We all have our tribes. Those commonalities that define part of our identity. The classic tribe is family. Perhaps it is the region our people are from. But other things also form our tribes. Things such as our careers, age, hobbies, sports we enjoy, and the teams we cheer for. Some of those lines are blurrier than others. And, of course, there are the tribes of religion and denomination. In our next passage from Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches an important lesson about those lines.
“John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ—truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.” (Mark 9:38–41, CSB)
We could rephrase John’s concern in tribal language. They can’t do that, they’re not part of our tribe. Jesus responds with a “so what” and a “let them be.” Jesus recognizes that the folks John was concerned about are on the right path; they are walking towards Jesus. Jesus’ response is basically to give those folks time. They may not be fully in the camp, but they are heading in the right direction.
We must also reconcile that Jesus also said, “Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30, CSB) This would seem to contradict what we just read.
Taking the two truths together, we conclude that there is a grey area between with and against. We want the lines to be high in contrast with the ins and outs easy to discern. While there are very defined points of decision, Jesus recognizes that the grey space of time and growth exists.
Our task is to discern what direction someone is going. Are they moving towards Jesus or away from Jesus? If towards Jesus, then we must ask how we can encourage their journey. If away from Jesus, then we must ask how Christ can use us to turn them around.
There is one other consideration in this passage. What should our attitude be towards other denominations? Often, our differences shine brighter than our agreements. We can get very tribal, protective, and almost war-like in this. That’s not the attitude Jesus wants us to have. Sure, we have disagreements. But we share a great love in Christ. We should cheer at the success of others, recognize their harvest field, and not tear down their labor for Christ. The thing is, they should have the same attitude towards us in Christ. If your attitude is different, Christ will show it to you.
Before I sign off for today, there are many “ifs, ands, and buts” in the grey area. We can all think of examples of people or groups who claim to follow Jesus but have a hidden agenda. As we are warned in scripture, there are wolves dressed like sheep and weeds growing alongside the wheat. In this, we need to follow Christ all the more and rely on the discernment and guidance of the Holy Spirit. There are times to guard the flock and times to let the weeds grow until the end of the age, where there will be judgment. Above all, we must keep our eyes on Jesus.
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