Mark 9:38-41 -- Principles for Kingdom Partnership

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I remember once when I was in about the sixth grade, I attended church with a friend of mine. I had spent the night with him Saturday night, and part of the deal was that I had to go to church with him on Sunday. I wasn’t a Christian at that time in my life, and I wasn’t crazy about the idea, but he was a good friend, so I tagged along. I remember sitting in Sunday School class with him and the teacher had a time of prayer. I didn’t believe in God or prayer, and so as everyone else closed their eyes and bowed their heads, I just started looking around. My eyes met with another kid, who was also looking around, causing us both to giggle a little bit. After the Amen, the teacher asked this other kid, “Why were you giggling while we were praying?” And this little tattletale said, “Because the new guy had his eyes open during the prayer.” What he didn’t realize was that he hadn’t told on me – he had told on himself, for if his eyes had been closed, how would he have known that mine were open?

You know often times, when we hear someone complaining about others, it really gives us more insight into the complainer than it does the person they are complaining about. I think that is the case here in our text. John has a complaint to file with Jesus. It is worth mentioning here that John, whom we know from elsewhere in Scripture as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” and the author of five books of the NT, was not always the humble gentle soul whom we come to admire through his own writings. In the gospels, he appears often with his brother James, and as a part of the inner-circle of disciples with James and Peter. This is one of the few times in the Gospels, and the only time in Mark, that John plays a solo role. He is the tattletale in this story. And his complaint here reveals an attitude that we also find in him as he his brother desire to call down fire to consume the inhospitable Samaritans in Luke 9, and again when he and James privately ask Jesus for the privilege of sitting at His right hand and left in glory in Mark 10. It is no wonder that Jesus gives these two the nickname Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder.”

We would do well to remember our context. Earlier in Chapter 9, as Peter, James and John come down with Jesus from the Mount of Transfiguration, they find that the other nine disciples are engaged in some controversy that centers around a man who brought his demon possessed son to Jesus. But instead of meeting Jesus, he met the nine disciples at the foot of the mountain, and they were unable to cast the demon out. After Jesus cast the demon out of the man’s son, He and the disciples move on, and along the way the disciples begin to argue among themselves about which of them is the greatest. This prompts Jesus to give them an unforgettable lesson about true greatness in vv30-37. Now, suddenly John brings up this encounter that the 12 have had some time previous with a man who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus. It certainly seems

as if John is attempting to shift the focus, and prove to Jesus that these great disciples are exceedingly zealous for Him. Proudly, he asserts, “We saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him.” It sounds as if he is trying to say, “Lord, aren’t you proud of us? Aren’t we great? Look what we did for you!”

Now, we have to ask, why were John and the others so eager to stop this man from casting out demons? John tells us why: “Because he was not following us.” We might have expected him to say, “Because he was not following You.” But he didn’t say “You.” He said “us.” His concern is not so much for the glory of Jesus, or for the people whose suffering was being alleviated by this man’s work in the name of Jesus. His concern was that this man wasn’t a part of their group. Perhaps there is a hint of jealousy here, and one can’t escape noticing the contrast – this man is able, in the name of Jesus, to do what the disciples were unable to do just a few verses earlier. And this jealousy prompted a reaction of elitism and exclusivism that was rooted in the disciples inflated sense of self-importance. What has apparently escaped John’s comprehension is that just because this man was not following the 12 doesn’t mean that he wasn’t following Jesus. Verse 33 tells us that they are in Capernaum. This has been the location of much of Jesus’ ministry. And it is entirely possible that this man has heard Jesus teaching and seen His miracles, and as a result he has placed his personal faith and trust in Jesus. After all, he certainly believes there is power in the name of Jesus, and all outward signs indicate that God is blessing his efforts.

Now, this raises an important question for us. How do we feel as Southern Baptists when God appears to be blessing the efforts of a Presbyterian church? We may be a little jealous of that. After all, we are the ones with purity of doctrine. How can God bless them when they baptize babies? Or, we can draw the circle a little smaller: How do we feel as members of Immanuel Baptist Church when it appears that God is blessing another Baptist Church across town? Do we become a little envious, and begin to find fault in them? How can God bless them, what with their guitars and drums and all? Or we can even draw the circle smaller still: How do we feel as members of a particular group or ministry program within Immanuel Baptist Church, when it appears that God is blessing other members of the church who aren’t involved in our pet programs? Do we feel like God is being unjust? After all, if those people were really spiritual, they would be involved in the things that we are involved in, right? Now I know that there are many of you who have never entertained such thoughts. But I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that there are some who have, and who have a judgmental spirit about others because of it. And if that is you today, well I recognize that you probably won’t admit it. But if you could be honest enough with God and yourself to confess that you have been guilty of such feelings in your heart, then I believe Jesus’ response to John’s complaint about the unfamiliar exorcist in this passage will be very liberating to you.

Jesus’ response to John was undoubtedly alarming. He did not pat him on the back and say, “Way to go, John!” Rather, He says, “Do not hinder him!” And with three statements, Jesus explains why this man must not be hindered. In the NASB, each of these statements begins with the word “For.” In Greek, each one begins with the word “gar.” “Gar” statements in the Greek New Testament typically express a reason or cause. The reason why he is not to be hindered is found in these three statements. I call them Principles for Kingdom Partnership.

I. We must rightly evaluate the root and the fruit of other’s work (v39)

We would be foolish to think that just because someone put on a spectacular show that their work is of God. And we would also be foolish to think that everything that covers itself with the name of Christ is of God. There are many ministries claiming the name of Christ which have nothing of the gospel in them. And even Satan is at work, masquerading as an angel of light performing counterfeit wonders to deceive people and lead them away from Christ. And so Jesus carefully warns the disciples to examine both the root and the fruit.

The fruit in this case is obvious. The man is casting out demons. And we might add, he is more successful at it that even the twelve have been. But this is no certain sign that the man is on the right side of the gospel. After all, even Jesus faced charges of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul. There were others engaged in exorcism both before and after Christ who attributed their success to any number of powers. Some were charlatans, psychologically manipulating others. Some were humored, as it were, by Satan, who would release the individuals temporarily only to overcome them again in a more severe way. Jesus makes mention of these in Luke 11:24. And others worked in mysterious and unexplainable ways to be sure. Jesus’ work in freeing the demoniacs was far and away more powerful than these others, but they continued to operate nonetheless. So the fruit is no sure sign that the man was right with God. But what about the root? Where did this man find the power to do this work? The root of his work was in the name of Jesus. And he was not like the fraudulent sons of Sceva in Acts 19, who took up the name of Jesus as a magical incantation. These were not successful in their attempts. This man was. And by examining the root of his work as well as the fruit of his work, the disciples could see that he was no enemy of Jesus. “There is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.” The apostle Paul establishes a similar principle in 1 Corinthians 12:3, where he says, “no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus is accursed’; and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

When someone claims to be doing the work of God outside of our own circle, whether that be our denomination, or outside of our own church, or outside of our own little group within the church, we must examine the root and the fruit: Does this person or group claim the name of Jesus? Do they claim to operate under His Lordship? And then, are they doing the work of Christ? Does their ministry match up with that of the Lord Jesus? In this case, the man claimed the name of Christ and did the work of Christ. Such a one as this is no enemy of the gospel, but a colaborer. He must not be hindered. So with those we would critique and complain about: are they gospel centered? Are they changing lives with the gospel message of Jesus? If so, then, we must put aside our envious criticism and see them as partners, rather than rivals.

II. We must keep Christ the central issue in our focus (v40)

This single verse has been misused and abused in so many ways! Jesus is not here saying that people of good morals who do not personally come to faith in Jesus are acceptable to God. Nor is He saying that all that God requires is an absence of overt hostility to Jesus. We have all met people who say, “I don’t have anything personally against Christ,” followed by those tragic three letters, B-U-T. Jesus is not saying that they are spiritually and eternally secure. What He is saying is that He is the litmus test of true religion. It is impossible for an individual to be neutral about Jesus. Once a person is presented with the claims of Christ in the Gospel, he or she cannot remain undecided. To be undecided is to decide against Him. Therefore, those who have not decided against Him are those who have decided for Him.

In Matthew 12:30, Jesus makes a very similar but somewhat different statement. There He says, “He who is not with Me is against Me.” This very subtle change of wording appears to radically change the meaning of what is being said. The Matthew statement seems much more exclusive than the more inclusive words in our text. While these statements appear difficult to harmonize, we must remember that the contexts of the two statements are radically different. In the Matthew passage, Jesus has just been accused by the religious authorities of Israel of casting out demons with the power of Satan. Therefore, His statement there, “He who is not with Me is against Me,” is a way of saying, “These folks may appear to you to be very religious and righteous. But they have failed the ultimate test of orthodoxy. They have sided against Me.” That is a far different case than what we have here in Mark 9. Here, a man is demonstrating by his attitude and his actions to be on the side of Jesus, and the warning to the disciples is to not be so exclusive in their circle of fellowship as to disqualify those who would otherwise be vital partners in the spread of the good news about Jesus.

Notice also the difference in pronouns. There He says, “Me.” Here He says “Us.” The issue is not whether this person is in our group. The issue is where does the person stand in relation to Jesus. If he or she is “with Jesus”, then that individual is certainly not “against Jesus,” whether or not he or she is “with us.” And if they are not actively working “against us,” then they are certainly “for us” as Kingdom Partners advancing the mission of the Savior.

This man whom John has rebuked is not a stranger to the Gospel. He has become personally convinced of the power of Jesus, and because Jesus has so touched his life, he wants to make Christ known to others. Therefore, he is “for Jesus” even if he is not “with” the disciples. And if we will make Jesus the litmus test of all religious claims, we will avoid drawing the circles of Kingdom Partnership too narrowly.

III. We must not overlook small acts of kindness (v41)

Offering a drink of water to someone is a basic act of hospitality in many parts of the world. It was in Jesus’ day, and it still is. And here Jesus is addressing the disciples’ attitude toward a man who did much more than offer them a simple courtesy. He has voluntarily joined the movement. And if even a small act of kindness does not escape the notice of God, how much more does God value one such as this man who has jumped into the gospel mission with both feet?

Here again, there is an error to avoid in handling this passage. Jesus is not saying that there will be some who are saved simply because they are nice to Christians. We must remember the cultural climate in which these words were written. Jesus was preparing the men who would lead the movement of His Kingdom after His departure, and He knew full well what awaited them. In Mark 13:13, He will tell them, “You will be hated by all because of My name.” And Mark was writing to Christians who were experiencing the full force of that hatred. So it was important for Mark to preserve for them this saying of Jesus. In that context of bitter persecution, Christians could barely expect to be offered even the simplest acts of kindness, and those who would offer them hospitality were putting their own lives on the line. They would be guilty of aiding the enemies of the Roman Empire. And therefore, such an act of kindness extended to Christians, explicitly “because of your name as followers of Christ,” was more than hospitality – it was a statement of reverence for Jesus Himself.

In Matthew 25, Jesus said that when He comes in glory, He will reward those who fed Him when He was hungry, gave Him drink when He was thirsty, took Him in when He was a stranger, clothed Him when He was naked, and visited Him when He was sick and imprisoned. And they will say, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” And Jesus says to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” In other words, Jesus receives these tokens of kindness given to His followers as if they had been given to Himself.

So we must not be so narrowly minded that we forsake the simple acts of kindness offered to us by others, who may be outside of our own circle, but who, by their deeds, demonstrate themselves inside the circle of Christ.

If we would be successful in our efforts for Christ, we must recognize that we cannot do it alone. We need partners. But some of us want to draw the boundaries so tightly that no one except ourselves will fit in the circle. Jesus warns us of that. We will find much help in our efforts if we will evaluate others by the root of their faith in Christ and the fruit of their work; if we will keep Christ central in our focus; and if we will not overlook even the simplest offers of kindness extended to us because of our faith in Christ.

In Numbers 11, we read the story of two little-known fellows named Eldad and Medad. There was a solemn assembly taking place around the Tabernacle, but these two fellows weren’t there. We don’t know why – the Bible doesn’t tell us. And neither does the Bible record that God condemned them for not being there. But the Bible does tell us that they were prophesying in the camp. So apparently there were others who weren’t at the Tabernacle either, and these two guys were preaching to them. And a young man in the camp came running to Moses like a tattle-tale: “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” And this got Joshua all upset. Joshua said, “Moses, you must restrain them!” Now, if I was Moses, I would have said to the tattle-tale, “Look, you little smart-aleck, if you’d been here where you were supposed to be, you wouldn’t even know about it.” But Moses was gentler than I am. Rather than rebuking Eldad and Medad, Moses said, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD'S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” Moses recognized that these guys weren’t his rivals. They were his partners. And would that God would give us more partners like them!

Now, if you will permit me, I need to stop preaching right now. I need to start meddling for moment. I know there are folks who will read this sermon on the internet, and listen to it on tape and online, and I hope they have been helped by it. But right now, I need to focus on Immanuel Baptist Church. Next weekend, we have a very important opportunity to be renewed and revived and strengthened for the task God has called us to. And we need it! But can I say something here without you getting mad at me? Actually, it needs to be said, and I don’t really care if you get mad or not. There is a judgmental spirit and sense of elitism among some in our church that has been hindering the health of our congregation for many years, and always will, no matter how many Lay Renewal Weekends we ever have. There are those who look down their noses at others because they aren’t here every time the doors are open. There are those who look down on others because they aren’t involved in their favorite programs. There are those who judge and condemn their brothers and sisters in Christ over very minor issues. And friends, I want you to hear me carefully – God CANNOT and WILL NOT bless this church or any other where that kind of attitude prevails. Some of your attitudes are severing you from others who could be great partners in the work of this church, and your judgmental spirit is not doing anything to encourage them, but rather is deterring them from wanting to have anything to do with the work that must be done. And this MUST COME TO AN END, not next weekend, not next year, but TODAY! And if you think I might be talking about you, you are probably right. I honestly believe that this sanctuary is full of people who love Jesus and who love this church. And just because they don’t live up to my expectations doesn’t mean I am more spiritual than they are. The fact is that I probably don’t live up to their expectations either. And that is why we must be humble and deal with each other in grace and in love. If you love Jesus and want to serve Him, then God bless you. You don’t have to be in “my group,” and come to all the same stuff as I do. I want to help you find the way to serve Jesus the way He has gifted and called you to. And I will keep Jesus, not your attendance at prayer meeting or your involvement or lack thereof in this program or that one, the central focus of our fellowship and I will not overlook the simple acts of service that you offer to Jesus because of your devotion to Him.

There isn’t a person in this room who doesn’t need to stand before God and ask Him to plow up our hearts with this truth of His word. Some undoubtedly need to be saved. Some have been playing the church game for a long time, but you don’t know Jesus in a personal way. Why play the game any longer? Others need to ask God to rip out the judgmental spirit of our hearts by the roots and help us to love one another. Some will not only need to ask God’s forgiveness, but the forgiveness of others as well. And some have been hurt by others in the church at times past, and that has prevented you from being involved in the work of the Lord. Can I say something to you in love? Get over it. There isn’t a person in this room who has been hurt more at the hands of Christians than I have. But I have had to learn the hard way that God can’t use me if I let my heart grow hard. I have had to forgive more times than I wanted to, so when I say “Get over it,” I am not being callous. I am admonishing you as a brother, and a fellow get-over-it-er. Put it behind you, and serve the Lord! Others have let you down, and they will again. But Jesus never will. Don’t let others stand between you and Him. Now, I am going to pray, and then I am going to shut up. And in absolute silence, we need to have a moment of corporate repentance and corporate commitment.