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Oct 13, 2024

Acceptance or Amputation

Passage: Mark 9:38-50

Preacher: John Repsold

Series: Gospel of Mark

Keywords: faith, children, belief, offense, stumbling

Summary:

Jesus continues his discussion of how we help or hinder "little ones" in their spiritual journeys, be they physical or spiritual children. This message looks at applying Jesus' instruction to the current moral, religious, social and political environment particularly as it impacts children.

Detail:

Acceptance or Amputation?

Mark 9:38-50

October 13, 2024

Fellowship Question:  How many different types of churches or denominations have you been a part of in your church experience?

INTRO:

One of the persistent and age-old problems in the 20-century history of God’s people, the church, has been the question of WHEN and WHY should God’s people separate from fellowship with others claiming to be Christ-followers? 

I think it is pretty obvious on both a relational and denominational level that God’s people have tended to err quite heavily on the side of separating from fellowship rather than working through problems to fellowship.  Whether it’s marriage and family conflict, friendship conflict or whole church and denomination conflict, we find it much easer to hold tightly to our opinions and loosely to our fellowship. 

And as I noted last week when we were talking about our tendency to want to push to be in charge rather than in submission or service to others, the desire to be in control will usually wreak havoc with Jesus’ call to love and serve one another in His family.

Today’s passage addresses this question of SEPARATION:  when should we separate from others and for what reasons? But in the process it also calls us to look in the mirror about some “separation” issues that need to be happening in our own personal lives as relates to our own behaviors and their impact. 

So, let’s start by reading about this next teaching opportunity Jesus has with his Apostles.  He’s just been teaching about greatness and leadership.  He redefined greatness in His Kingdom to be great serving, not great crowds or great public notoriety.  In the midst of that teaching, Jesus talked about serving “the least of these” “in Jesus’ name” or in the character, heart and humility of Jesus himself. 

Apparently when Jesus talked about “welcoming one of these little children in my name,” that triggered something for the Apostle John that had happened recently to him out on the street.  We pick it up in Mark 9:38--38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

It's amazing to me how myopic we can become in our sincere pursuit of Jesus.  John was one of Jesus’ inner-circle of 3.  He was “the beloved disciple” who was often closest to Jesus on the team.  He doesn’t strike me as a guy with a super-huge ego, even though he did think he was worthy of asking to be one of Jesus vice-regents in the coming kingdom (Mk. 10:37). But even at this stage he clearly had a lot to learn and grow into regarding how this eternal kingdom functioned. 

John’s question and precipitating actions here seem to me to be rather evidently all kinds of wrong. Just 9 verses earlier (and probably just a few days or weeks earlier), the Apostles had been completely incapable of delivering a young man from his demons.  But here he is, all bent out of shape because someone “not one of us” was, admittedly, doing what even they weren’t great at—driving out demons.  John doesn’t dispute that fact. 

Additionally, he seems more concerned with this “someone” not being on their team than with the people who were afflicted by demons but were now being delivered by this person’s ministry “in Jesus name.”  It seems odd that he wasn’t rejoicing over the delivered people rather than campaigning for the exclusiveness of their ‘team.’ 

All that should give us cause for pause when we are tempted to be critical of what or how someone is doing ministry.  I’m sure in John’s mind, there were good reasons for trying to stop this man from doing what he was doing.  Giving John the benefit of the doubt, Jesus previous statement about the goodness of simply welcoming people in Jesus name apparently caused John to begin to question whether or not he had done the right thing.  His question is probably a recognition of the fact that he may have erred.  He’s actually expressing humility and teachability that admits his ability to be wrong. 

Just a word about this “someone” driving out demons.  This person is not like the unbelieving Jews in Ephesus, the sons of Sceva, who were trying to cast out demons like magicians simply invoking “the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches” (Ac. 19:13) (not “whom we trust in”).  They were not followers of the Lord Jesus whose name they were trying to use to me seen as powerful men.  This is an instance “in which a man so grasped ‘the name’ of Jesus by faith that he expelled demons by its power,” (Lenski Commentary on Mark, p. 396).  His concern didn’t seem to be about looking powerful himself but about delivering those held under Satan’s power.  He simply wasn’t among the regular, traveling followers of Jesus. 

So, Jesus answers John’s self-doubting question with a gentle correction.

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

            Jesus gives two reasons why we shouldn’t criticize, oppose or try to shut down others who are doing good things in Jesus’ name:

  • People doing things/miracles/blessings by God’s power and demonstrating Jesus’ nature/heart in what they are doing are probably actually on Jesus’ team.

There is no indication here that this man was making money off of his work of deliverance or trying to become famous.  He was simply doing what Jesus was doing, fully giving credit to Jesus, and evidently trying to demonstrate the heart and ministry of Jesus.  He was gaining nothing for himself nor asking anything for himself (which is the spirit of Christ, no?)

APP:  This is very different from many TV preachers, mega-ministry leaders and religious charlatans.  Those we are called to test, judge and then have nothing to do with. 

So, that is one test of genuineness:  is their ministry genuinely in the name/nature/spirit/character of Christ?  Another test is, are people’s lives genuinely changed by God (rather than fake or even showy ‘miracles’ that draw attention to the performer, not affection to Jesus)? 

  • if they are not opposed to Jesus and rejecting Him but rather identifying with Jesus in what they are saying and doing, we should assume they are ‘one of us’—a believer in Jesus. They may not have all the teaching or training we’ve had.  They may not have all the same secondary theology we have.  But if they have a genuine relationship with Jesus by faith, we should treat them like a Christ-follower… at least until they prove you wrong.  Help them grow and minister even more in Jesus rather than throw roadblocks in their path.    

Jesus then gives us the reason WHY we should be slow to criticize someone like this man:  whether delivering people from demons through the name of Jesus or giving people a cup of water in His name, every work done in Jesus’ name to serve others will have a reward—both for the one receiving the gift and the one giving it.  The important test question is, “Is the recipient being genuinely helped and delivered from evil?”

            Verse 39 holds another important truth about determining how to relate in the Kingdom to people who we may not fully agree with.  Jesus said, “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me….”  First, this isn’t talking about using “in Jesus name” as a magic phrase over people.  Doing miracles involves using the very name of Jesus Christ.  But that is only effective when doing so is an expression of the will, character and heart of Jesus. Satan is happy to perform counterfeit miracles whenever it doesn’t bring people and glory to Jesus.  But anyone truly doing spiritual work in the power and presence of Jesus will always point people to Him, not them.

            Secondly, Jesus is saying that anyone truly ministering in Christ will not be the kind of person who will turn right around and speak against Christ.  He may not know all he needs to know about Jesus.  But his limited experience with the power of Jesus name will most certainly lead him to a deeper experience of proclaiming and preaching Christ. 

            While this is not an iron-clad promise that people like this will never turn away from Jesus at any point in their life, it is a call to respect what God is doing in other people in the moment, incomplete as they may be in Christ. 

APP:  This short passage has so many applications.

  • Learn to discern whether someone is living out the spirit, nature and character of Jesus while respecting the work God is doing in believers that may not be part of your preferred tradition/group/ theology/church.
    • Pastor’s Prayer Summits
    • Beloved Community
  • Assess other’s ministries based on whether it delivers people from evil and connects them to Christ. It is not wrong to look critically at any ministry.  In fact, if we are to be good stewards of both the people God has called us to shepherd and the resources He has given us to do that, we must learn to discern false ministries, good ministries and great ministries.  Ministries are deeply dependent upon human leadership.  Don’t be quick to speak against or speak for ministers or ministries of which you have not been able to see and assess the fruit. 
    • Why I am a non-cessationist (define the term): the plain teaching of the Bible and the fruit of many Charismatic/Pentecostal ministries.
    • Why I am not a Pentecostal: the plain teaching of the Bible and the fruit of many Charismatic/Pentecostal ministries.