Studies – Salted with Fire...have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another

Volume 2, Study 8 (6-20-10)

    These things did not happen to the disciples in this particular mission upon which Jesus had sent them; therefore, Jesus was referring to situations that would befall apostles and disciples in the coming days, years, and centuries following Jesus' death and resurrection.

    The Holy Spirit in fact is the Spirit of the Father and is stated as such by the Son. Interesting, is it not?

    The word translated 'foes' has as it root 'odious'. The world also will find the true disciple 'odious', but the first (and lasting) such experience to the disciple is as Jesus describes.
Jesus said these things in regards to all those who would enter discipleship and would stick with it to actually become a disciple.

    Switching from the topic of disciple, Jesus spoke in verses 40-42 regarding any person that would 'receive' a messenger of God, and thereby the person would become an enabler in the work that God was accomplishing through the messenger (i.e. even if the shall-be messenger is yet in training).
    In our journey through passages, and reaching into the Old Testament, we shall see this written into the law regarding priests doing service in the temple. Here it has to do with God's messengers and the people sacrificing so as to aid God's messengers. And in the Old Testament passage it has to do with priests and those Israelites sacrificing so as to aid the priests.
    Note that the 'receiver' (enabler) sees clearly and properly the specific purpose of the messenger, therefore 'receiving' him properly according to the messenger's purpose (i.e. the messenger comes not for any other purpose). The 'reward' that arrives to the receiver-enabler is not the same as that of the messenger who in the end will be given his reward. Instead, it is the kind of reward which the messenger is authorized to request of heaven. Regarding the twelve disciples in their mission, then, see verses 12-15 and verse 1.

1. grain finely ground into flour, along with some oil to be poured on it when handing it to the priest, and some frankincense along side the offering {verse 1};
   
2. a grain-food baked in an oven {verse 4};
   
3. a grain-food baked or cooked in a pan {verse 5}; and
   
4. a grain-food baked or cooked in a fryingpan {verse 7}.
   

    For this method of grain-offering by individual Israelites, note that the person not only provides the oil and frankincense, but he also pours the oil on the sacrifice and then gives it to the priest, along with the frankincense to be placed on the memorial portion that is to be burned in the altar fire. (The frankincense aspect of the sacrifice is the same for each method.) See the next verse also. I suspect that somewhere in the law the amounts are specified.
    In this method, since the priest needs to cook the flour with the oil to eat it, this type of offering was set aside for future cooking.

    The handful of flour and portion of oil with the frankincense is 'the memorial' to be burned in the altar fire.

    The holy place was not the holy of holies where only the high priest could go once a year. It was the working place in the part of the tent (sanctuary) that is in front of the holy of holies. A heavy curtain was between the holy place and the holy of holies. Moreover, a heavy curtain was in front of the holy place separating it from the court. The altar with its fire was in the court and could be observed by the people bringing their sacrifices. The priests did their work both in the court and in the holy place. The person bringing the grain-offering could observe his sacrifice: a memorial portion burned on the altar, and the rest eaten by the priest.

    This gives more information regarding the grain-offering even though this passage primarily refers to category 1). The priest, when active at the holy work, is holy. When not at the work, thus not in his holy garments, he is not holy.

    These offerings (from any Israelite) are of those sacrifices made by fire. And there are other offerings also made by fire, sacrifices even as large as oxen. Note that no offering made by fire shall ever have in it leaven, or upon it honey, which was also true of any grain-offering made by Israelites or by priests.

    At the beginning of harvesting an agricultural product, the first-fruits offerings for other than grains were also required, such as for apples, vegetables, etc. These offerings were sacrifices of which no part would be consumed by fire. The priest shall eat them in total.

    Here in our study, 'salt' in the grain-offering is introduced, for there is 'the salt of the covenant'.

    Here, then is a fifth category of grain-offering by an Israelite. The others were at various times, but this one is at the beginning of harvest for grain, and it is true of each type of grain. The KJV translation has it written like the grain was corn grown in ears.
    However, 1) the verse is about each type of grain and 2) this particular offering was not collected in the normal fashion of grain. Of the first mature grain stalks, the person had to go out and select the best, clip off the head or grain portion of the stalk, and keeping it whole, then place it by fire (or in a pan over a fire) to cure it. Then the grain was 'beaten' out of the full stalk.
    However, because the priest must eat the remnant portion of the grain (left after the memorial part of the offering was burned on the altar) it is obvious that he would not be eating whole kernels of corn. The word 'beaten' surly means beaten as in a bowl (i.e. a mortar) with a hard object (i.e. a pestle); this was (and still is) a primitive form of grinding grain.
    In other words, the person to bring the grain-offering of first-fruits was to handle carefully each aspect of 1) gathering the grain and 2) preparing it in the most fundamental, personal, and respectful manner.
    This then was received by the priest in his duties; received with the respect due the sacrifice and due the Israelite offering it. All aspects were incorporated in the sacrifice: 1) The proper preparing of the sacrifice, and 2) the consuming of it in fire, and 3) the eating of it by the priest. This made for the pleasant receiving of it by Almighty God.

    The 'little ones' in this passage refers to many 'a righteous man' (and woman) serving the Lord in Truth. Each person that recognizes such a one (in verses 40-42), if the person becomes in some way (large or small) a provider or enabler to such a one (even if for a moment with a drink of water), then that person shall receive appropriate blessing of reward from God.

    These three verses are quoted often that Jesus was speaking about little children (i.e. not about important disciples-things). Other passages do speak of little children, but here the context is purely about what these disciples need to know regarding their positions in Christ and what they will need to do with new disciples coming in under their leadership. In fact, the next verse clearly indicates that John understood and he went on to say -

    We see here that the 'child' in Jesus' lap represented not the twelve leading disciples (though they were acting rather childishly), but rather it represented new disciples under the leadership of the twelve and later under the apostles; and later it represented men and women to whom these apostles would 'go and disciple' in all the nations (Matthew 28:19).
    Therefore, John seems to have been implying, “Ok, then what about this situation that we ran into and how do we handle it?”

    Here Jesus continued warning his disciples of the seriousness of their office and of the dangers that lie ahead for them if they do not carry their authority as pleasing before the Father (see also Matthew 24:45-51).

    These warnings apply to apostles, disciples, and such who might defame the trust that God would give them when giving them authority over others (i.e. 'little ones') who had stepped away from the world and security of family and all earthly livelihoods except the Lord.
    Moreover, God will often provide for such 'little ones' by means of 'mature ones' in authority over the 'little ones'. We see this with Paul when he took care of all the men following him. At times he even built tents to sell while also performing his duties as lead apostle so that the followers in their duties did not have to wonder when they would eat and where they would sleep. Of course, Jesus did the same in provisions for his disciples as the Father in heaven pulled strings on earth for all of their provisions, which almost always came from individuals whom the Father would inspire, arrange, and prepare to give aid to Jesus and the disciples.
    I shall not get into “losing or keeping salvation”. I leave that to you and the Lord.

    Finally we have arrived at Mark 9:49. It is only in the light of the preceding passages and others like them, that 'salted with fire' can be understood. In this verse, 'salted' is equivalent to 'seasoned' (i.e. 'seasoned with fire'). And in Jesus' statement is the grain-offering, a long understood symbol for this crucial truth to men and women in such positions of authority, as they deal with underlings dependent on them. Please note the direct link of reference for the disciples (soon to be apostles) back to the priests in the temple.
    God came out of the temple (from behind the heavy curtains that separated Him from His people) at the moment of Jesus' death to dwell among His people by His Spirit for His New Purpose, in which He would use true apostles, disciples, and such to represent Him even as Jesus represented Him before ascending to sit beside the Father. The responsibility of such men and women is far greater than most Christians realize. These and other passages very plainly tell us and warn us about it.
    Why were the apostles 'seasoned with fire'? Remember that the priests (sons of Aaron) and the levites, to be able to work in the temple, had been separated out of the population of Israel such that God could minister to Israel through them. They had not the same kind of promises of provision, etc., as God had given the Israelites. Indeed, God Himself was the Provision to the priests and levites, providing as He saw fit, even as He provided to Jesus and his disciples.
    In the grain-offering (a holy provision to the priest), the memorial (a portion of the holy provision) was separated from the whole offering and burned on the altar directly unto the Lord. Men and women, as mentioned in this study, have been separated to experience things as in Hebrews 11. In modern times, the same is happening around the world. There are differing kinds of 'salting with fire' by the Lord.
In the context of the grain-offering, any portion of the sacrifice (to experience the altar fire) was entirely unto the Lord, even bypassing the eating by the priests, and thus bypassing men altogether. Here is acceptance of a sacrifice of the highest order.
    Paul and his followers experienced much 'salting or seasoning with fire', but did not die until their time. Suffering for Christ's Name can come in various ways. It can come light or heavy. It can come hard or not so hard. And though it may seem to come by the hand of men or by circumstance, to the men and women such as described in this study it comes always by God's Will as unto the Lord.
    Even so, fire upon such a one can come for another reason (discussed below). Only the Father and the Son fully see all of these things.

    Here is the exact picture of the grain-offering (whereas in the first part of verse 49 the grain-offering is symbolic). The sacrifice of the grain-offering was initiated by God in the Law unto each sincere Israelite who wanted to worship God by this sacrifice, knowing also that it was sustenance unto the priest.
    In this verse, then, it means that such grain-offering sacrifices (by individual Christians) would be inspired and/or led by God toward such called men and women separated from the world's means of provision to work for God. Here in this verse, it is a promise by God's Son to both the giver and the receiver that good and pleasing things before the Father would be happening, as God leads and manipulates within His workings on this planet.
    But even more, Jesus indicated that such separated men and women in the New Testament Age would themselves become sacrifices, even as the sons of Aaron as priests and the sons of Levi as levites were separated unto God's work of the temple. They were living sacrifices, substitutes for the firstborn sons of each Israelite family. (See the choosing of priest and levites in my book God's Rock.)
    And, added to them in the Old Testament Age were the prophets; and also added were righteous warriors like Gideon and kings like David and righteous men like Noah and Bezalee and Jethro and Eldad and Midad and Obed-edom the Gittite and the judges of Israel including Deborah; and do not forget the wives of the patriarchs Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
    And in the New Testament many individuals are mentioned in the Gospels and many mentioned by Paul.
    Thus '...and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt' indicates that all such called and separated men and women for God's work (each a sacrifice unto God) are salted by God Himself. (We are not now speaking of 'salting with fire'.) In this process (of God making each what he or she will become in the Lord) in varied ways God works His salt into each sacrifice. This has to do with God's goodness in human form as manifest in these separated ones. Therefore, the Son of God said -

    Jesus said that the blessings contained in 'the salt of the covenant' toward both the givers and the receivers is 'good', but what happens to such blessing of salt if something or someone breaks the links that God has established within 'the salt of the covenant'? The priests and levites, etc. (OT) and the apostles and disciples, etc. (NT) are set and fixed in this process of having been salted with salt (thus, giving with salt and receiving with salt). Therefore, people (both giver and/or receiver) will be hurt. Hurting such 'little ones' and/or 'mature ones' in Christ is a very dangerous thing. Read again Mark 9:35-37 and other such verses. Throughout the scriptures warnings are plenty. So, 'mature one', pay attention to this -

    At the time, Jesus particularly said this to his foolish and disputing disciples (see above verses), in that they were to cease foolish discussions...because 'the greatest' will be at the Father's constant disposal to minister unto the other disciples, even as Paul constantly ministered to the men following him while he worked his apostleship work to the churches.
    In the Old Testament, the chief priest had this duty unto the other priests and unto the levites ministering in the temple. Jesus had this duty to his disciples. Paul and others had this duty to the men assigned to them by the Father and the Son. It is the ongoing law of agape among God's workers from ancient times and always. It, too, is 'the salt of the covenant'.