Why not rather disciple them?

A Good Reward

(Mark 9:38-41, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, June 16, 2019)

[38] John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” [39] But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. [40] For the one who is not against us is for us. [41] For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

We tried to stop him

The disciples of Jesus were very jealous for their special proximity to the master. Of course they had just had been arguing with each other about which of them was the greatest. (For more sibling rivalry, see John and Peter after the resurrection). Jesus had picked up a little child and told them that the greatest one should be a servant of all.

The disciples could not yet embrace that thought. As far as we can tell, Jesus was still holding the little child. Meanwhile they had moved on to a concern about some other person who might be a competitor for the title of the greatest.

Who was this intruder into their special circle of insiders? He was just someone who was casting out demons. That does sound pretty impressive. Not only was this a superstar activity, but he was doing it in the name of Jesus. The disciples acted as those who owned the copyright on the phrase, “in Jesus' name.” This “someone” was using their words that they knew to be powerful.

So what did they do? They “tried to stop him.” Why? “He was not following us.” The principle that they were suggesting was that only those who were part of the inner circle should be allowed to use the name of Jesus to perform miracles. Everyone else had to cease and desist. The disciples owned Jesus. Others should find their own savior of the world, thank you very much.

Do not stop him

Jesus did not agree with their assessment of the situation. He plainly instructed his closest friends, “Do not stop him.” Why? A person who did a mighty work in Jesus' name was one less person to oppose them as they sought to proclaim the name of the Lord and to see his kingdom established.

In this world, the close followers of the Lord would meet many who did not treat the name of Jesus with respect. Many would hate the name, as Paul once hated all those who were followers of the way of the Lord. Why should the disciples make more trouble among those who did not want to be their enemies? See Romans 12:18.

How did this strange situation described in these verses happen. People had heard that miracles were being performed (including casting out demons from people) by simple men (the disciples) who had been taught to do mighty works in the name of Jesus. They decided that they should try to do the very same thing that plain fishermen like Peter, James, and John were doing, and lo and behold, they found that it worked. That name!

Jesus' conclusion was good practical advice. If you tell such people to stop doing good deeds of power in Jesus' name because they are not one of us, you will be seen as protecting your own self-interest in a very small-minded way. You will also create an immediate enemy when you could have had a friend. Jesus' conclusion: “The one who is not against us is for us.” So be it.

You belong to Christ

There's more here. The man who was casting out demons in Jesus' name was not trying to show disrespect to the Lord and his friends. Quite the opposite. He was in effect serving the man who at that moment had a little child in his arms.

Why would anyone serve the twelve+ who was not following in the circle of the twelve? Simple answer straight from the Son of God: Because the disciples “belong to Christ.” There would be people who would want to come alongside the followers of Jesus because they knew that these men were connected to the Lord—even owned by Jesus.

Think of the many examples we have of similar behavior from the Old Testament. The Egyptians gave of their wealth to the Israelites after God had shown his devotion to his people. Think of those desperate souls who wanted to be associated with David because they had come to believe that he was the Lord's man. The same was true of faithful prophets like Elijah and Elisha. Think of the servant of the evil king Ahab, Obadiah, who had secretly supplied 100 men with food and water in order to protect them from the dreaded Jezebel. He did this for Jehovah God even though he an official of evil Ahab.

Of course each of these true servants of the Lord had many enemies too. The Israelites were despised and persecuted by Pharaoh. Elijah was pursued by the king's wife with all venomous hatred. Good Mordecai had his Haman, who built a seventy-five foot gallows to hang the man he could not tolerate. But with so many real persecutors, why should we demonize those who are only seeking to come alongside us with respect as a way to touch the hem of Jesus' garment through proximity to us? (Why not disciple Apollos).

Why would we be treated well by anyone? Because, in the words of our savior, we “belong to Christ.” This is the very thing that some disciples forget when they are busily pursuing their own greatness. We have the privilege of being held in the master's arms. We belong to him. This is a most interesting turn-around, since these friends were thinking that they owned the exclusive rights to the name of Jesus, and they were ready to protect their possession. How did Jesus treat Nicodemus? Zacchaeus?

The disciples thought that Jesus (and his whole brand) belonged to them. The truth was that they (and we, and many others) belong to him. These are two very different ways of looking at life and ministry. Being owned by Christ is the true believer's greatest glory.

Truly good works may be done by all kinds of people out of reverence for Christ and his church. (Consider 1. Other Denominations, 2. Admirers of the Western Tradition.) We should always encourage others in what is virtuous, even though those who get credit for virtue may not be in our churches. God has ordered this world so that those who are kind to us for Jesus' sake will by no means lose their reward. The church belongs to the Lord because of the good work of our glorious savior. Jesus is our best reward.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 113 – Who is like the Lord our God?

New Testament Reading—James 4:13-17 – A mist