Today’s Scripture: Mark 9:2-50; Leviticus 2:13
Have you ever had one of those days where anything that could go wrong did? Mark dedicated an entire chapter to one of the worst days the disciples experienced. The day started out on a high note when Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the mountain where they witnessed the transfiguration. But, once they began their descent, so did the rest of the day. Check this out:
- Nine of the disciples argued with the teachers of the law about their inability to cast out a demon.
- The disciples bickered about who among them was the greatest.
- When they came across a man who was successfully driving out demons, they made him stop because “he was not one of us.” (Funny thing—the disciples couldn’t cast the demon out of the young boy, yet they stopped someone who successfully could!)
Throughout the day, Jesus brought correction and instruction. Then, toward evening, He wrapped it up with what seems to be a random exhortation about salt. It will probably make more sense if we can understand salt’s significance.
In Bible days, salt symbolized, among other things, purity, fidelity, wisdom, and hospitality. Salt often symbolized an alliance between close friends, and even a lick of salt would seal a deal. A salt covenant meant two people were binding themselves in loyalty to one another—even to the point of death. It was added to grain offerings, representing an enduring covenant with God. In other words, salt was valuable. It had credibility. Maybe we can reword the question Jesus asked to read: If a person loses his credibility, how can he regain it? Good question.
This week, let’s walk through the Lord’s instructions found in Mark 9 and see how we can apply them to our lives. Hopefully we will all have a much better day today than the disciples had.
- How can our attitude on a “bad day” affect our credibility as Christians?
- Are moody people credible? How do you control your moods?