Flashback Episode — Including the Other Group: Mark 9:38-42


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If you have ever had the picture in your mind of the disciples as being exceptionally godly people, or if you have looked up to them as being better than most people, it is likely you haven’t spent much time in the gospels. While many of the disciples end their lives as spiritual heroes, looking early on at their stories during the time they spend with Jesus, we get a completely different picture.

In our passage for this episode, we will look at a short passage where we see the disciples display a very negative character trait, and one that Jesus openly challenges them on. This character issue is jealousy.

While one or two of your friends might be surprised at this, I doubt you would be surprised to learn that jealousy was clearly visible in first century society. At the very least, when reading the gospel record, the Pharisees and other religious leaders were jealous of Jesus’ popularity. It is likely that some of those in the crowds who followed Jesus were jealous of Jesus’ disciples. Jealousy also was likely present even within the group of Jesus’ disciples, since periodically Jesus’ pulls aside Peter, James, and John to the exclusion of the other nine.

However, in our passage for this episode, we will discover a slightly different place jealousy showed up, and I am amazed at how Jesus responded to His disciples when they display jealousy towards other people who were not within their group.

Our passage for this episode is found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 9, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 38, Mark tells us that:

38 John said to Him [referring to Jesus], “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is for us. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. 

While I am tempted to read further, let’s stop here so we don’t miss the significance of what Jesus has just finished saying. Usually, this teaching is overshadowed by what comes next, and because of this, I don’t you to miss what Jesus is saying to His followers here in these few verses.

At this point in His ministry, Jesus has fame and credibility, and it is clear that His followers are able to cast out demons like Jesus can. Others have picked up on this as well, and had observed that Jesus’ disciples used Jesus’ name to cast out these evil spirits. This leads to at least one of these spectators to try casting out demons like the disciples and Jesus had and it’s likely that they succeeded, since watching a person fail does not prompt jealousy.

Since the other exorcism using Jesus’ name was successful, it prompts John, the famous disciple and author of one of our gospels to be jealous of this spectator’s success. In my mind, John likely shared this event with Jesus with enthusiasm, because He was able to curb the potential chaos that could have happened if people learned that anyone could use Jesus’ name to perform miracles and cast out demons.

However, Jesus surprises John with His response. Verse 39 and verse 40 directly address John’s heart and attitude. “But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us.” Another way to state that last phrase would be to say, “Those who are not against us are on our side.”

Instead of congratulating John for maintaining order and the hierarchy of Jesus’ growing kingdom and ministry, Jesus challenges John’s motives and He addresses the pride that is present in John’s heart. An exclusive attitude is one form of pride, and Jesus wants to redirect John’s thinking on how God is inclusive not exclusive. While John wanted to exclude other people until they were directly part of their group, Jesus wanted John to learn that God is inclusive, and God is more interested in motives and hearts rather than on social or racial classes.

Jumping forward several thousand years to when we live now, if we model an exclusive attitude towards a particular faith, religion, or denomination, we are directly following John’s lead right before Jesus challenged him, and not paying attention to Jesus’ challenge of inclusivity. Jesus’ words and instructions for us are to not stop others from following Jesus, because if God is with them (which is evidenced by their performing a miracle from God), they will not be able to speak evil about Jesus.

As I say this, Jesus’ teaching here may be a clear litmus test to determine whether a miracle is from God or from Satan. It is unlikely that Satan could speak well of Jesus while at the same time performing God-like miracles. However, as I say this, I doubt Satan would ever speak well of Jesus, so any miracle or trick Satan does will almost certainly not point people to God, Jesus, or the Bible.

In this passage, Jesus’ instructions come with a promise and a warning. Jesus first promises us that those who help others simply because they follow Jesus will not lose their reward from God. The strongly implied tone in this promise is helping these other people regardless of their race, gender, orientation, hair color, attitude, political affiliation, level of wealth, lack of any wealth, or any other characteristic that groups people together. Those people Jesus promises that God will reward are people who helped others simply because they are followers of Jesus. Jesus’ promise is very inclusive, because God promises to reward not just His people, but anyone and everyone who is nice and hospitable to His people as well. Looking at the world today draws us to the clear conclusion that there are people who are nice and hospitable towards Christians and Jesus followers, while there are others who are outright opposed to anything even resembling faith or religion.

At the end of Jesus’ teaching that we focused in on, He also shares a warning. Jesus says that whoever causes another to stumble, it would have been better for that person to be drowned. In this warning, Jesus condemns anyone putting roadblocks in another person’s relationship with God. People placing themselves between others and God is clearly something God does not want, like, or tolerate. Jesus came to remove the great divide between heaven and humanity that sin caused, and if Jesus bridged this divide, who are we to recreate it.

Jesus’ sacrifice gives us a picture of God and His love, as well as restoring our ability to have a personal relationship with Him. This is something worth enjoying and inviting others to.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life. Choose to look at the world around you and seek to build others up, seek to improve those God brings into your life, and intentionally avoid being a stumbling block for other people. Understand that God loves you personally and He sent Jesus to show you His love.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, intentionally pray and study the Bible for yourself in order to learn what Jesus really was like. While other people have ideas they want to impose on you, test everything you hear, see, and read against the truth of the Bible to know whether it is worth knowing.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year 1 – Episode 23: When someone who wasn’t a disciple of Jesus casts out a demon in Jesus’ name, discover a surprising group of people who became jealous and what Jesus ultimately does about it.

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