John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us."
- St. Mark 9:38-40
The Apostle John and the other apostles had seen someone using the name of Jesus to defeat the power of demons, and he went to Jesus, upset that this was happening. In fact, John and the others had actually tried to stop this from going on, because whoever was doing it wasn’t part of their group.
Jesus and His apostles were headed toward Jerusalem, and there had been many experiences which had bound them into what felt like a real brotherhood. A few of them had experienced the Transfiguration event; all of them together had witnessed marvelous healings; and now we can see threads of an “exclusive attitude” developing, expressed by John in telling Jesus about someone using His name to defeat demons.
How did Jesus react? Certainly not in the way the apostles wanted or expected. “Do not forbid him,” Jesus said, “for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us.”
Our Lord uses the occasion to teach a lesson which is important not only for the apostles, but for all of us, which is this: even though a person might not be fully mature in the faith, the more one associates with the things of Christ – the more time spent with Him, the more one reflects on the things of Christ – then the more a person will be open to a relationship with Him.
It is no accident that when Christian values permeated our society, the world was a better, more humane, more moral place in which to live. Certainly we have seen a disheartening regression from standards and morality, as Christ has been pushed more and more outside the sphere of everyday life in society. Our Lord, in His divine knowledge, was fully aware all this would happen, which is why He makes the important point of teaching that a world which isn’t “against” Him, may soon turn around, and be “for” Him.
How did Jesus react? Certainly not in the way the apostles wanted or expected. “Do not forbid him,” Jesus said, “for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us.”
Our Lord uses the occasion to teach a lesson which is important not only for the apostles, but for all of us, which is this: even though a person might not be fully mature in the faith, the more one associates with the things of Christ – the more time spent with Him, the more one reflects on the things of Christ – then the more a person will be open to a relationship with Him.
It is no accident that when Christian values permeated our society, the world was a better, more humane, more moral place in which to live. Certainly we have seen a disheartening regression from standards and morality, as Christ has been pushed more and more outside the sphere of everyday life in society. Our Lord, in His divine knowledge, was fully aware all this would happen, which is why He makes the important point of teaching that a world which isn’t “against” Him, may soon turn around, and be “for” Him.
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Pictured: "Christ Teaching the Disciples"
Coptic, Ilyas Basim Khuri Bazzi Rahib, c. 1684