Mark 9:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.

NIV: And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.

NASB: And if your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life without a foot, than, having your two feet, to be thrown into hell.

CSB: And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.

NLT: If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet.

KJV: And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

NKJV: And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—

Jesus continues His admonition to take concrete steps to avoid sin. He starts by saying it is better to be drowned than to discourage a little one from following Him (Mark 9:42) and that it's better to chop off your hands than to use them to do wrong (Mark 9:43).

Although Jesus' theological point refers to the literal, eternal hell, He is using the Valley of Hinnom as a visual representation. The term translated "hell" in English here is from the phrase tēn geennan. Also known as "Gehenna," this was the valley outside of Jerusalem which had hosted altars where parents burned their children in sacrifice to the pagan god Molech (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6). King Josiah destroyed the altars and turned the area into a rubbish heap where animal remains were burned (2 Kings 23:10). After the time of Malachi, during the four hundred years of silence, Jews started to identify Gehenna with hell.

This round-a-bout way of speaking about sin was common in New Testament times. By speaking vaguely about the act and concrete about the means, Jesus is telling His disciples to take concrete measures to avoid all kinds of sin. While, ultimately, it would be better to go without feet than sin with them, Jesus isn't endorsing self-mutilation. He's saying, for instance, don't allow your heart to tell your feet to walk you into sin.

Even so, the hyperbole and the symbolism Jesus uses show that there is nothing we can do to prevent us from deserving hell. Only His sacrifice can save us from sin.

Mark 9:42–48 shows that even if we follow the letter of the law, or maim ourselves in the attempt, we cannot be good enough to get to heaven on our own. In Matthew, directly after Jesus' hard words against sinning and tempting others to sin, Jesus talks about God's forgiveness and love for us (Matthew 18:12–14) and our responsibility to forgive others (Matthew 18:15–35). The various parallels in Matthew and Luke, as well as phrasing intended to transition subjects along suggest this passage is a synopsis of several different teachings. Still, Matthew 18:7–9 gives a reasonable parallel.

Mark chapter 9 contains an account of Jesus' transfiguration, where three of the disciples witness Him in a glorified form. In this passage, Jesus also heals a demon-possessed boy. His teachings in this section include a prediction of His death and resurrection, and corrections to the disciples' errors on questions of pride and temptation.

Mark 9 continues Jesus' efforts to teach the disciples who He is, what He has come to do, and what their role is in His mission. The chapter begins with the transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John catch a glimpse of Jesus' glory, and ends back in Capernaum. Jesus spends most of that time teaching. Although the disciples do quarrel with the scribes, the misconceptions and errors Jesus addresses come from the disciples, themselves, not outsiders. In the next chapter, He will leave Galilee and travel toward Jerusalem and the cross.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.