1In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” 3For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
make the way of the Lord ready!
Make his paths straight!”
4Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him. 6They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! 9Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.
11“I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
15But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.
16Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. 17Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
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.