Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Give Us This Day

Home
Evangelical
Mark 9:38-50 – Hell

Mark 9:38-50 – Hell

Last updated on: January 19, 2017 at 4:43 pm by Fr. Charles Erlandson

Mark 9:38-50 – Hell 2017-01-19T16:43:21-05:00 Fr. Charles Erlandson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Mark 9:38-50

Hell!

No, I’m not saying this as a curse but as a reminder of this terrible place. Hell is an idea that has been tamed. The fact that we can so easily say “Hell!” as a curse, and not as an exclamation about the place of God’s judgment, is an indicator that our society doesn’t take Hell seriously.

I’m sure you’ve heard that it’s only the God of the Old Testament who is judgmental and threatens to send people to Hell. But actually Hell is more developed as a concept in the New Testament, and we hear about Hell more from the lips of Jesus Christ than anyone else in the Bible!

The word for Hell is actually Gehenna, a place that was so desecrated that it was set apart as a place where refuse was to be burned. It was a foul, smelly place where worms slithered on the waste and which burned and smoked all the time. It’s a form of the word for the valley of Hinnom. In this valley Ahaz burned false incense and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the Canaanites (2 Chronicles 28:3). Manasseh also burned his children in the fire there and maybe committed some of his other abominations there (2 Chronicles 33:6).

We should be concerned about Hell because it is a very real place. Though we can’t necessarily say exactly what it will be like, suffice it to say: you don’t want to go there! If you consider the sufferings of this life, and then factor out the grace of God that exists even in the suffering of this life; if you think of the unspeakable evil that humans are capable of; and if you think of your own life at its worst moments – then you’ll have some idea of what Hell might be like.

*Warning: This next section is not for the faint of heart! Also, it’s not necessarily the right way to imagine Hell.

In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce provides one of the most graphic pictures of Hell in English literature, based on the Roman Catholic descriptions he must have grown up with. In the mouth of Joyce’s preacher, Hell is the typical abode of demons and the damned and is a dark and foul-smelling prison. The people live in a great intensity of heat that burns in eternal darkness. The fire in Hell preserves that which it burns, and though it burns with incredible intensity, it burns forever and does not go out. In the bodies of the damned, the blood seethes and boils in the brain, the bowels are a red-hot mass of burning pulp, and the tender eyes flame like molten balls. Every sense is tortured (I won’t repeat Joyce’s description here.)

All the filth, offal, and scum of the world run into Hell, and the bodies of the damned exhale such a pestilential odor that one of them alone would be enough to infect the whole world! Imagine a decomposing corpse turned into a jellylike mass of liquid corruption. Now multiple this a million times, and then a million times again.

All of this misery is compounded by the company of Hell. The damned howl and yell at each other, and all laws are overturned. There is no thought of family, country, ties, or relationships. The pain is compounded further by seeing those who tempted the damned into sin. You can imagine what they might say to each other. And, of course, the ugly and fallen angels (demons) are there to mock and accuse.[1]

Now why do I (this is Fr. Charles again, and not James Joyce) bring all this up? Am I trying to scare you? Not particularly. But would it necessarily be a bad thing to consider the eternal fate of those who reject God? If you are living a life of unrepentant sin – by hand, foot, eye, tongue, or any other part of you – then I think you’d better know what the eternal consequences of such a life would be.

But I have two other purposes in talking at length about Hell. First, by its pain and terrors we can measure how seriously God takes the sin in our lives. In fact, as Jesus says, it is better to go throughout life without your hands than allow them to cause you to sin and face the punishment of Hell.

The second reason it’s important to think about Hell once in a while is so that you can give thanks to God that He has delivered you from Hell. Hell is what you and I deserve: eternal death is the wages of sin.

But by the grace of God, by His love, and by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, we have been delivered from Hell. Yes, it’s much more important to focus on seeking God and Heaven than on avoiding Hell. But you should also remember to give thanks to God that He has delivered you from Hell, something you could not do for yourself.

Prayer: Father, I thank You that You have loved me so much that You sent Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me. Thank You for Your mercy in passing over my sins and saving me from them and from the torments of Hell. Thank You especially, Lord, that You have given Yourself and eternal life to me through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Point for Meditation: What sin or sins is God asking you to give up? Keep in mind that it is better to enter life maimed than to continue to sin and displease God.

Resolution: I resolve to thank God today for showing me His mercy in not damning me to Hell, which is what I deserve for my sins.

[1] Chapter 3, Section 2.

The Last Judgment by Hans Memling – U.S. Public Domain

Previous Post

January 18, 2017

Mark 9:30-37 - servant of all

Next Post

January 20, 2017 Mark 10:1-16 - When marriages succeed or fail

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Featured Give Us This Day Give Us This Day Devotional love me love my wife Love My Wife Reformed Catholicism Blog Spirit-Reality Take This Cup Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2022 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 September 2018 July 2018 March 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who is the most common author of the Psalms?

Select your answer to see how you score.

David Solomon Moses Asaph