In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit One God, Amen!
"Have salt within yourselves" (Mark 9:50)
One of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ’s teachings is mentioned by the Evangelist St. Mark, a remarking very deep lesson, "For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another." (Mark 9:49-50).
In the Old Testament, the sacrifice was seasoned with salt. The LORD instructed, "Put salt on all of your grain offerings. Salt stands for the lasting covenant between you and your God. Do not leave it out of your grain offerings. Add it to all of your offerings." (Leviticus 2:13 NIRV: Mark 9:49-50 NIRV).
Salt gives flavor to food. Food without salt is a person with an attitude; a Church without a priest; an empire without a king, etc. Our father Job states, "Can that which has no taste to it be eaten without salt?" (Job 6:6 AMPC).
Salt has been used as a medicine, currency, etc. Due to the vast uses of salt within our social life, as well as our spiritual life, our LORD Christ has used it to teach and instructed that we "have salt within ourselves."
Why is salt needed within ourselves? The salt here is referred to as pure faith and doing good deeds. Within good deeds, there are core and fundamental elements; love, humility, and patience.
A. Love
"From the heavens, he came down, incarnated, until death, He who loved us is love Himself" (1 John 4:10). In his Anaphora, St John Chrysostom contemplates Christ's love saying, "Love drew down the Son of God from His throne and brought Him unto death." (ANAPHORA OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM No.53)
The base of Christianity is love. Through Christ whom we are called Christian, Children of the Almighty, it was all through this love (John 13:34-35: 1 John 3:10). Then by that definition, Christian means children of love (LORD): those who dwell within love are love themselves.
In Christian life, the first fruit of the Holy Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22). Our LORD Christ answered to which is the great and first commandment, by saying, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect)" (Matthew 22:36-38: Deut. 6:5 AMPC).
The LORD: since He is above all, who holds everything in His palm, we as His children should choose to love Him. There shouldn't be an ulterior motive. We should be filled with His Divine love, and praise and fulfill His commandments. "If you [really] love Me, you will keep my commands. The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me." (John 14:15-21 AMPC). To love the LORD is to fulfill His commandments (1 John 5:3).
To love the LORD with our words is not enough. When we truly and fully understand His commandments and put it in practice, that is the proof of our love for Him.
Let’s dive into the Gospel of Luke. When the sinner woman knew that Christ was in the house of Simon the Pharisee, she bought an alabaster jar of ointment. As she wept in, Christ's feet she confessed her sins, to show her humility she dried Christ's feet by her hair. Then with the alabaster ointment, she anointed His feet, she showed her love by kissing his feet without hesitation and stopping.
When the Pharisee who invited Christ started to gossip, Christ knew and rebuked him using proverb. This woman has shown tremendous love, for that her big sin was forgiven. But you have shown little love and for that little of your sin shall be forgiven. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, many [as they are], have forgiven her–because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little (Luke 7:47 AMPC).
This woman, her life was flavored by Christ because her love for the LORD was more than the Pharisee Simon’s: repentance bounded by love: because she acted by humanity and in a glorious act. How? Here it is "On the top of the heights beside the way, where the paths meet, stands Wisdom; I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me." (Proverbs 8:2, 17 AMPC: I Sam. 2:30; Ps. 91:14; John 14:21; James 1:5.)
The second and foremost commandment is to love one's neighbor as oneself. As John said in his Gospel, "This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you" (John 15:12 AMPC). We ought to love one another. Let us love and humble one another shunning out hatred from our midst and continue to fulfill the LORD's commandments [ I Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6-8; Heb. 10:8.]
John the beloved in his epistle: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him]. He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love." Then "…for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:7-20 AMPC).
"For love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]" says Apostle Peter on his epistle (1 Peter 4:8 AMPC: Proverb. 10:12). To flee from death and to come to the path of life, let us love our neighbors. Let this flaming love dwell within our hearts.
We should love our enemies, bless those who curse us, except those who oppress us that’s how we flavor our lives. How? OUr Merciful LORD got crucified not only for those who love Him but those who detested Him as well.
Does the world have the flavor of Love? It's bitter and sour without salt in it. All the violence, war, chaos, greed, etc are the result of a life without love. The view of the world is lying far beyond the truth and its reflection of love is on speech or in theory, as St John the Evangelist said, "Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech…" (1 John 3:18 AMPC).
If the first family of Christ, had not abided by love, the grace of the LORD would not have been witnessed or manifested. Their love and unity led them to receive the Holy Spirit, speak in different tongues, preach to the multitude and convert them, in turn becoming the salt and light of the world. (Acts 2:1-46)
So beloved Christians, the grace we have received from the LORD and our utmost ability for the service of the Church is indeed wonderful but for the LORD to dwell and bless, we ought to love one another and have a love for the service we do. Our prayers, worship, the sermon services, the Mezmur (hymns), our poem's, etc. all our doings should be rooted from love.
Service to the LORD without pure love is not pleasing to Him, St Paul talks about this "If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not loved, I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love I am nothing. Even if I donate all that I have [to the poor] if I surrender my body to be burned for God’s glory but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 AMPC).
♡Love covers all transgression. Proverbs 10:12
♡Love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
♡Love is the fulfilling of the Law. Roman 13:10
♡Love is the bond of perfection. Colossians 3:14
May He who is the meaning of Divine love our LORD, give us His love!
Part Two....... continues.
Source: https://lisantewahdo.org/index.php/16-2015-07-31-06-18-02/1525-9-48
"Remember your leaders and superiors in authority [for it was they] who brought to you the Word of God. Observe attentively and consider their manner of living and imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7 AMPC).
Dn. Mathiwos
Glory be to the Almighty God until ages to come, Amen!
