Mark 9:50
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.
Mark 9:50
This verse completes the salt analogy: salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, it’s useless. Jesus asks believers to maintain “salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” The emphasis on preserving saltiness connects personal holiness with communal harmony. In the context of Mark 9, where disputes about greatness, reception, and discipleship abound, Jesus champions both inner integrity and outward unity. Losing saltiness signals spiritual compromise; maintaining it requires continual reliance on God and mutual peacemaking.
Theologically, salt stands for purity, preservation, and covenant faithfulness. The warning against loss of saltiness underscores the fragility of spiritual vitality and the necessity of ongoing repentance and dependence on God. Peace with one another reflects the New Covenant ethos: true discipleship flourishes within a reconciled community.
Evaluate whether your life maintains spiritual vitality. Are you preserving your love for God and neighbor, or has routine dulled your passion? Actively cultivate peace in relationships—apologize when wrong, pursue reconciliation, and speak truth in love. Practical steps: practice regular confession, seek reconciliation when relationships are strained, and model humility in leadership or teamwork. Let your actions reflect a saltiness that blesses others through mercy, integrity, and respectful disagreement.
Cross-References: Matthew 5:13–16; Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:3–6; Romans 12:18; James 3:17–18