On the whole the disciple John does not come off very well in the Gospels. Along with James his brother, John sought the top positions in Jesus’ coming Kingdom: “Lord, give us first and second places in the Kingdom to come”–a crass, vulgar request without a hint of reluctance or shame. On another occasion John and James asked Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven and consume a Samaritan village which had not received them properly. In our passage some of that same hot-headed arrogance surfaces. John approaches Jesus and says, “Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, so we ordered him to stop because he was not following us.” Jesus surprises John by saying, “No! Don’t forbid him. Such a person is on the way to understanding me. For he that is not against us is for us.”
It is often claimed that we should not read too much into this statement from Jesus because on another occasion he said the opposite–“He that is not with us is against us.” Therefore, it is argued, we should not put more emphasis on the tolerance of Jesus than is warranted. But the truth is, Jesus never said, “He who is not with us is against us.” What he said in Matthew 12 and Luke 11 was, “He who is not with ME is against ME.” And here our pronouns are very important. Do you see how these two statements differ? “He who is not for us is against us” is very different from “He who is not for me is against me.”
John said that the man casting out demons in Jesus’ name is not “following us.” But where in the New Testament does it say that the criterion for faithfulness can be found in following the disciples or the church. The criterion for faithfulness is always in following Jesus. But John assumes that following the disciples is the same as following Jesus. John’s personal arrogance seen elsewhere in the Gospels surfaces as a group arrogance which assumes the interests of the disciples are identical to the agenda of God. But Jesus says, “No, John. Whoever is not against us is for us. ”
It’s always a temptation for the church to confuse its own interests with the agenda of God–to confuse obedience to and participation in its activities with obedience to and participation in the Kingdom of God.
It’s always a temptation for the church to confuse its own interests with the agenda of God–to confuse obedience to and participation in its activities with obedience to and participation in the Kingdom of God. But the real issue of faithfulness is not whether one is following some ecclesiastical organization or is for or against us in all our compromised commitment and limited understanding of God’s grace—the real issue is whether one is following Jesus.
Now all this is troubling to many church folks. But I think the Gospels can be very helpful at this point. The Gospels make it very clear that following Jesus means doing the will of God. [There is the passage where Jesus defines his family as those who do the will of God (Matthew 12:46-50). The Sermon on the Mount ends with Jesus saying, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).] To follow Jesus means to do God’s will. Not to do God’s will is to be against him, even if we are following the church–even if we are part of some impressive ecclesiastical arrangement–even if we are ordained and wear clerical robes—even if we profess “Lord, Lord.”
From the way I read the Gospels, one can be outside the church and do God’s will and thus be with Jesus. (Read Matthew 25: 31-46 where all the nations of the world are judged by how they treat “the least of these.” Those who showed compassion, regardless of their religious standing, are invited by Jesus to “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”) Or one can be in the church and not do God’s will and thus be against Jesus. And that’s a troubling thought for churches to consider. It’s easier for us to see where those outside our fellowship fail than it is for us to see where we fail. But Jesus is forever telling his disciples that they should turn the spotlight away from others and onto themselves. That is the point of the verses in our passage about hell, entering the Kingdom of God, and maintaining our faithfulness so that we can continue to be the salt of the earth. Jesus is saying to John, “Look to your own discipleship and following, not to that of one who is not a part of your arrangement.”
The real distinction that cuts across all our shallow ones is between those who do God’s will and those who do not.
Now what does all this mean for us? The real distinction that cuts across all our shallow ones is between those who do God’s will and those who do not. We must remember this when we are tempted to think that communion with us means automatically exclusive communion with Christ. The Spirit of God is not confined to any ecclesiastical arrangement we may comprise. The Spirit may come upon those without credentials–without membership in a church–without our sense of moral integrity–without our sanctioned commission. The undeniable, stubborn fact of our passage for today is that this man silenced by John was able to do good. He healed others in Jesus’ name. That seems to have been overlooked by John. In his blind zeal and stubborn arrogance, he lost any sight of those poor, troubled souls whose lives were healed by the casting out of demons which haunted and oppressed them. Instead of rejoicing over the healing of lives, he was concerned that someone was operating without a union card.
But we must not be too hard on John, for the church in our time can be equally blind and indifferent to goodness done in Jesus’ name by those outside its fellowship.
All my life I have waited for the church to respond with courage, commitment, and sacrificial love to many of the needs of the world–for the church to be on the cutting edge of God’s just and merciful activity in the world …
All my life I have waited for the church to respond with courage, commitment, and sacrificial love to many of the needs of the world–for the church to be on the cutting edge of God’s just and merciful activity in the world rather than joining the end of the parade after the majority has made virtue of the good they once denied. Growing up in the South I waited to hear a preacher in my church or any other white church speak against the evils of racism, prejudice, and segregation. The song I learned as a child in Sunday school made it crystal clear–“Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” But I waited in vain to hear the Word of God from familiar pulpits. There were some voices in the black churches and voices outside the church calling for reconciliation and justice. But these witnesses were labeled pinko liberals, long-haired hippies, L.S.D. freaks, queers and commies, outside agitators, and “nigger preachers” who will sleep with any woman. Southern white Christians found 1000 excuses to disclaim this witness to Jesus. But on reflection now, it’s hard to deny where the Spirit of God was and where it was not. Only those with hearts hardened beyond redemption would today question the message of equality and justice forged in the crucible of that time.
Not too many years ago the religious news making the headlines was how a growing number of Christian organizations beginning with the Southern Baptist Convention were boycotting Disney because they treat their employees like human beings regardless of their sexual orientation. Is that the best American Christianity can do? Does that reflect the compassion and justice of God? Would Jesus smile upon such cruel pandering to the base desires of people?
And in our own day 85% of white Evangelicals still support a President who is a pathological liar, who brags about sexually assaulting women, who spouts racist propaganda, who tears infants and children from the arms of their parents and puts these little ones in cages, and who was willing to send children whose lives were dependent on medical care back to countries where such care was not available until a backlash forced him to reverse such a cruel policy. And these are just a few of the morally indefensible acts of this ethically bankrupt demagogue. There is no way this President reflects the teachings, example, and life of Jesus—the one Evangelicals claims is their Lord.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday riding a donkey as the symbol of humility and peace, praise was shouted by the multitudes. Jesus’ critics ordered him to stifle the crowds: “Stop all this commotion. We’re not ready for the likes of you.” But Jesus responded, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” You see, God will not be without a witness. If the church is silent, God will find others to speak and accomplish God’s will.
If the church is silent, God will find others to speak and accomplish God’s will.
It may be a Mahatma Gandhi who worked tirelessly for peace in Jesus’ name but could never embrace the church because of its prejudice, violence, and greed.
It may be a Harry Chapin whose lack of church attendance, shocking lyrics, and unorthodox music startle good church folk, but whose unwavering commitment to the hungry mirrors Jesus’ own concern.
It may be a Liz Taylor with her 6-7 husbands–I’ve lost count–who nevertheless had compassion for AIDS victims.
It may be a Mitch Snyder whose cursing and anger made us all uncomfortable and whose suicide over the plight of the homeless indicates a troubled mind but whose selfless concern for those without adequate shelter echoed the heart of the gospel.
We may think of a thousand reasons why these men and women are inadequate and unworthy messengers of the gospel. But when God’s people are silent, God will find other witnesses.
God save us from the group arrogance which confuses our own interests with God’s agenda. And God save us from the failure to do God’s will, for only then are we truly with Jesus. Amen.
