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Response
Jerusalem’s ancient garbage dump—known as Gehenna—was a vivid representation of the never-ending torments of hell. Situated on the southern side of Jerusalem, in ancient times, children were sacrificed to idols there «And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. », (2 Kings 23:10); during Jesus’ era, it was a place where fires burned continuously to consume the refuse thrown there. The items burned included everything from household waste to animal remains to criminals who had been executed (Jeremiah 7:31-33). Unquestionably, the Jews viewed Gehenna as a cursed site of impurity and defilement.
The term “hell” in Mark 9:43 is derived from the Greek word Gehenna, which originates from the Hebrew name for the “Valley of Hinnom.” Jesus utilized this location to create a vivid depiction of what hell entails. The Valley of Hinnom was often linked with spiritual death by the Jewish people.
In Mark 9:48, when Jesus mentions, “Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (ESV), He is quoting Isaiah 66:24: “And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” In both passages, the term translated as “worm” literally means “grub” or “maggot.” A maggot would be commonly associated with a dump like Gehenna where corpses are discarded; however, the maggot that Christ refers to “will not die.”
At face value, this passage presents one of the most dreadful depictions of the nature of hell. The idea of eternal suffering, likened to maggots consuming a person, is truly horrifying.To see a decaying body is undoubtedly horrifying. Hell is so dreadful that Christ figuratively stated that it is better to cut off the hand that leads you to sin than to face hell «And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. », (Matthew 5:30).
Mark 9:48 does not imply that there are literal worms in hell or eternal worms; instead, Jesus is illustrating the concept of never-ending suffering in hell—the “worm” continuously inflicts torment. It is noteworthy that the worm is specific. Both Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:48 use the term ‘their’ to indicate the worm’s possessor. The sources of agony are each linked to their respective host.
Some biblical scholars suggest that the “worm” symbolizes a person’s conscience. Those in hell, completely separated from God, endure a persistent, guilty conscience that, like an incessant worm, consumes its victim with an irreparable remorse. Regardless of the interpretation of the term ‘worm,’ the crucial lesson from Christ’s words is that we must strive to avoid the terrors of hell, with only one means to achieve this—accepting Jesus as the Lord of our lives «For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. », (John 3:16).
