Mark 9:49

• salted with fire: The fire of testing has a purifying effect, like salt (see also 1 Peter 1:7; 4:12; Revelation 3:18). Salt also refers to Christian character. Genuine Christian character will have a genuinely purifying influence.

• but if the salt loses its saltiness: Salt from the Dead Sea often contained gypsum, a soft mineral. Because of this, it could look like good salt but still be useless. It did not taste salty, and people could not easily throw it away because it was not good for soil or other uses.

If anyone causes … sin: The repeated warning about causing sin connects these verses (9:42–43, 45, 47). Jesus did not mean that people should take these words literally. Cutting off a body part would not stop sin (see Matthew 15:10–20). Instead, Jesus warns that no sin is worth the punishment of hell. It is better to repent (turn away from sin), even when repentance is very painful, than to face hell.

The disciples did not understand the prediction Jesus made about his suffering. Because of this, they could not see what it meant for their own lives.

This section is the second cycle (see study note on 8:27–9:1) containing:

• a prediction about the suffering of Jesus (9:30–32),

• an error by the disciples (9:33–34), and

• teaching about discipleship (9:35–10:31).