Mark 9:42-50

A Warning Against Causing Those Who Believe In Him To Stumble (9:42-50).

Having spoken of what acting in His Name regularly involved, Jesus now gives a warning to those who act against His Name. Not all these sayings may necessarily have been delivered at this point in time (see Mark 9:49), but Mark includes them here because he is at present concentrating on Jesus' teaching of His disciples. He considered this to be a convenient place to give examples of that teaching. Alternately they may have occurred in teaching given during the remainder of the day and cited accordingly. But they may not be a continual sermon and some consider that parts are not directly connected with what has gone before, although linked by keywords. If that be so they are more generally illustrative of the teaching of Jesus. But they can in fact be seen as connecting up as we see below.

Similar phrases are found in the Gospels elsewhere in varying contexts, but this should not surprise us. Like most preachers Jesus would deliberately repeat important lessons in slightly different ways time and again, and some would remember them better from one context and some from another.

Analysis.

a “And whoever shall cause one of these little ones (or ‘low ones') who believe in me to stumble” (Mark 9:42 a).

b “It would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he was thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42 b).

c “And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is good for you to enter into life maimed rather than having two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43).

d “And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is good for you to enter into life lame rather than having two feet to be cast into Gehenna” (Mark 9:44).

c “And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is good for you to enter under the Kingly Rule of God with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into Gehenna, where the maggot does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:45).

b “For everyone will be salted with fire” (Mark 9:46).

a “Salt is good. But if the salt has lost its saltness with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace one with another” (Mark 9:47).

Note that in ‘a' reference is to those who should be salt in the world but instead cause believers to stumble, and in the parallel they are like salt which has lost its savour. In ‘b' is an example of what would be better for such than the actual punishment that they will face, and in the parallel they will be salted with fire. Three examples are then given of what to do if a part of you causes you to stumble, although only in the central one is Gehenna not followed by an amplifying statement.