Mark 9:50 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

NIV: Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.'

NASB: Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.'

CSB: Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

NLT: Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.'

KJV: Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

NKJV: Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Salt, of course, cannot lose its saltiness, but the purity of salt varies. Salt harvested from the Dead Sea, in particular, grows increasingly stale because of those impurities. If the salt is mixed with too many other minerals, the taste will become so diluted it will be useless. The disciples risk this when they allow the values of the world, like love of authority and power and position, to suppress the purified saltiness that God desires.

Another way to interpret this remark is to note that "saltiness" is the purpose of salt; it's a defining characteristic of that mineral. If something so crucial to its identity can be lost, how could it ever be restored? This suggests a need for believers to treat their role in the kingdom of God as crucial, not secondary.

In a similar way, in Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth. We are to be His agents in purifying the world. Like salt, we are to bring out the better nature of those around us. The result will naturally be greater peace with each other. The sentiment brings to mind the ancient salt vow. If two people shared salt, they were bound to defend and support each other, even if they had been enemies. The disciples should live out a similar vow with each other.

Jesus' last phrase brings us back around to Mark 9:33–35 when the disciples are arguing about who is greatest. While they are worried about their position in Jesus' kingdom, He is concerned with the church reaching new believers (Mark 9:36–37, 39–40) and the personal sacrifices required for obedience (Mark 9:42–47).

Matthew and Luke add that the un-salty will be thrown out and trampled on, which is basically what the disciples wanted to do to the man who was exorcising demons in Jesus' name (Mark 9:38). Jesus explains that position and authority are not necessarily markers of how closely we follow Him. The ability to bring out the best in others and bring peace is a much better test.

Mark 9:49–50 follows Jesus' admonitions to avoid sin with a short treatise on salt. Salt was a metaphor for many cultural philosophies and spiritual truths in Jesus' time, including purity, vows, the worth of one's labor, and preservation. Neither Matthew nor Luke touch on the concepts given in Mark 9:49, but they do have parallel passages for Mark 9:50 (Matthew 5:13; Luke 14:34–35).

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.