St Mark Chapter IX : Verses 29-49
Christ's prediction of His Passion
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| And he taught his disciples,and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed... J-J Tissot. |
[30] And he taught his disciples, and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.
[31] But they understood not the word, and they were afraid to ask him.
Christ's teaching on Humility
[32] And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way?
[33] But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.
[34] And sitting down, he called the twelve, and saith to them: If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.
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| Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name... J-J Tissot |
[36] Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
[37] John answered him, saying: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us, and we forbade him.
[38] But Jesus said: Do not forbid him. For there is no man that doth a miracle in my name, and can soon speak ill of me.
[39] For he that is not against you, is for you.
[40] For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.
Christ's discourse on scandal
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| The Valley of Hinnom / Gehenna / Hell. (See Notes below) |
[42] And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire:
[43] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
[44] And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire:
[45] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
[46] And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire:
[47] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.
[48] For every one shall be salted with fire: and every victim shall be salted with salt.
[49] Salt is good. But if the salt became unsavoury; wherewith will you season it? Have salt in you, and have peace among you.
[29] Et inde profecti praetergrediebantur Galilaeam : nec volebat quemquam scire. [30] Docebat autem discipulos suos, et dicebat illis : Quoniam Filius hominis tradetur in manus hominum, et occident eum, et occisus tertia die resurget. [31] At illi ignorabant verbum : et timebant interrogare eum. [32] Et venerunt Capharnaum. Qui cum domi essent, interrogabat eos : Quid in via tractabatis? [33] At illi tacebant : siquidem in via inter se disputaverunt : quis eorum major esset. [34] Et residens vocavit duodecim, et ait illis : Si quis vult primus esse, erit omnium novissimus, et omnium minister. [35] Et accipiens puerum, statuit eum in medio eorum : quem cum complexus esset, ait illis :
[36] Quisquis unum ex hujusmodi pueris receperit in nomine meo, me recipit : et quicumque me susceperit, non me suscipit, sed eum qui misit me. [37] Respondit illi Joannes, dicens : Magister, vidimus quemdam in nomine tuo ejicientem daemonia, qui non sequitur nos, et prohibuimus eum. [38] Jesus autem ait : Nolite prohibere eum : nemo est enim qui faciat virtutem in nomine meo, et possit cito male loqui de me : [39] qui enim non est adversum vos, pro vobis est. [40] Quisquis enim potum dederit vobis calicem aquae in nomine meo, quia Christi estis : amen dico vobis, non perdet mercedem suam. [41] Et quisquis scandalizaverit unum ex his pusillis credentibus in me : bonum est ei magis si circumdaretur mola asinaria collo ejus, et in mare mitteretur. [42] Et si scandalizaverit te manus tua, abscide illam : bonum est tibi debilem introire in vitam, quam duas manus habentem ire in gehennam, in ignem inextinguibilem, [43] ubi vermis eorum non moritur, et ignis non extinguitur. [44] Et si pes tuus te scandalizat, amputa illum : bonum est tibi claudum introire in vitam aeternam, quam duos pedes habentem mitti in gehennam ignis inextinguibilis, [45] ubi vermis eorum non moritur, et ignis non extinguitur. [46] Quod si oculus tuus scandalizat te, ejice eum : bonum est tibi luscum introire in regnum Dei, quam duos oculos habentem mitti in gehennam ignis, [47] ubi vermis eorum non moritur, et ignis non extinguitur. [48] Omnis enim igne salietur, et omnis victima sale salietur. [49] Bonum est sal : quod si sal insulsum fuerit, in quo illud condietis? Habete in vobis sal, et pacem habete inter vos.
Notes
Christ's prediction of His Passion
29. departing from thence. From the scene of the Transfiguration and of the subsequent miracle.
passed through Galilee. Possibly they did not journey direct from the Mount of the Transfiguration to Capharnaum, but by less frequented routes to ensure privacy. This was the last time Christ was in Galilee. Jesus was now on His last journey to Jerusalem.
He would not that any mail should know it. To avoid the multitudes and to be free to teach His disciples. It was their last year of training.
30. taught his disciples. The tense implies “ was continually teaching,” saying, Lay you up in your hearts these words (St Luke ix. 44). As the time of His Passion drew nearer, our Lord very frequently gave His Apostles private instructions.
betrayed into the hands of men. “ He was delivered up by His Father, who gave Him over to their power. He delivered up Himself voluntarily. He was betrayed into the hands of men, by Judas, who handed Him over to the Scribes and Chief Priests : these delivered Him to Pilate, and Pilate to the soldiers.” ( MacEvilly , Commentary.) This is the first mention of the betrayal.
hands of men. This was an expression signifying some great misfortune ; thus David chose the pestilence, saying, it is better for me to fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercies are many, than into the hands of men (1 Par. xxi. 13).
they shall kill him. Notice the continual repetition of this prediction. He wished to prepare them gradually for His death.
after that he is killed he shall rise again. Christ’s Resurrection is here very clearly stated, yet the disciples still “ understood not the word.”
31. they understood not. St Luke adds, it was hid from them so that they perceived it not (ix. 45). These words show the mental state of the disciples. The meaning was like a hidden thing which they could not find. St Peter, however, does not again reject the idea with impetuosity. It was their false preconceptions about the Messiah which prevented them from grasping our Lord’s meaning. St Matthew adds, “ they were troubled exceedingly ” (xvii. 22).
afraid to ask him : lest they should hear the worst ; doubt left room for a certain hope.
Christ's teaching on Humility
32. came to Capharnaum. It was on this occasion that St Peter was questioned concerning the tribute money, and Jesus worked a miracle to pay it.
in the house, he asked them. Jesus avoided compromising the reputation of His followers in the eyes of the people. The true order of events is given by comparing the accounts of the three Evangelists, who complete each other’s narrative : —
(a) And there entered a thought into them, which of them should be greater (St Luke ix. 46).
(b) And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them , What did you treat of in the way ? (St Mark ix. 32).
(c) At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying , Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven ? (St Matt, xviii. 1).
What did you treat of in the way ? Apparently Jesus had walked on ahead alone, or He was engaged in conversation with some of the other disciples.
33. they held their peace : conscience-stricken, for they had been giving way to ambition. St Matt, says they asked our Lord, Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven ? (xviii. 1). Evidently it was by a counter-question that they replied, but as regards answering our Lord’s question they were silent. Their thoughts reverted to the kingdom of the Messiah, not to Heaven.
they had disputed, etc. Perhaps the preference shewn to St Peter, St James, and St John, and their silence as to what took place when our Lord “ led them apart ” had aroused the jealousy of the other apostles. They again disputed about this matter at the Last Supper. The Gospel shews us the Apostles as they were, with all their failings.
34. sitting down , he called the twelve. Jesus took the attitude of a teacher. All were called to hear His reproof and to learn a lesson of humility.
desire to be first. If he desire to be first in the kingdom of heaven, let him be content to be last in this world ; i.e. true humility leads to sanctity, which determines our rank in heaven. St Matt, gives the fuller answer, Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child , he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in my name , receiveth me (xviii. 4, 5). St Luke also gives our Lord’s definite answer to the disciples’ question, For he that is the lesser among you all , he is the greater (ix. 48).
the minister of all. A second lesson is here inculcated. The Christian must be desirous to serve rather than to be served, to obey rather than to rule.
35. taking a child. St Matt, gives, calling unto him a little child (xviii. 2).
Whom when he had embraced. Notice Jesus’ tender love for children. Thus He on another occasion called them to Him and blessed them.
36. Whosoever shall receive, etc. Hence we see what a glorious work it is to train children for Cod’s sake, as unto Him. By so doing we receive our Lord Himself.
Note. — The following points in this narrative are peculiar to St Mark —
(а) Jesus sat down.
(b) He called all the Twelve.
(c) He placed the child in the midst.
(d) He embraced the child.
37. John answered .... Master, we saw, etc. John “ began to say.” Possibly the words in my name reminded St John of the man whom the disciples had forbidden to exorcise, or he may have thought that Jesus had finished His instruction on humility. Jesus resumed His discourse after having answered St John.
one casting out devils, etc. It does not follow that the man was not a disciple of Christ. St John says merely, followeth not us, i.e. he was not one of the faithful band of followers who accompanied Jesus in His apostolic journeys.
we forbad him: much in the same spirit as St John and his brother had desired to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans, because they received him not, when on the road to Jerusalem, Christ sent messengers before his face. When the “Sons of Thunder” heard this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from Heaven , and consume them ? (St Luke ix. 54). In forbidding the man to work miracles, the Apostles acted from a zeal for the honour of their Master, just as Josue had acted, when he asked Moses to forbid Eldad and Medad to prophesy, saying, My Lord Moses , forbid them. Moses, however, meekly replied, Why hast thou emulation for me ? 0 that all the people might prophesy, and that the Lord would give them his Spirit ! (Numbers xi. 28, 29).
38. Do not forbid him : because he was “ with ” Christ, though not an apostle. It was also a lesson to the Apostles, that just as they were not to seek pre-eminence over each other, so they were not to be jealous of others working miracles in the name of Christ.
no man that doth a miracle, etc. Christ teaches that those who have sufficient faith to work a miracle in His Name will not speak against Him.
39. he that is not against you : i.e. if a man does not oppose, you count him as a friend, since he does not hinder your work.
40. whosoever shall give you to drink, etc. In the East, a cup of cold water was frequently asked for as an alms. It had more value than in our country, on account of the need of the recipients, and of the scarcity of water. The Apostles when sent out on their mission had depended for food and shelter on the hospitality of strangers, and would many a time have asked for “ a cup of cold water. ”
Christ's discourse on scandal
41. whosoever shall scandalize , etc. See Additional Notes, Chap. vi.1-6.
one of these little ones. The meaning is not restricted to a child. Our Lord’s thought here embraces all who are weak and lowly in this world, i.e. those who are spiritually infirm, those who hold a low place in the world’s estimation.
that believe in me. This bears out our Lord’s doctrine that He considers a good work done to “ one of these little ones ” for His sake as done unto Himself, so He resents and avenges, as a personal affront, any injury done to the lowest of His followers.
a millstone: literally, a millstone which it would take an ass to move. In southern Palestine there are no mill-streams. “ You observe that two women sit at the mill facing each other ; both have hold of the handle by which the upper is turned round on the ‘nether’ millstone. The one whose right hand is disengaged throws in the grain as occasion requires through the hole in the upper stone, which is called the rekkab (rider) in Arabic, as it was long ago, in Hebrew. Both retain their hold, and pull to, or push from, as men do with the whip or crosscut saw.” — The Land and the Book (Thomson). For domestic purposes corn was often ground by women in a hand mill. Our Lord refers to one of these mills when He says, Two women shall be grinding at the mill ; one shall be taken, and one shall be left (St Matt. xxiv. 41).
a millstone were hanged about, etc. Christ here teaches that death is to be chosen when scandal is the only other alternative. This method of killing a man was not a Jewish punishment, but it was in common use by the Greeks, Romans, Syrians and Phoenicians. In Turkey it is still practised.
42. if thy hand scandalize thee, etc., — i.e. if anything which is as dear to you as a hand or foot hinders your salvation, renounce it completely. Christ passes from the condemnation of what might ensnare a weaker brother in Christ, to the consideration of anything which might be an obstacle to salvation. These dangers must at all costs be avoided ; if, therefore, bodily ease, worldly possessions, earthly affection or criminal passions jeopardise our salvation, though as dear as a hand, a foot, or an eye, they must be sacrificed. “ The hand denotes government and power ; the foot, exertion and activity ; the eye, knowledge and wisdom” (Maas, S.-J.). With the hand we do wrong, with the foot we go astray, and with the eye we look on sinful objects.
it is better for thee, etc. This, of course, is metaphorical, since all glorious bodies will be perfect. The thought is that it would be preferable to pass a blissful eternity (were it possible to do so) with a maimed body, than to suffer eternally in hell with all our members.Our Lord uses here, as indeed He does frequently, the language of “accommodation.” The Jews had an intense horror of mutilation, because they believed that a member which was lost, would be missing when they rose from the dead.
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| Valley of Hinnom. J-J Tissot. |
into unquenchable fire. A proof of the eternity of the torments of hell. The words of the text as they stand in verse 42 are considered as authentic, since they are found in all the ancient MSS. of the Gospel of St Mark, whereas the repetition of those words in verses 43 and 45 rests on doubtful authority, as they are omitted in some of the best MSS.
43. Where their worm dieth not , etc. A quotation from Isaias (lxvi. 24), where the prophet speaks of the dead bodies of the enemies of Israel, which were piled up and burnt, while the worms aided in the work of destruction. The fire and the worms continued their work till the bodies were reduced to ashes. Our Lord applies this to the lost souls cast into hell, where the worm, i.e. the remorse of conscience and the fire of God’s avenging justice, shall never cease to torture them. Isaias speaks only metaphorically of the worm and the fire to express that the true worshippers of the God of Israel shall see their enemies destroyed as totally as the dead bodies'of evil doers that were burnt in the Valley of Hinnom.
48. For = because. The connection is that hell-fire is unextinguishable, because it preserves its victims as salt preserves food.
every one shall be salted with fire. Probably this means that —
(a) As salt preserves food from putrefaction, so the “fire” of hell will preserve its victims from destruction that they may suffer unceasingly.
(b) Every Christian must practise self-denial, which, like salt, prevents our passions from degenerating into corrupt actions, every victim shall be salted with salt. It was customary to sprinkle the sacrifices with salt. Whatsoever sacrifice thou offerest, thou shalt season it with salt, neither shalt thou take away the salt of the covenant of thy God from thy sacrifice. In all thy oblations thou shalt offer salt (Lev. ii. 13). St Paul exhorted the Romans in these words, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God , that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service (xii. 1). Therefore the Christian, if he is to be a living sacrifice, must be salted with mortification and self-denial.
49. become unsavoury. The salt in common use in Palestine contained a large proportion of lime ; if exposed to rain or sunshine, it became insipid.
Have salt in you. Salt among the Jews was the sign of perpetual friendship, and no Oriental to this day will injure a man with whom he has eaten salt. Hence our Lord exhorts His disciples to make with each other a “ covenant of salt,” i.e. of lasting friendship, and thus petty strife concerning priority will be avoided.
have peace among you : by the practice of self-renunciation and humility, the double lesson which our Lord has inculcated in this discourse to His Apostles. Freedom from selfish aims and interests is a great means of peace, and it was precisely these selfish desires which had led the disciples to dispute among themselves as to who should he the greatest among them.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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