Re: Mark 9:47-48 --How much of this can we take literally?

Question

Or is it symbolic or have a different meaning?
Are worms granted immortality? What are your thoughts on this?

Détails supplémentaires

And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where " 'their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched."

Answer 1

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After speaking about stumbling “one of these little ones that believe,” Jesus added the caution: “And if ever your hand makes you stumble, cut it off; it is finer for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go off into Gehenna, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot makes you stumble, cut it off; it is finer for you to enter into life lame than with two feet to be pitched into Gehenna. And if your eye makes you stumble, throw it away; it is finer for you to enter one-eyed into the kingdom of God than with two eyes to be pitched into Gehenna, where their maggot does not die and the fire is not put out. For everyone must be salted with fire.”—Mark 9:43, 45, 47-49.

In the cases just given, Jesus points to destruction by fire. In Jesus’ day the Gehenna, or Valley of Hinnom, that he mentioned lay to the south and southwest of Jerusalem. His words confirm the fact that this Gehenna was used as an incinerator for the rubbish of the city and that the corpses of criminals considered unworthy of honorable burial with a resurrection hope were pitched into it. If a corpse failed to land in the fire but fell upon a slope or ledge that was warmed by the Gehenna fire, it would decompose and be consumed by the maggots that bred. The fire was kept burning continuously, day and night, in order to consume completely what was pitched into the city’s dumping ground. So Gehenna became a symbol of everlasting destruction, as when Jesus said to the Jewish scribes and Pharisees: “Serpents, offspring of vipers, how are you to flee from the judgment of Gehenna?”—Matt. 23:33.

Those who are sentenced to Gehenna do not enter into the kingdom of God, either the heavenly rule with Christ or its earthly realm during the millennial reign of Christ. Those whom God sentences to Gehenna do not enter into life at all, even though having all their body members. Hence, Gehenna pictures the state of nonexistence, annihilation, destruction by the adverse judgment of God. Just as the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day stumbled themselves into Gehenna, so a dedicated, baptized Christian of today can stumble himself into being sentenced by God to Gehenna, everlasting destruction. Let us remember Judas Iscariot.

This Judas of Kerioth became the treasurer for Jesus and his twelve apostles. In time he came to covet what was put into the money box. So he reached his hand in and helped himself to what his covetous eye saw and he pocketed it. He let eye and hand make him stumble into thievery, even robbing Jehovah’s Messiah. Five days before Jesus’ death, at a banquet held in Jesus’ honor in Bethany (near Jerusalem), Judas made a hypocritical comment in favor of public charity. Regarding this, we read: “He said this, though, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box and used to carry off the monies put in it.”—John 12:6.

Sources :

http://watchtower.org

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Great source of information

Answer 2

Is that the time or something?

Answer 3

There aren't enough blind limping Christians to assume that Jesus actually meant what he clearly said.

When I was a Christian I chopped off my 'internet' hand and then was tempted by 'the stranger' so I lopped it off too. I have been trying to figure out how to kick my sinning eyes out ever since.

Answer 4

Much like the parables that Jesus utilized, this passage of scripture utilizes rich images of symbolism; not meant for literal interpretation.

Man With The Little Book: Do you still have both eyes? You ignore the fact that Jesus himself spoke in parables... Jesus revealing the imagery of hell to some woman through dreams - You're liable to believe anything. Ever hear of discernment?

Answer 5

That has got to be a mistranslation. The word "worm" makes no sense at all in that context.

Then again, the rest of the book makes no sense either.

Tequila! Worship the worm.

Answer 6

the bible is not to be taken literally. its something that u have to decipher and understand.

Answer 7

It's symbolic of hell. 'Where the worm does not die' is a symbolic reference in that worms eat the dead... symbolically, worms are always eating the dead in hell, and the flames never go out.

This does not, by the way, specifically indicate that those in hell suffer in perpetuity.

Answer 8

It means if you have something that makes you sin, get rid of it. Some people who have died, gone to hell, and came back haven seen worms there..but worms are least of your troubles in hell.

Answer 9

Where the worm dieth not is the conscious of those who rejected Christ and they will bothered by it because they will remember that forever . The second is to stop doing now what will hinder you from going to Jesus.

Answer 10

also in Mark Jesus explains why he taught with stories.
He wants us to read into His stories. Not to take them literally.

Answer 11

Oh! We can most certainly take it literally, check Isaiah 66:24, also check out Mary K. Baxter and her book or c.d. titled 'A Divine Revelation of Hell'. She claims Christ came to her in 1976 over 40 nights and gave her a revelation of heaven and hell, It is awesome!!! As for Mk9:47 there is an awful lot of wrong teaching going on about that! Jesus says 'if' your eye.... not 'when' your eye.... For your eye CANNOT cause you to sin Because it is out of mens hearts come evil thoughts etc. etc. etc. . .. .

Answer 12

I asked my father about this same set of verses when I was a child going to Catholic mass with the rest of the family. The priest gave a sermon on this passage but did not do a great job at clarifying the meaning behind Jesus' words then. I recall being fully convinced, as a child, that if somehow my hand were compelled by certain spirits to steal or injure, then I should literally just cut it off to prevent damnation. My father told me it was a symbolic passage, much like the rest of Jesus' parables. In short, what I was taught was that Jesus was saying to deny the flesh its desires. Paul clarifies this when he says:

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another."

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh."

"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would."

"Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,"

"And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
(Galatians 5:13;16;17;19;24)

As for the "worm" that does not die: "Interjected into Jesus’ explicit description of Gehenna, was the statement that in this horrid place, the “worm does not die.” The worms—described in Isaiah (66:24), and pictured by Jesus in Mark 9—are maggots, which would be associated quite naturally with the rotting filth of a refuse heap. The twist to Jesus’ phrase is the fact that the worm in hell “does not die.” Concerning this, Lenski wrote: “The fact that it does not die means that its work is eternal. ...The bodies of the blessed shall shine with glory and eternal bliss, but the bodies of the damned shall be like rotting, putrid corpses that have the worm within...” (p. 408)." [Lenski, R.C.H. (1961), The Interpretation of Mark’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg); Apologetics Press]

Answer 13

In Mark 9:47-48 Jesus specifically referred to Gehenna and what took place there. But, without a proper historical understanding, many people draw erroneous conclusions.

Notice His words: "It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell [gehenna] fire-where 'their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'" Any inhabitant of Jerusalem would have immediately understood what Jesus meant, since Gehenna—the Valley of Hinnom—was just outside the city walls to the south.

Without this understanding, people commonly hold several misconceptions about this verse. Some believe the "worm" is a reference to pangs of conscience that condemned people suffer in hell. The worm that dieth not' was nearly always interpreted figuratively, as meaning the stings of envy and regret. Many believe that the phrase "the fire is not quenched" is a reference to ever-burning fires that torture the damned.

This scripture has been notoriously interpreted out of context. Notice that the phrase "their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" appears in quotation marks. Jesus was quoting from Isaiah 66:24. A proper understanding of this verse begins there.

The context in Isaiah refers to a time when, God says, "all flesh shall come to worship before Me" (verse 23). It is a time when the wicked will be no more. What happened to them? In verse 24 we read that people "will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind" (NIV).

Notice that in this verse Jesus noted that the bodies affected by the worms are dead. These are not living people writhing in fire. When Jesus returns He will fight those who resist Him (Revelation 19:11-15). Those who are slain in the battle will not be buried; their bodies will be left on the ground, where scavenging birds and maggots will consume their flesh.

According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (1980), the original Hebrew word translated "worm" in Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:47-48 means "worm, maggot, [or] larvae."

Neither Isaiah nor Christ was talking about immortal worms. The vermin of which they spoke—maggots—do not die because they turn into flies. The flies then lay eggs that hatch into more maggots (the larvae of flies), perpetuating the cycle.

This background information helps us better understand Christ's words. In that time, when the bodies of dead animals or executed criminals were cast into the burning trash heap of Gehenna, those bodies would be destroyed by maggots, by the fires that were kept constantly burning there, or a combination of both. Historically a body that was not buried, but was subjected to burning, was viewed as accursed (Joshua 6:18; 7:11, 25).

What did Jesus mean in Mark 9:48 when He said, "... The fire is not quenched"? With the preceding background we can understand. He means simply that the fire will burn until the bodies of the wicked are consumed. This expression, used several times in Scripture, refers to fire that consumes entirely (Ezekiel 20:47). An unquenched fire is one that has not been extinguished. It burns itself out when it consumes everything and has no more combustible material to keep it going.

Answer 14

Let's look at the text to see the context.

Mark 9:38-50

And John answered him, saying, "Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us."

But Jesus said,

"Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

And whosoever shall offend one of [these] little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 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."

My interpretation:

This is a graphic illustration about letting go what you value most, if what you value would destroy you if you keep it.

The point Christ is making relative to the terrible reality of an eternity in the Lake of Fire is that, if you have to choose to amputate an important body part such as an eye, a hand, or a foot, to avoid going to the Lake of Fire and be tormented forever, it would be better to remove the body part to go to heaven rather than keep the body part that would keep you from heaven.

Answer 15

Mark 9 and the Parable YOU referenced to has some far reaching TRUTH!

In that Parable....the HAND...... the FOOT.....and..... the EYE are simply A WORD PICTURE.....

FOR...... What We DO..... HAND !

FOR...... Where We GO.....FOOT !

FOR...... What We SEE.....EYE !

Not take that Application and apply it .... TO YOUR LIFE !

YOU..... could take this Parable and .....APPLY IT TO.....

....2 Corinthians 10:3-to-6 !

There you will have Your....PRACTICAL APPLICATION.... OF THE ..... " WORD ! "

Thanks, RR

Answer 16

Symbolic in that the people there knew what was being talked about literally. Getting rid of something personal to gain life instead of death is a good thing. Gehenna was the dump where bodies were tossed deemed not worthy of a resurrection. Everyone in Jerusalem knew this.

So the people understood if it took tossing away a thing each considered important to them to avoid the sentence of no redemption and no resurrection, then that is a preferred method.

Answer 17

The old testament calls us worms. It is figurative...
The scripture is trying to GET OUR ATTENTION, in that , WHAT EVER hinders us from getting into heaven, we need to ELIMINATE !!!

The Word of God is Spirit, and spiritually discerned...