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At War with Sin, At Peace with Each Other

May 16, 2021 Speaker: Brian Wilbur Series: The Gospel of Mark

Topic: Discipleship Passage: Mark 9:42–50

AT WAR WITH SIN, AT PEACE WITH EACH OTHER

An Exposition of Mark 9:42-50

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: May 16, 2021

Series: Mark: Knowing and Following God’s Son

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

INTRODUCTION

It's nearly impossible to exaggerate the importance of loving righteousness and hating wickedness – of loving righteousness so much that you actually pursue it and practice it in your daily living, and of hating wickedness so much that you actually flee from it and put it away, and cut off its supply chains. The phrase “you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness” (Psalm 45:7, Hebrews 1:9) is a biblical phrase that shows up in Psalm 45 and Hebrews 1. The phrase is used to describe the character of Jesus: Jesus loved righteousness and lived it and taught it, and he hated wickedness and never did it and urged us to forsake it. We are called to forsake wickedness and follow the Righteous One. Scripture says “that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Those who follow him must also walk in the light.

As we've been on our journey through the Gospel of Mark, we've been learning many things. Jesus said in Mark 8:34, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” And after this basic call to discipleship, Jesus then teaches us the many different aspects of what it means to follow him. Die to self-reliance, and participate in his mission through prayerful dependence on the Father (Mark 9:14-29). Die to self-exaltation, and humbly and gladly serve others for Jesus’ sake (Mark 9:30-37). Die to tribalism, which we looked at last week, and have a genuine appreciation for and graciousness toward all of Jesus’ followers (Mark 9:38-41). And now at the end of Mark 9, we learn another lesson: Die to sin, and live in the fullness of our Lord's grace and peace.

Before I read our passage, a brief word of explanation is in order. When you consider verses 42-50, you would assume that there are nine verses there. And yet, in most of our translations, there are only seven. The reason for this is because in some of the early translations, the exact phrase that occurs in verse 48 was also included as verse 44 and as verse 46. But – according to my limited understanding – the best manuscripts (that is, the best copies of the New Testament) lead us to believe that actually this phrase only occurred at verse 48. Thus in most of our modern translations verses 44 and 46 are omitted. It changes nothing in terms of the meaning of the passage, but it does mean that there are only 7 verses there.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

So, let me read Mark 9:42-50. This is God's holy Word, and these are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 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. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 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.” (Mark 9:42-50)

This is the Word of God, and it is for our good. Let’s pray:

Father, this is a weighty passage. I pray that the weightiness of it would be felt, and that your Holy Spirit would shine the light of truth into our hearts and would bring conviction and holy resolve to follow Jesus faithfully. Revive us, renew us, in accordance with your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

THE FIRST LESSON: TAKE GREAT CARE NOT TO LEAD OTHERS INTO SIN 

There are three inter-related lessons for us to ponder in this passage. The first lesson flows out of verse 42. Here it is: Take great care not to lead other believers into sin. Let me say it again: Take great care not to lead other believers into sin.

In the last half of Chapter 9, there is a significant emphasis on how we relate to our fellow disciples. We are not to be given to proud boasting, but ought to humbly serve one another (Mark 9:33-35). We are to receive all the little ones who belong to Jesus (Mark 9:36-37). We are to be gracious toward other disciples who aren't part of our own little sub-group (Mark 9:38-40). We are to refresh other disciples as they are serving the Lord (Mark 9:41). And, as today’s passage concludes, we are called to “be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50).

Now the specific idea of verse 42 is this: as you are in relationship with other believers, you will be an influencer. The question is: what kind of influence will you be? Just think about verse 42 coming right off of verses 36-37 – I think this really helps to drive it home:

“And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:36-37)

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42)

Jesus teaches us to take great care not to be a harmful influence, not to lead other people into sin, not to cause others to spiritually or morally stumble and thus to injure their walk with Christ.

Therefore, you should value your brother's spiritual health and your sister’s spiritual health. Your holiness is my business, and my holiness is your business. The holiness of every member of the congregation is the business of every member of the congregation – not meddling, but truly caring and wanting to influence others rightly.

If you're playing fast and loose with sin, which Jesus warns against in verses 43-47, then what kind of influence will you have on your brothers and sisters? You see, verse 42 and verses 43-47 are a package deal. If you truly care deeply about your own holiness and your own walk with the Lord, then you will necessarily care deeply about the holiness and spiritual walk of your brothers and sisters.

When you look at the warning of verse 42, you might think, ‘Maybe I want to opt out of community. Maybe I'd rather have no influence then be a bad influence, given how bad it is to be a negative influence.’ But you don't have that option. Jesus calls us to be part of a community of disciples who are following him together. You cannot opt out of this, but you have to ask the question: what kind of influence are you having?

And to drive the instruction home, Jesus tells us that it is better to die physically and horribly than to cause spiritual harm to someone else: “it would be better for [you] if a great millstone hung around [your] neck and [you] were thrown into the sea.” Do you get the picture there? Picture two really large heavy millstones, one on top of the other, with just a very little space in between, and grain is dropped into it, and a donkey is walking around it in order to turn the mill so that it grinds the grain. So we're talking about massively heavy stones with a hole in the middle, which could fit right over your head – and it would sink you to the bottom of the sea. Now here's what you're supposed to think: I don't want that to happen to me. That sounds awful. That sounds terrible. And then you're supposed to think: leading a fellow believer into sin is worse than that! When it comes to false teaching, spiritual abuse, toxic religiosity, or making light of godliness, be assured that Jesus hates it. Each and every one of us must take Jesus’ warning to heart.

“[It] would be better for [you] if a great millstone were hung around [your] neck and [you] were thrown into the sea” than to speak and argue about worthless things. Paul said, “[Charge] them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers…. [Avoid] irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:14, 16).

It would be better for you to be crushed by a great millstone, than to use people's sins against them. Proverbs 17:9 says, “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

It would be better for you to be thrown into the ocean with no hope of rescue than to bring the poison of bitterness into the fellowship of God's people. Hebrews 12 says, “See to it… that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15).

It would be better for you to drown in the Atlantic than to stir up senseless divisions among God's people. Romans 16 says, “[Watch] out for who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” (Romans 16:17-18)  

It would be better for you to be swallowed up by the sea than to entice the immature with fleshly desires. In 2 Peter 2, Peter talks about false teachers, full of lust and greed, who “entice unsteady souls” (2 Peter 2:14; also see 2 Peter 2:18).

It would be better for you to die a horrible physical death than to pressure a weak believer to sin against his or her conscience. As Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 8, to pressure a believer to act contrary to his or her conscience is to “[wound] their conscience” and “sin against Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:12).

Do you see the pattern? Causing ruin (2 Timothy 2:14). Causing separation (Proverbs 17:9). Causing defilement (Hebrews 12:15). Deceiving (Romans 16:18). Enticing (2 Peter 2:14). Wounding (1 Corinthians 8:12). Do you feel the weight of this? Be utterly horrified at the very thought of causing spiritual injury to a precious soul, to a little one who believes in Jesus. And all of us who believe in Jesus are His ‘little ones’. Picture Jesus, the Good Shepherd, holding one of his little sheep in his arms. And be filled with dread at the prospect that you would do or say anything that would lead that little sheep to go astray.

THE SECOND LESSON: TAKE DRASTIC MEASURES TO NOT SIN

So, verse 42 teaches us to care deeply about the spiritual health of our brothers and sisters. Of course, as I've already said, if you are the kind of person who cares about the spiritual health of your brothers and sisters, then you are the kind of person who cares about your own spiritual health. And that leads us to the second lesson, which flows out of verses 42-49. Here it is: Take drastic measures to make sure that you don't sin. Now “sin” is anything that gets in the way of following Jesus. So here’s the point: Take drastic measures to make sure that you don't go down any path that leads you away from Jesus.

This is Serious! Pay Attention!

The utter seriousness of what Jesus is saying is unmistakable. Verse 43: “if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” Verse 45: “if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.” Verse 47: “if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out.”

This instruction is deadly serious. The fact that Jesus is using metaphorical and symbolic language to get his point across does not lessen the seriousness of it. When I say metaphor and symbolic language, what I mean is that Jesus does not actually intend for you to physically and literally chop off or tear out your physical body parts. Don't do that! Obey Jesus and don't amputate your body parts because that is not what he intends.

In fact, the instruction isn't even really about hands, feet, and eyes. Your hands, feet, and eyes do not cause you to sin. And cutting off a limb or tearing out an eye would not address the actual cause of your sin. The thief's problem is not the hand that reaches out to steal or the feet that have carried him to the robbery site, but the covetous heart that desires what is not his. The fornicator’s problem is not the eyes that see a desirable object, but the lustful heart that craves what is not his. Jesus is the one who taught us this, right? In Mark 7, Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23) Our hands and our feet and our eyes only do the bidding of our hearts.

So, what Jesus is doing in verses 43-47 is using a word picture to press upon us the urgent obligation that we all have to make war against sin. Here's what the instruction conveys to us:

  • You must take sin with utmost seriousness.
  • You must kill sin at its source. Find any launching site for sin in your own heart, and kill it.
  • You must take violent, extreme, uncomfortable, and inconvenient measures to kill sin. Do whatever it takes to cut sin out of your life.
  • You must value your holiness and your fellowship with Christ and your eternal comfort far more than you cherish your temporal comfort.

And just a word of application here: if there is a pattern of sin that has been growing in your life, or if there is some unhealthy and soul-depleting habit that has been gaining steam in your life, then you need to take heed and do whatever it takes to cut sin out of your life.

In all your doing (your hands), in all your going (your feet), and in your seeing (your eyes), you need to make sure that you are staying close to Jesus and to his words. You need to make sure that you are being vigilant to resist every temptation to get off track.

Love for Jesus is the Key

Now what I'm about to say is especially important. It is possible to imagine someone making a fear-based, guilt-induced, and joyless effort to kill sin. And that effort is going to lead to increasing ugliness and despair. When the attempt to overcome sin is not fueled by faith in Jesus and love for him, then all you will get is a form of godliness without God's grace, without God's power, without God's holiness, without God's beauty. All you will get is stuffy religiosity and despair.

So remember the context of our instruction. Jesus said: “deny [your]self and take up [your] cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). And the reality is that if you follow him, if you share in his mission and in his suffering, if you treasure his words and his words shape your life, then you will be part of God’s family now and you will share in his glory forever. The heart of a true believer says, ‘Yes, I believe. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I find Jesus compelling.’

Think about it: Jesus cleanses the leper (Mark 1). He forgives the paralytic (Mark 2). He calms the storm (Mark 4). He raises the dead (Mark 5). He heals the demoniac (Mark 6). He feeds the multitudes (Mark 6 & 8). He heals deaf ears and opens blind eyes (Mark 7 & 8). He shines forth in the radiance of his Father on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9), and the Father says, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7) He is the Messiah, full of grace, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) And the Lord Jesus says back in Chapter 2, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Mark 2:17) And I'm sick, apart from Jesus and his grace. Jesus continued, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) And he says, “Follow me” (Mark 1:17, 2:14).

As he invites us to follow him in Mark 8:34, he says, in effect, die to anything that would get between you and me. And sin always gets between us and the Lord. Therefore: die to sin, kill it, cut it away, so that you can stay close to Jesus as you follow him on the path that leads to everlasting glory. The true disciple wants to do verses 43-47 – wants to make war against sin and stay close to Jesus – because the true disciple is following Jesus, loves Jesus, trusts Jesus, and treasures his words.

So if you're out there right now and you're thinking, ‘Making war against sin – that sounds boring. Not interested. Doesn't sound fun,’ listen up. You’ve got way more important things to deal with than taking a few steps of moral fortitude. You need to fall in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to rescue us from our sin. And be sure of this: you cannot kill unforgiven sin. It will never happen. You cannot kill sin of which you remain guilty and ashamed, and for which you remain in bondage to fear and punishment. You will never make true headway against it. You must first believe in the truth of the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ came to die as an atoning sacrifice for sins, so that everyone who believes in him would be forgiven of their sin and be reconciled to God and be indwelt by his Holy Spirit. And it is on the basis of this glorious gospel, and only on this basis, that we put sin to death.

The apostle Paul reiterates the very same truth that Jesus is talking about. He says that the basis of making war against sin, which he calls us to do in Colossians 3:5, is the foundational reality of “[having] been raised with Christ” and having “your life hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1, 3). If you have entered into Christ’s wonderful salvation – if you have fellowship with Christ and affection for him – then on that basis you can and must make war against sin. 

The Stakes are Infinitely High

The true disciple knows, and all those who have ears to hear know, that the stakes are infinitely high. The instruction in verses 43-48 isn’t just about killing sin, but about killing sin in view of eternity. The second part of verse 43 says: “It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” The second part of verse 45 says: “It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.” The second part of verse 47 and verse 48 say: “It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” Eternity is in view. It is either everlasting life or everlasting fire. This is the reality that is set before every man, every woman, and every child.

You have to understand this term ‘Gehenna’, which is the term that is translated “hell” in verse 43, 45, and 47. Gehenna is different than a term like Sheol or Hades. Sheol or Hades can refer more generically to the place where the dead go as they await the final judgment. But the term ‘Gehenna’ or hell refers to the place of eternal punishment.

The term ‘Gehenna’ has a real interesting history.[1] Gehenna actually refers to a physical site: the valley of Hinnom to the south of Jerusalem. It was an awful place. It was a place where some wicked kings of Judah sacrificed their children in the fire as an act of worship to the false god Molech. God hated this wicked idolatry. And he said, in effect, I'm going to turn this valley into a place of horror and judgment and punishment (see Jeremiah 7:30-34). Eventually this valley became a burning garbage dump. And then, as such, it became a symbol of eternal punishment – of God’s judgment upon the wicked. This is what Jesus had in mind when he utilized the term ‘Gehenna’. This is what he had in mind when he said, for example, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna].” (Mark 10:28)

Further, Gehenna is typically connected to fire – the fire of punishment – as we see here in Mark 9:43 and Mark 9:47-48. Jesus said this about “the end of the age” (Matthew 13:40): “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:41-42) When Jesus describes the final judgment in Matthew 25, he says that all the peoples will be gathered before him, and “he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). The sheep represent the righteous; the goats represent the wicked. And Jesus will say to the goats, “Depart from me, you cursed [i.e., you who are cursed], into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)

The picture here in Mark 9:43-48 is one of unending horror. For those who are thrown into hell, the punishment and horror and shame is unending. The fire of punishment is never quenched but always burning (Mark 9:43, 48). The worms feeding on the damned never die but are always eating (Mark 9:48). These descriptions point to the reality that this punishment never ends.

And so you ought to live your life with these eternal and irreversible consequences always before you. The great day of judgment will separate all human beings into two camps. There is eternal life, or unquenchable fire. There is the kingdom of God, or hell. There is everlasting glory with Jesus, or everlasting horror and shame – forever shut “away from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Salted with Fire?

And I think this reference to the final judgment might be the point of verse 49, where Jesus says that “everyone will be salted with fire” (Mark 9:49). This is a very difficult verse to understand. There aremany different plausible interpretations, and they don't really affect the basic meaning of the passage one way or the other. But here is my take on verse 49, although I hold it with a with loose hand.

In context, when you see the word ‘for’ at the beginning of verse 49, it is important to consider that the term ‘for’ typically refers to the reason for what came before – it refers to some kind of reason or explanation. You see this dynamic at work in verse 39 when Jesus said, “Do not stop him [the man casting out demons], for no one who does mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.” (Mark 9:39, italics added)

Now in verses 43-48, we see this flow of thought where Jesus is telling us to make war against sin. Now consider how this message of verses 43-48 sets the stage for verse 49: Make war against sin because the stakes are infinitely and eternally high (my summary of verses 43-48). “For everyone will be salted with fire.” (Mark 9:49, italics added) In verse 49, the fire isn't the fire of punishment (as it was in verses 43 and 48), but the fire of testing. The fire of testing will come up on every human being, particularly at the final judgment. And this fire of testing will reveal your character. In other words, God will publicly expose your character (who you really are) to a watching universe.

If you are the real deal – the genuine article – then you enter eternal life in God's forever kingdom. Every crippled limb and every disability will be totally healed. Every battle-weary Christian soldier will be clothed in glory. Every act of simple love and every act of costly love will be generously rewarded.

But if the fire shows you to be spiritually bankrupt – you didn’t have faith in Jesus, you didn’t love him, you didn’t obey his words – then you will be cut off from all that is good. As we are told in Revelation 21:8, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”  

Be Diligent

Therefore, in light of all these things, we must do as the Apostle Peter told us: “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” (2 Peter 3:14)

THE THIRD LESSON: TAKE AIM TO BE SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY AND AT PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER

Finally we come to the third lesson, which flows out verse 50. Here is the third lesson: take aim to be spiritually healthy and at peace with your Christian brothers and sisters.

Now as I walk through this, you might think, ‘How does this relate to verses 42-49?’ Well, it relates a lot. So just walk with me through this. Let’s make sure we have verse 50 in our mind:

“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.” (Mark 9:50)

Jesus wants his people to be salty. He actually calls us “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). As the salt of the earth, we're supposed to be salty, seasoned, flavorful, useful, able to make a positive impact. And it is interesting to note that when Jesus talks in the sermon on the mount about us being the salt of the earth, the part about our being salty salt immediately follows the Beatitudes. What this shows us is that the disciples’ saltiness is tied to their spiritual health. If you are poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), if you mourn over those things which break the heart of God (Matthew 5:4), if you are gentle (Matthew 5:5), if you “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6), if you are merciful (Matthew 5:7), if you are pure in heart (Matthew 5:8), if you are peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), if you are “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10) and not bitter about it but rather rejoice that you have the opportunity to share in the sufferings of Christ (Matthew 5:11-12), then you will be salty (Matthew 5:13).

These same kinds of character qualities are unfolding for us in the Gospel of Mark. Don't be proud and self-promoting, but be a humble servant of others (Mark 9:30-37). Don't be territorial, but be generous and large-hearted (Mark 9:38-41). Don't be casual about sin, but make war against sin (Mark 9:42-49). And so, when Jesus says, “Have salt in yourselves”, he means something along the lines of: make sure that God's grace is changing you and make sure that God's Word is setting the agenda and make sure that God's kingdom is the thing that is holding your attention and make surethat Jesus is your continual focus. Salty disciples in salty congregations are in the habit of hungering and thirsting for righteousness and influencing one another toward holiness. And as you are doing this as a community of disciples, Jesus says to “be at peace with one another”.

“[Peace] with one another” is one of the things that he has been talking about all along. Don’t argue about who is the greatest, but “be at peace with one another”. Don't be too proud to associate with the lowly, but “be at peace with one another”. Don't compete against each other or hold grudges or give each other the cold shoulder, but “be at peace with one another”. Don't put a stumbling block in front of a brother or sister, but “be at peace with one another”. As disciples of Jesus, “[being] at peace with one another” means being at peace with one another in Jesus, with Jesus at the center and with his words directing our steps. As you follow Jesus together, be at peace with each other.

THE SWEET SPOT OF GOD’S SALTY GRACE

Do you want to live in the sweet spot of God’s salty grace? Then I’d like you to think about something. I titled this sermon: “At War with Sin, At Peace with Each Other.” But do you know what? The sinful mind and the fleshly world does the exact opposite: they are at peace with sin, and at war with one another. That is the way of the world. That is the way of the flesh. That is the way of faltering marriages, broken families, unhealthy churches, and dysfunctional societies. Instead of taking drastic measures against sin, we treat sin lightly and we treat people harshly. Why? We treat sin lightly because we treat holiness lightly, and we treat holiness lightly because we treat Jesus lightly. And we exalt self and trample on anyone who gets in our way. And Jesus says, in effect, you're not to be like that!

Here is the sweet spot of God’s salty grace: You are to be hard on sin, especially your own, but you are to be kind to each other. You are to be at war with sin, but at peace with each other. You are to treat sin mercilessly (cut it off! tear it out!), but treat others mercifully and graciously and tender-heartedly. Forbear. Forgive. Be patient. Be the first to repent of your own sin, and be the first to forgive your brother or sister for his or her sin.

This is not the way of boring, stuffy, morally-uptight religiosity. This is the way of spiritual and relational beauty, where God's grace conquers your heart and enables you to build loving and peaceful fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, for example, if someone says an unkind word that rubs you the wrong way, the temptation is to focus your attention on your own wounded ego and then to rise up and counter-attack the person who hurt you. But what you ought to do is rise up and attack the sin of self-absorption that is rising up in your own heart. It would be so self-absorbed and egocentric to respond to an unkind word as if it's all about your glory and your honor. Kill the sin rising up in you, but love that brother or sister who may have hurt you.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus made war against sin by bearing the guilt and punishment of our sin. He died in our place. He took responsibility for our sin. “[He] was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5) so that everyone who comes to believe in him will never be crushed. He made war against sin, but poured out grace on the sinner. Do you see? And now in some small way we get to echo the Savior's example by fighting against sin and by fighting for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Be at war with sin, and be at peace with one another.

Let's pray. 

Father, I pray that we would internalize this instruction, with the Holy Spirit's help. I pray that there would be holy conviction, holy urgency, holy passion, holy resolve, holy love. I pray that you would build us up as a forgiving people who count it a great joy to follow Jesus together, and to walk in peace, and to labor side by side, and to shine the Savior's light into our dark world. We pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

 

 

ENDNOTES

[1] For discussion of ‘Gehenna’, see:

a) Cranfield, quoted in James W. Voelz, Mark 1:1–8:26 (Concordia Commentary). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2013: p. 696.

b) James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002: p. 294-295.

c) Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mark (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vol. 2). Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2017: p. 228.

These above-mentioned resources, among others, informed my comments about Gehenna.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Victor Babajide Cole, “Mark.” In Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars. Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.

James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (The New International Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mark (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vol. 2). Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2017.

James W. Voelz, Mark 8:27 – 16:20 (Concordia Commentary). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2019.

Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

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