And if thy hand serve as a snare to thee, cut it off it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having thy two hands to go away into hell, into the fire unquenchable;
These words follow the Lord's warning about causing one of His little ones to stumble. He now turns from the harm we do to others to what trips us up in ourselves. The language is violent. Does He mean a real knife? And how can the loss of a hand be the better option?
The action is physical. What the Lord asks for is not. One writer says so plainly, and points to what is at stake:
Clearly the physical act is only a way of describing, in strong terms, a spiritual cutting off and throwing away. Spare nothing that traps you, even if it seemed as close and as necessary as the hand, the foot, or the eye. Eternity is at stake, and so is a judgment no one can escape — a judgment that spares nothing contrary to God.
There is a practical reason too. Cutting off the limb would not remove the problem.
In these words the Lord is not calling for self-harm or a life of harsh self-denial. The Creator will never demand that His creature mutilate the body he has received from Himself. Even if someone plucked out both his eyes, the lust would still remain in his heart. Instead, the Lord takes the teaching further, to the question of self-judgment.
Mark lists hand, then foot, then eye. One writer links that order to service:
In Mark the hand, the foot and the eye come in that order, because here the point of view is service: what a person does, where he goes, and last, what he sees.
So the hand stands for what you do. The same writer works this out for the foot and the hand:
If the foot goes in the wrong direction, use the sharp knife: I must judge it without mercy. Anyone who never learns self-judgment will be cast into hell, into unquenchable fire. The same holds for the hand, which stands for actions. If a person never judges what his hand does, the end is the awful fire of hell.
A hand is not an optional extra. The Lord names something you would call necessary, and He refuses the excuse that follows from it:
Better to sacrifice what might seem most necessary than to give yourself up to the sure penalty of sin. Men plead necessity to excuse what they know keeps stirring them to sin. God's law allows no excuse of that kind.
The verse weighs two outcomes: whole and lost, or crippled and alive.
Whatever it costs us, if an eye makes us sin, we must pluck it out. If a hand does, we must cut it off. In a word, we must give up the most valuable thing there is. An eternity of blessing with Christ is better than keeping a right hand and ending in eternal torment, "where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."
The word behind "hell" here is Gehenna. For the first hearers it named a real place:
Gehenna is the Greek form of two Hebrew words meaning "valley of Hinnom." It was the place near Jerusalem where the Jews made their children pass through fire to false gods. Later it became a defiled place. A fire burned there all the time, which made it a fitting picture of the place of eternal punishment.
Some readers take the worm and the fire as pictures rather than literal things. One writer allows that, then presses what the pictures must mean:
There is no need to argue with anyone who says this is figurative language. What I want to press on you all is that the conditions it describes last. The undying worm and the unquenchable fire mean nothing if the people who suffer them ever escape their terrible power.
The refrain lands on more than the person being warned:
The refrain "where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" falls on a troubled conscience like the bell that tolls a condemned man to his death. May it stir up in us who believe an unusual earnestness for perishing souls!
- Knife — The cutting is spiritual, not surgical. Blinding yourself would leave the desire in place. The Lord asks for self-judgment.
- Hand — In Mark's order the hand is what you do, the foot where you go, the eye what you look at. Judge each one where it traps you.
- Necessity — The Lord names a limb you cannot spare. That closes the excuse that life needs the very thing you will not give up.
- Trade — Crippled and alive beats whole and lost. Eternity with Christ outweighs anything you keep and carry into hell.
- Fire — Gehenna was a real burning valley outside Jerusalem. It pictures a judgment that never runs out. That should make believers earnest for those still heading there.
[where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched].
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And if thy foot serve as a snare to thee, cut it off it is better for thee to enter into life lame, than having thy two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire unquenchable;
Three times in a row the Lord makes the same hard demand: hand, then foot, then eye. The foot carries us where we choose to go, and His question is not medical but eternal — what is a limb worth, next to life?
Kelly reads this warning as the Lord turning the searchlight on His own followers, in a world full of traps.
No doubt the disciple follows Him through a world full of stumbling-blocks, with dangers on every side. But more than that, He is pleased to cast the light of eternity right into the middle of its snares and pits. So this was not a mere question of the moment. It went far beyond the aims of party strife. Our Lord therefore strikes at the root of what was at work in the mistaken disciples.
Mark lists hand, then foot, then eye. The foot is the course a person takes. For Grant, the knife is a decision your own conscience must make.
Self-judgment is therefore absolutely necessary. "If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off." One's own conscience can see this. If the foot goes in the wrong direction, use the sharp knife: I must judge it without mercy… If someone never judges his own evil tendencies, he will never see his need of the salvation of God. The end of such a man is the torment of hell.
The command is not an order to injure the body. The picture is physical, but the demand is spiritual. It sounds so extreme because of what hangs on it.
A physical act here is plainly just a vivid way of describing a spiritual cutting off and casting out. Spare nothing that is a snare, even if it seemed as close and as necessary as the hand, foot, or eye. Eternity is in question, and so is a judgment which no one can escape, and which spares nothing contrary to God.
The word behind "hell" here is Gehenna, not the general word for the place of the dead. It was a real valley outside Jerusalem, and its history made it a fitting picture.
Gehenna is the Greek equivalent of two Hebrew words meaning "valley of Hinnom." It was the place near Jerusalem where the Jews made their children pass through fire to foreign gods. Later it became a defiled place. 2 Kings 23:10. A continual fire made it a fitting picture of the place of eternal punishment.
The fire of hell and the worm that does not die run through this passage. Grant explains what each one stands for.
The worm that does not die speaks of his accusing conscience, which never stops — a large part of the torment that never ceases. The fire is the holiness of God, who because of His very nature must judge sin. The same fire that in some cases brings warmth and blessing will in this case bring heat and torment.
In verses 43 and 45 the Lord says "life." At the eye in verse 47 He says "the kingdom of God." Kelly notes the change and gives a reason.
The change from "life" in verses 43 and 45 to "the kingdom of God" in verse 47 is perhaps due to the eye being in question… "Life" would have been just as true, and Matthew 18:9 does use it. But Mark 9:47 adds another vivid and characteristic touch.
The repeated closing line is not decoration. Kelly hears it as a sound that ought to change how believers speak to those around them.
The refrain says, "where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." On a stricken conscience it falls like the bell that tolls a condemned man to his doom. May it kindle the hearts of us who believe into an unusual earnestness for perishing souls!
- Snare. The foot pictures where you go. Anything in your path that trips you is a snare, not a harmless habit.
- Knife. The cutting is spiritual, not surgical. You refuse the thing outright, however near and necessary it feels.
- Conscience. Your own conscience must spot the wrong direction. Whoever never judges himself never sees his need of salvation.
- Life. Entering life "lame" costs far less than keeping both feet and losing everything.
- Fire. "Hell" here is Gehenna, the defiled valley of continual fire. That fire is the holiness of God, which must judge sin. That is why the Lord warns in such strong terms.
[where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched].
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And if thine eye serve as a snare to thee, cast it out it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire,
This third warning moves from hand to foot to eye — from what we do, to where we go, to what we look at. Two questions follow: is the command meant literally, and why does Jesus speak here of entering "the kingdom of God" rather than "life," as in the two verses before?
Jesus is not telling anyone to blind himself. The physical act stands for something done in the soul, and the picture is fierce because the stakes are final.
It is plain that a physical act is only a vehicle here, a strong way of describing a spiritual cutting-off and casting-out. Spare nothing that is a snare, even if it seemed as near and as necessary as the hand, foot, or eye. Eternity is in question, and a judgment no one can escape, which spares nothing contrary to God.
One writer applies the command to what the eye takes in, and to the world that supplies it.
Pluck out the offending eye. If the eye sees what is evil, our one resource is to judge it and turn from it. The world makes plenty of provision for such seeing, in its pictures, its television and often in public displays. "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things" (Ps. 119:37). If someone never judges his own evil tendencies, he will never see his need of the salvation of God. The end of such a man is the torment of hell.
Verses 43 and 45 both say "life"; verse 47 changes the word. One writer links the change to the eye being in view, and notes that Matthew's account says "life."
The change from "life" in verses 43 and 45 to "the kingdom of God" in verse 47 is perhaps owing to the eye being in question. Compare also the first verse of this chapter and John 3:3, 5. "Life" would have been just as true, and Matthew 18:9 does use it; but Mark 9:47 adds another vivid and characteristic touch.
The verse works by comparison: whatever the price, the alternative costs more.
However much it may cost us, if it is an eye that offends us, we must pluck it out. If a hand, we must cut it off. In a word, we give up the most valuable thing possible. An eternity of blessing with Christ is better than keeping a right hand and finding oneself in eternal torments.
Yet the demand does not come from a harsh God. Writing on the same words in Matthew, one writer asks who such a warning is aimed at, and what kind of God gives it.
The Lord puts before them, with great seriousness, that people who are indifferent about sin are not born of God at all. So He sets before them the possibility that such people may be cast into everlasting fire. This could not be said of anyone born of God. … It may cost ever so much, but God is not a hard Master: none is so tender and loving. And yet it is God giving us His full mind by the Lord Jesus, Who shows us that this is the only way of dealing with what may become an occasion of sin.
The word behind "hell" here is Gehenna. One writer explains where the name came from.
The Valley of Hinnom was the rubbish dump outside Jerusalem. Fires always burned there, and maggots never stopped their work. People called it Gehenna, and this word on the Lord's lips became a fitting and terrible picture of the home of the lost. Hell will be the great rubbish heap of eternity. There everything evil beyond cure will lie apart from the good, for ever under the judgment of God. This terrible fact reaches us from the lips of Him who loved sinful men and wept over them.
Another writer names what kind of judgment this is, and how long it lasts.
Again and again comes the solemn call to sacrifice the dearest thing that is a snare to us. The penalty for keeping it is hell, the fire that will never be quenched. It is a judgment, a judicial punishment, for which there is no relief, and of which there is no ending.
One writer hears this refrain as a sound that should move believers to act for others.
The refrain, "where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched," falls on a stricken conscience. It sounds like the bell that tolls a condemned man to his death. If only it would stir up in us who believe an unusual earnestness for perishing souls!
- Snare. The test is not whether something is valuable but whether it trips you. Spare nothing that is a snare, however near and necessary it feels.
- Knife. The cutting is spiritual, not surgical. The physical act is only a picture of a spiritual cutting-off and casting-out.
- Eye. Since the eye takes in what the world puts on display, the one resource is to judge it and turn away.
- Kingdom. "Life" would have been just as true, and Matthew uses it. Mark's "kingdom of God" adds one more vivid touch where the eye is in view.
- Fire. Gehenna was Jerusalem's burning rubbish valley. The judgment it pictures has no relief and no end, and the warning comes from Him who loved sinful men and wept over them.
where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
Jesus has just been warning about the fire that is not quenched, and the word "for" ties this saying back to that warning. So why is fire, which destroys, linked here with salt, which preserves — and does the warning fall on everyone alike?
The statement leaves no one out. It reaches everyone, but not in the same way.
Now everyone (it is completely unlimited) will be salted with fire — even the believer, for he needs its discipline; it is for his preservation as a believer, and for his salvation. But the godless will have it in a different way. For them it will be "unquenchable" fire, because evil there must always be held down — held down by judgment, where nothing but judgment will do. The Lord adds, "And every sacrifice shall be salted with salt." That is the turning point, where He begins to speak of the believer alone.
One picture speaks of holiness. The other speaks of judgment.
Here salting with fire and salting with salt are two different things. Salting is a picture of preservation. "Salt," which the Lord calls "good," and which always has a good meaning in Scripture, pictures that energy of holiness which keeps us for God by shutting out corruption. But salting with fire is very different from salting with salt. Fire, as always, is the picture of divine judgment.
Here is the puzzle at the heart of the verse.
Now salt preserves. Fire, in the physical sense, destroys; it is the very opposite of a preservative. Yet in the next world, the Lord Himself speaks of the fire as acting to preserve.
The same fire that is final for one person is a test for another.
Everyone will be put to the test. The fire will test both believers and sinners... The sinner who rejects Christ will pass into the fire that is not quenched. But for the true believer the fire takes the form of trials or even persecution. Peter tells us that fire may test our faith. He warns us not to think it strange when we go through a "fiery trial." We should rejoice instead, because if we share in "Christ's sufferings" we will also share in "His glory" (1 Peter 1:7; 1 Peter 4:12-13).
The second half of the verse takes up a rule from the offerings brought to God.
Salt must be there — "the salt of the covenant of your God," which is the separating power of holiness... Everybody will get judgment; wicked and good will get fire. But only sacrifices offered to God have the power that separates from evil and keeps evil away.
Salt also points to what lasts forever.
Salt preserves, and here it may speak to us of what is eternal... Eternal judgment is the portion of all who die in their sins. But with the sacrifice, its value and its results will last forever. It is "the salt of the covenant of your God." In it God, as it were, binds Himself to bless us according to His own heart, on the ground of the everlasting value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.
A note on the text: these writers quote a second half of the verse, about every sacrifice being salted with salt. Some manuscripts leave it out, and so does the ESV.
Some manuscripts, and the revisers who follow them, leave out the second half of verse 49... The substance of the truth remains, no doubt, but the warning sounds less solemn in the shortened form.
Salt kept inside a person shows up in how he treats other people.
The result is simple and powerful — "salt in yourselves… peace with one another." The more real power of grace there is in us, the more we honour the Name of the Lord Jesus. The more we truly sense our own nothingness, the more we share in the power of His Person — and so the more peace there is among us. When real grace fails, gifts may remain, but there will be jealousy and self-seeking through those very gifts.
- Everyone. The saying leaves no one out. God's fire tests believer and sinner alike, but not in the same way.
- Two fires. For the one who rejects Christ, it is the fire that is not quenched. For the believer, it comes as trials or persecution that test faith.
- Two saltings. Fire stands for divine judgment. Salt stands for the holiness that keeps corruption out. The verse puts them side by side, but they are not the same.
- One sacrifice. Salt was never missing from an offering, and it pledges that the value of Christ's sacrifice lasts forever.
- One result. Salt kept in yourselves brings peace with others. Where grace is real, jealousy and self-seeking die.