Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Salt is good; but if the salt have lost his saltness - its power to season what it is brought into contact with,
Wherewith will ye season it? How is this property to be restored? See the note at Matthew 5:13.
Have salt in yourselves - `See to it that ye retain in yourselves those precious qualities that will make you a blessing to one another, and to all around you;'
And - with respect to the miserable strife out of which all this discourse has sprung, in one concluding word --
Have peace one with another. This is repeated in 1 Thessalonians 5:13.
Remarks:
(1) How little suffices to stir unholy jealousies and strifes, even in genuine disciples of the Lord Jesus and loving friends! In the present case they were occasioned, it would seem, by the recent extraordinary manifestations of their Master's glory, opening up to the half-instructed minds of the Twelve the prospect of earthly elevation, coupled with the preference shown to three of them on several occasions, and particularly to one; stirring the jealousy of the rest, and leading probably to insinuations that they were taking too much upon them-which, in the case of the two sons of Zebedee, was probably not quite groundless. The traitor, at least, though his real character had not yet come out, would probably be ready enough to resent any appearances of presumption among the rest. The flame, thus kindled, would soon spread; and this journey to Capernaum-probably their last in company with their blessed Master, who left them to travel part of the way by themselves-was embittered by dissensions which would leave a sting behind them for many a day! And did not the scene between Paul and Barnabas at Antioch, though of a very different nature, show how easily the holiest and dearest fellowships may be interrupted by miserable misunderstandings? See the notes at Acts 15:37-40; and at Matthew 18:10-35, Remark 1.
(2) Of all the forms in which the great Evangelical Lesson is taught by our Lord-`that Humility is the entrance-gate into the kingdom of heaven, and that the humblest here is the highest there'-none is more captivating than this, under the lowly roof in Capernaum, when, surrounded by the Twelve and with a little child in His arms, He answered their question, Which of them should be greatest in the kingdom of heaven, by saying, 'He that is likest this unassuming child.' And what a Religion is that, at the foundation of which lies this divine principle! What a contrast to all that Paganism taught! Some bright manifestations were given of it under the ancient economy (Genesis 13:8-9; Numbers 12:3; Psalms 131:1-2, etc.), and some sublime expressions of it occur in the Old Testament, (Psalms 18:27; Psalms 113:5-6; Psalms 147:3-6; Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:1-2, etc.) Nor could it well be otherwise, since the Religion of Israel was that of Christ in the bud, and the Old Testament Scriptures are the oracles of God (Romans 3:2). But as the Son of God Himself was the Incarnation of Humility, so it was reserved for Him to teach as well as exemplify it as before it had never been, nor ever again will be. See the notes at Mark 10:42-45.
(3) Alas, that with such lessons before them, the spirit of pride should have such free scope among the followers of Christ; that in particular the pride ecclesiastic should have become proverbial; and that so few who name the name of Christ should be distinguished for lowliness of mind!
(4) The disposition which prompted John to forbid the man who cast out devils in Christ's name and yet followed not with Him and the Twelve, was extremely natural. Whether he was one of that small band of John's disciples who did not attach themselves to Christ's company but yet seem to have believed in Him, or whether, though a believer in Jesus, he had found some inconveniences in attending him statedly and so did not do it, we cannot tell. Though it is likely enough that he ought to have joined the company of Christ, the man had not seen his way to that himself. But the first question with John should have been, Have I any right to decide that point for him, or to judge him by my standard? 'You had not,' says our Lord. But further, 'Supposing the man does wrong in not following with us, is it right in me to forbid him, on that account, to cast out devils in my Master's name?' 'It was not,' says Christ.
'The deed itself was a good deed; it helped to destroy the works of the Devil; and the Name in which this was done was that at which devils tremble. Thus far, then, the man was My servant, doing My work, and doing it not the less effectually and beneficially that he "followeth not us:" that is a question between him and Me; a question involving more points than you are aware of or able to deal with; a question with which you have nothing to do: Let such alone.' How instructive is this, and how condemning! Surely it condemns not only those horrible attempts by force to shut up all within one visible pale of discipleship, which have deluged Christendom with blood in Christ's name, but the same spirit in its milder form of proud ecclesiastic scowl upon all who "after the form which they call 'a sect' х hairesin (G139)] do so worship the God of their fathers" (see the note at Acts 24:14). Visible unity in Christ's Church is indeed devoutly to be wished, and the want of it is cause enough of just sorrow and humiliation.
But this is not the way to bring it about. It is not to be thought that the various ranks into which the Church of Christ is divided are all equally right in being what and where they are, if only they be sincere in their own convictions. But, right or wrong, they are as much entitled to exercise and act upon their conscientious judgment as we are, and to their own Master, in so doing, they stand or fall. It is the duty, and should be felt as the privilege, of all Christ's servants to rejoice in the promotion of His kingdom and cause by those they would wish, but cannot bring, within their own pale. Nor will anything contribute so much to bring Christians visibly together as just this joy at each other's success, although separate in the meantime; while on the other hand rancorous jealousies in behalf of our own sectional interests are the very thing to narrow these interests still further, and to shrivel ourselves. What a noble spirit did Moses display when the Spirit descended upon the seventy elders, and they prophesied and did not cease. Besides these the Spirit had come upon two men, who remained in the camp prophesying, and did not join the 70. Whereupon there ran a zealous youth to Moses, saying, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp; and even Joshua said, My lord Moses, forbid them. But what was the reply of the great leader of Israel? "Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would pour out His Spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:24-29). (5) The word "hell" thrice repeated here in the same breath is tremendous enough in itself; but how awful does it sound from the lips of Love Incarnate! And when to this He adds, thrice over in the same terms, "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" - words enough to make both the ears of everyone that heareth them to tingle-what shall be thought of the mawkish sentimentalism which condemns all such language in the mouths of His servants, as inconsistent with what they presume to call 'the religion of the meek and lowly Jesus?' Why, it is just the apostle who breathed most of His Master's love whose Epistles express what would be thought the harshest things against vital error and those who hold it. It is love to men, not hatred, that prompts such severity against what will inevitably ruin them.
(6) Who that has any regard for the teaching of Christ can venture, in the face of these Mark 9:42-48, to limit the duration of future torment? See the notes at Matthew 25:31-46, Remark 4.
(7) As Christians are to present themselves a living sacrifice to God, so when the sacrifice has had the fire applied to it, and stood the fire, it is an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to God. But let them not think that the only fiery trial they have to stand is persecution from without. The numberless things that tend to stir their corruptions, even in their conversations with each other, constitute an almost daily trial, and sometimes fiery enough. Then it is that a living Christianity, subduing corruption and overcoming evil with good, shows its value. This is the true salt of the sacrifice. "Let your speech," says the apostle-and the same applies to every other feature of the Christian character - "be alway with grace," or to speak sacrificially, "seasoned with salt that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Colossians 4:6).