“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” Mark 9:50
After Jesus predicted His death and resurrection a second time (9:30-32), He warned His disciples of three things that can hinder their effectiveness as His followers when they face suffering including a desire for greatness (9:33-37), a sectarian attitude that excludes other followers of Christ (9:38-41), and a lack of self-discipline about what we touch (“your hand”), where we go (“your foot”), and what we see (“your eye” – 9:42-48).
Jesus then says that “everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt” (9:49). Both believers and unbelievers will be seasoned with the “fire” and the “salt” of trials in this life (cf. James 1:1-18). For believers, these fiery trials can refine their faith (I Pet. 1:6-7), but for unbelievers these trials can show them their need to believe in Christ for salvation before it is too late (Acts 26:13-14).
Christ concludes, “Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (9:50). In the ancient Middle East, salt was used to preserve food and to make it tastier, so it would enhance one’s appetite for the food. When Jesus says to “have salt in yourselves,” He is talking about preserving His righteousness in the world and giving people an appetite for God by the way we live for Christ in the midst of suffering. We are to “have peace with one another” as we face difficulties instead of seeking our own greatness (9:33-34) or being sectarian (9:38-39).
Are we giving non-Christians an appetite for Jesus by the way we think, speak, and act? Instead of hardening our hearts when we face suffering (“if the salt loses its flavor”), we are to humble our hearts so God can use our difficulties to make us more like Jesus. In other words, pour on the salt by allowing Christ to be manifested in our daily lives.