicing over that success, the devil steps in to it. He whispers in the ear of the one with less success, “you could do better than that! He’s only getting more converts because he’s telling people what they want to hear.”
I can see this competition also on congregational levels. When lay members become more involved, you have jealousy over who gets elected as elder or who sings the solos or who leads the choir. You can become so accustomed to leading a congregation that you subconsciously don’t want anyone else to make the decisions. So if you don’t get your way, you throw a little tantrum. Instead of helping the one elected, the one who feels rejected does everything he can to make the leader’s job miserable. He or she complains about the way the leader is doing his job, looking for any excuse to stop the other from using his or her gifts. If left unchecked it can become a backbiting civil war in the very battle lines that are supposed to be united. It’s as if they both see a demon in the distance, but they both want to get the glory of slaying it. So one says, “let’s use a song to fight him!” Then the other says, “don’t be so stupid! Let’s use this Bible passage instead!” Before they know it, they get in an argument over who should chase which demons and how he should be chased. And meanwhile the devil just keeps doing his work, and he laughs.
So how did Jesus respond? “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. What was Jesus mainly concerned about? HIS NAME. As long as they were doing miracles in His name, they couldn’t turn around and degrade Jesus reputation. So as long as it was glorifying his name, there was no reason to stop them. Ultimately, God would give rewards for even giving someone a cup of water in His name. Are they going to hinder that too? So don’t worry about who is chasing out demons, as long as it’s being done in Jesus’ name.
What’s the lesson? As long as Jesus’ name is being glorified, more than one person can serve in the same way with different people. God can use other people besides you to serve, and you don’t all need to serve in the same flashy way. Don’t flatter yourself to think that other people can’t do just as good a job as you or not better. It’s really a lesson in humility, and it stings a little bit - like salt in an open wound.
II. The salt is the judgment of God
Now, this was just a dash of salt that Jesus put on their pride. But Jesus was just getting started. He continued to really dump it on. Since these disciples were so concerned about how many great things they should do in competition for greatness, Jesus wanted them to take a step backwards. He said, “Instead of thinking what you can do to be great, maybe you should think about what you can do to earn hell.” He quoted Isaiah 66:24 and said that hell was a place where the fire would never be quenched and the “worm does not die.” Imagine living in a place that is eternally hot and miserable, where the stench of decay and the pain never ever stops.
One such sin that would earn hell would be to cause a young believer to sin. If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. That’s really not a very good translation. The Word for sin is really skandalon - which means a stumbling block - referring to causing someone to fall from faith. Jesus was saying that if you cause a little one to fall from faith, even unknowingly, it would be better for a big millstone to be tied around your neck and for you to be thrown into the depths of the sea. Imagine the picture that Jesus is drawing. The millstones consisted of a huge lower stone and a little bit smaller one that was tied to a donkey. The food was put in between these two huge stones and then crushed. So Jesus said, “it would be better for someone to tie one of these huge stones around your neck and for you to go into the depths of the sea, than to cause a little one to fall.”
That’s not all they had to beware of. Not only did they have to worry about what caused others to sin - but what caused them to sin. Jesus said, If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ”‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Jesus basically just started going off on all the parts of the body. “If you really want to get to heaven,” Jesus said, “your hand can’t sin. Your foot can’t sin. Your eye can’t even sin. If it does, then you better cut it off!” Why? Because nothing sinful can enter the kingdom of heaven.
Immediately the disciples would have to think to themselves, “has my hand ever stolen anything? Has it ever touched a woman in a wrong way? Have my feet ever kicked anyone? Have they ever walked into a place that I shouldn’t have been? And what about my eyes? Have I ever looked at anyone in a lustful way?” Jesus said, “hey, if they have sinned, you need to chop them off!” I would imagine that some fanatics have even tried to do this - thinking that they could get into heaven by mutilating their bodies so they can’t sin. But natural reason would have to say, “what about my other hand? What about my mind? What about my heart!” Ultimately, Jesus said that Everyone will be salted with fire. It doesn’t matter who you are or how many demons you’ve chased or how many hands you have left, you too will be salted with the fire of hell - condemned under God’s wrath and judgment. Wow, talk about completely changing the topic and reversing the field. Talk about starting a controversy - stirring the pot. Jesus took them from arguing about heaven to throwing them straight into hell.
III. Have the salt in yourself
Why would Jesus do this? He wasn’t just trying to start a controversy. He explained why. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? ” Salt is also known as a preservative. It keeps food from getting stale. In the same way, this salty talk of Jesus helps preserve us in a strange kind of way. When we realize that we can’t enter heaven with sin, and that sin is in our hands, feet, eyes and heart - it makes us despair. It cuts open a wound and then pours salt in it - making it sting and hurt. It has to hurt and it has to sting. Why? If it doesn’t you won’t cry out for help. By salting us with fire, Jesus wanted the disciples, and us, to remember why we will stand before the judgment seat of God and be accepted into heaven. It’s not because our hands and feet have been cut off, but because Jesus’ hands and feet have been pierced. Isaiah said that he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Is 53:5) We are going to heaven because Jesus fulfilled his prediction in vs. 31 that he would literally be “cut off.” Not only was Jesus cut off from the land of the living on the cross, he was cut off from His own Father’s love. When Jesus cried out, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me,” it was as if God were chopping their relationship in two. The lifelong friendship and companionship of the Father and the Son was chopped apart. Why? So that God’s wrath could be taken away, and the lifelong enmity between you and God would be mended. That’s the salve that heals our wound - knowing that we were already cut off - in Christ.
You see, in this big race for greatness, the disciples were losing their salt. They were forgetting that even though they were chasing out demons, they still needed to remember what they really deserved. They needed to keep the fire of hell burning in front of them - to remember what they deserved and what they needed salvation from. So Jesus said, Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
With every explanation of the commandments we start out by saying, “we should fear and love God that we . . .” The fear and love of God will not be there unless you have that salt in yourself - unless you remember each and every day that even when you do seemingly great things in God’s kingdom, your hands, eyes, and feet are still sinful - and you still deserve to be thrown in the fire. If it weren’t for God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice you would be on your way to hell. It took a tremendous sacrifice of Jesus Christ to take you from God’s condemnation - that’s the ONLY reason you’re here. It’s not because you stopped smoking, drinking, or doing drugs. It’s because the blood of Christ purified you. When you remember that - when you have that salt stinging truth within you, it will keep you from trying to devour each other. It will keep you at peace with one another when you remember we’re all in the same boat. We were all sinners who were saved by the grace of Christ. Period.
Every time I eat a steak I won’t add any sauce because I like the natural flavor of the meats and juices. But there is one thing I do add - and that’s salt. Like different spices, salt helps to enhance the natural flavor and bring it out more to me, so I can really savor every bite as it melts in my mouth. Before the disciples could really enjoy the feast of salvation, they first of all needed some salt. Jesus added some flavor to the conversation by reminding them of the dangers of hell and how they deserved it. It wasn’t for the purpose of sending them to hell, but for the purpose of keeping them out of hell. Don’t forget the salt. It isn’t the main course. But it helps enhance the main dinner. It keeps you aware of how much you need God’s grace, and makes you savor the crucifixion of Christ all the more. The salt of God’s fire enables you to fear and love God, recognizing that we have been saved from the fire. Don’t forget the salt. Amen.
