Jesus talked about Hell more than any other Bible personality. He also talked about it more than He talked about almost any other subject.
The Greek word for Hell is Gehenna. It is a word with a history. It is a form of the word Hinnom. The valley of Hinnom is a ravine outside Jerusalem. It was the valley in which King Ahaz instituted fire worship and the sacrifice of little children in the fire. This terrible heathen worship was followed by King Manasseh. Later King Josiah declared the valley unclean and it became the place where the garbage of Jerusalem was burned. It burned constantly. Jesus used this horrible place as the earthly illustration of the eternal destiny of those who do not follow Him.
Hell is real. Jesus believed it was real. So, as Jesus warned His followers about final judgment and Hell in Mark 9:42-50, He also warned them how to live…
1. Don’t cause one of the ‘little ones’ to stumble.
If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42)
Jesus warned that anyone who turns little children away from Him will receive severe punishment. This is a stern warning against those who would abuse children. ‘Little ones’ could also refer to weak, uninformed or even insignifilclant believers. If our ambition or rivalry, our pride and ego, causes young people or new Christians to doubt or fall into sin, this is a grievous sin with terrible consequences.
We must ‘walk our talk!’ Someone is watching you and if you disappoint him or her, that person may stumble, and the great personal tragedy is, it may be someone you love deeply – a child, grandchild, friend, teacher or student.
2. Don’t stumble yourself.
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. (Mark 9:43)
Jesus is not teaching amputation, because you could remove a hand and still be a terrible sinner. The source of sin is not the body parts, but the heart. But this is teaching a radical action against anything that would cause us to stumble from following Christ. ‘Your hand’ (v. 43),’your foot’ (v. 45) , and ‘your eye’ (v. 47) encompass the totally of life. The hand symbolizes what we do, the foot where we go, and the eye what we see.
All who desire to follow Jesus must remove any stumbling blocks that would cause them to stumble from following Him. Any relationship, practice, or activity that leads away from Jesus should be stopped.
It may be necessary to stop some habit, abandon some pleasure, give up some friendship, cut out some thing which has become very dear to you, in order to fully follow the will of God. It may even be painful. It hurts to sever your foot or to tear out an eye, and it hurts to give up wrong things in our lives. But the pain is worth the gain.
Embrace the lifestyle of fire and salt.
Everyone will be salted with fire. 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. (Mark 9:49-50)
Jesus brings two ideas together: fire and salt. Both were part of the Hebrew sacrifices. A true follower of Jesus has made his life a sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1-2).
Fire may represent the persecutions or trials that confront a follower of Christ. Fire has two results: purification and destruction. You must allow the fire to purify your life and destroy the sin so you can follow Jesus better.
Salt has two purposes: flavor and preservation. You should be a positive influence everywhere you go. Do you make your home, your work, your school, your community a better place? Your presence should elevate the conversation, promote honesty, and raise the moral atmosphere. Does your presence make a difference. We are the salt of Christ to a thirsty world, for only He can quench that thirst.
You can read some of my similar articles: A Lesson on Temptation from a Monkey, What Voice Do You Listen To?, How Temptation Works, 5 Reasons You Can’t Lose Your Salvation, Assurance of Salvation – Are you sure?