1Masters, give to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
2Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving, 3praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, 4that I may reveal it as I ought to speak.
5Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
7All my affairs will be made known to you by Tychicus, the beloved brother, faithful servant, and fellow bondservant in the Lord. 8I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you everything that is going on here.
10Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you received instructions, “if he comes to you, receive him”), 11and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for God’s Kingdom who are of the circumcision, men who have been a comfort to me.
12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13For I testify about him that he has great zeal for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis. 14Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. 15Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea, with Nymphas and the assembly that is in his house. 16When this letter has been read among you, cause it to be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans, and that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17Tell Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.”
18I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.
Jesus' statement in Mark 9:50, "'Salt is good'" is similar to how it is seen elsewhere in Scripture. "Salt" may be associated with any one of several biblical connections. In Matthew 5:13, "'You are the salt of the earth'" speaks of the preservative effect that believers have in the world. In 2 Kings 2:19-23, salt is used for purification. Its mixture with incense is called "pure and holy" in Exodus 30:35. In Colossians 4:6, the seasoning effect of salt is used to describe gracious speech. Salt also represents wisdom, in rabbinic tradition. Without necessarily having just one of these connections in mind, Jesus may have been using salt to represent whatever quality is needed to keep on being "'at peace with one another'" (v. 50).
If the call to be at peace with one another, at the end of verse 50, reaches all the way back to the disciples' discussion of who was the greatest among them (vv. 33-34), then Jesus' reference to salt, in verse 50, may be related to His statement in verse 49, "'For everyone will be salted with fire.'" Fire is a symbol of purifying judgment for believers (Matt 3:11; Luke 3:16; Mal 3:2-3), as well as of eternal torment in Gehenna (hell) for unbelievers (vv. 47-48). To be salted with fire in the sense that Jesus meant in verse 49, is to be continually purged of impurities in such a way that one's spiritual well-being is preserved. To "have salt in yourselves" (v. 50), then, means to maintain a servant's heart so as to realize freedom from the self-absorption and competitiveness that undermines peace among fellow believers.