There Will Be Hell to Pay

There Will Be Hell to Pay

June 17, 2016

Mark 9:42-50

When people ask if Jesus ever spoke about hell, you can point them to this section of the New Testament. Here, Jesus warns people about causing people to sin.

CAUSING LITTLE ONES TO SIN (Mark 9:42)

Jesus first warns us against the downfall of children who believe in Jesus (Mark 9:42). The consequence of this offense is for someone to put a millstone around the offender’s neck and then throw the offender into the sea.

Jesus is going from the most obvious to the less obvious. People who harm children should be cast into the sea. That’s obvious. One doesn’t harm children. But then Jesus uses three more illustrations from the body: the hand, the foot, and the eye. Just as harming children would cause a person’s downfall, a person can do just as much to themselves with their hand, foot, and eyes. Jesus contrasts the consequences. He says it is better to cut off a body part and live maimed than to commit sin and be sent to Hell.

HELL AS EVERLASTING TORMENT (Mark 9:43-48)

Three times, Hell is described in these verses. Three times Jesus quotes an Old Testament verse, Isaiah 66:24. The verse describes the fact that fire does not end and that worms don’t die. Three times, Jesus associates hell with the consequence for sin. If your body causes you to sin, Jesus says ti get rid of what causes you to sin. The sin that comes from the act of the body will cause you to go to Hell. Consequently, for it is better to go to Heaven with fewer body parts than to go to hell with everything intact.

The point is that hell is everlasting. Hell is an unquenchable fire. People will experience no relief from the heat and associated pain.

SALT AS WITNESS PURIFICATION (Mark 9:49-50)

Jesus ends this by saying that everyone will be “salted with fire.” Salt serves a purpose. The purpose to enhance the flavor of something. Jesus warns us that how we view Hell is important. How we view Hell will have an impact on people around us. People will be “enhanced” or made aware of their sin and their need for the Gospel by how we view Hell. Some people view Hell as redemptive. In this view, Hell is a place of temporary purification until someone is ready to go to Heaven.

However, I don’t think that is what Jesus has in view here. I think that by associating salt with fire, Jesus warns people that one risks losing their effectiveness to witness if you stop loving one another. This gives you the right to warn people about sin, judgment, and Hell. Therefore, we make our sacrificial message pure with salt when we stay away from sin.

Photo by Isaac Wendland on Unsplash