“Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who
performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone
who is not against us is for us. If anyone gives you even a cup of water
because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will
surely be rewarded.
This passage is a part of a larger
section that extends through the rest of Mark 9, but we are going to break it
up into a few reflections. There are
several important messages in the larger section. So we’re going to “chunk” it into smaller
sections.
In the chunk above, the disciples
notice that others are operating under the name of Jesus that are not part of
the group that Jesus chose. They are
casting out demons in Jesus’s name. The
disciples have a valid concern, for the “outsider exorcists” have no official accountability
to Jesus. They could do things or say
things that depart from the core of Jesus’s teaching. This was a common issue in Hebrew circles
where multiple Rabbis operated in the same area. The disciples of each Rabbi were always
careful to not say anything that would be contrary to the teachings of their
leader and they would be protective of anyone else who invoke their Rabbi’s
name. This is what is going on
here. The disciples are letting Jesus
know that His “brand” is being violated.
Jesus’s answer must have been
rather surprising. However, He does make
an important distinction that could be easily missed. Jesus stipulates that if someone “performs
a miracle in my name,” they are an ally.
Don’t stop them. He goes further:
“Anyone who is not against us is
for us.”
What Jesus is doing here is
blurring the line between insiders and outsiders. Jesus is starting a movement, not a new
club. He is ushering in a surprising new
expression of God’s kingdom on Earth. It
is a kingdom that is accessible to all through the name of Jesus. If someone has a demon cast out in Jesus’s
name, it signifies that they have tapped into the power of God’s kingdom. If they so much as give a cup of water to
support the cause, they are a welcome expression of that kingdom. They should be embraced, not discouraged. They should be rewarded, not penalized.
This should cause us to be careful
about who we determine to valid Jesus followers in our day. There are tens of thousands of denominations
in the world that invoke the name of Jesus as their teacher, leader, and
Messiah. While there would be a wide
variety of opinions on just about every issue, it is the name of Jesus that we
all share. This is the reason that the
Apostle Paul, many years later, would make the following statement when
responding to similar concerns:
It is true that some preach
Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so
out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The
former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that
they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it
matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or
true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. (Philippians
1:15-17)
In a time when denominations of Christians are fragmenting,
we should not make assumptions about which ones constitute the “true” or “authentic”
expression of Jesus’s kingdom. The more important
questions are, “are people being delivered from evil?” and “is the name of
Jesus being preached?” To see the
fragmentation another way, there are currently tens of thousands of unique
witnesses to Jesus that could reach tens of thousands of unique kinds of
people. If people find their way to
Jesus, who cares who gets the credit?
Question: Have you
ever caught yourself discounting the authenticity of others’ Christian faith
because they expressed it in a different way than you are accustomed?
Prayer: God, deliver
your church from tribalism and divisive behavior. Help us celebrate when people come to you and
experience the miraculous, no matter whether it is through our chosen group or
someone else’s.” To God be the
glory! Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for God to bless people you know who attend a different church than you do.
Song: It Came Upon a
Midnight Clear – Josh Groban
