Mark 9:46
KJV
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
NKJV
where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’
What does Mark 9:46 mean?
Like verse 44, this statement is not found in this place in the oldest and most reliable transcripts. When it is included, it and verse 44 are identical to Mark 9:48. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 66:24 which describes the fate of sinners facing God's final judgment.Jesus is saying that we should take practical steps to prevent real sin. The examples He gives—to cut off hands or feet, or pluck out eyes—are all things we do to ourselves. Our first reaction when facing temptation should be to control ourselves, not other people. That's not always our first instinct. In contrast, when faced with a fellow believer who can afford a nice car, we may sing the praises of a more modest life to cover up our own jealousy. When beset by sexual temptation, we may rail against people who dress in a way that grabs our attention. When driving, we may get angry at other drivers, pedestrians, and the traffic engineers who set the timing on traffic lights rather than admit we have an issue loving other drivers made in the image of God.
Whatever temptation we are faced with, we need to go to God with it first. It may be that He will lead us to gently rebuke someone who unwittingly tempts others to sin; Jesus does say that it would be better to die than lead someone into sin (Mark 9:42). But we must never blame them for our lack of self-control. Our sin nature is our own, and is to be dealt with through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), practical steps, the encouragement and prayers of fellow Christians, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 9:42–48 shows that even if we follow the letter of the law, or maim ourselves in the attempt, we cannot be good enough to get to heaven on our own. In Matthew, directly after Jesus' hard words against sinning and tempting others to sin, Jesus talks about God's forgiveness and love for us (Matthew 18:12–14) and our responsibility to forgive others (Matthew 18:15–35). The various parallels in Matthew and Luke, as well as phrasing intended to transition subjects along suggest this passage is a synopsis of several different teachings. Still, Matthew 18:7–9 gives a reasonable parallel.
Mark chapter 9 contains an account of Jesus' transfiguration, where three of the disciples witness Him in a glorified form. In this passage, Jesus also heals a demon-possessed boy. His teachings in this section include a prediction of His death and resurrection, and corrections to the disciples' errors on questions of pride and temptation.
