9:43-49
Jesus then turns the attention on ourselves to an even greater extent. It is human nature to be concerned about what other people are doing wrong, our top priority should be on what we might be doing wrong. Jesus uses analogies of cutting off a hand or foot, or gouging out an eye. These words are not meant to be taken literally, but rather to illustrate how seriously we should treat things which cause us to stumble or sin. If bitterness takes root in our lives it can have deadly serious consequences (Heb 12:15). The implication in these words is that it could even lead to our losing our salvation.
Jesus also speaks about hell. There is a lot of nonsense talk about hell, with some seeming to want to lessen the terror of hell. Now it is true that none of us knows the exact details of what hell is like, but from Jesus’ words here and elsewhere, it is clear that hell is the worst possible thing that can happen to a person. The word used for hell is “Gehenna”, the Hebrew equivalent is “Valley of Hinnom”. Human sacrifices had been offered to Ball there, and it had become a place for dumping and burning rubbish. “Where the fire never goes out”. There are some who argue against “eternal conscious torment”. But understanding hell as a place “where the fire never goes out” is a far more useful understanding, for you would want to do anything possible to avoid going there.
9:50
The statement here is somewhat enigmatic, but I take it like this. Salt can represent tastiness, it was also a preservative, and it also could represent judgement. We need to preserve a right spirit within ourselves as individuals, and as a church as a whole. We are to have salt among ourselves. We should seek to keep each other in line with God’s word, but this is to be done with an attitude of peace, not seeking to exalt ourselves, nor to do others down.
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