MARK 9:38-41
R E LANGFORD JR
Here is yet another set of summary notes used at the chatroom before it closed.
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Let us pray:
Almighty God, most merciful Father, you open your hand and satisfy the desire
of every living thing: We give you humble and hearty thanks that you have again
crowned the fields of our land with your blessing, and preserved the livestock
and wild creatures, and have again permitted us to gather in the fruits of this
good earth you give us; we ask you to bless and protect the living seed of your
Word, offered to us in the Good News tale of MARK, that it may be sown in our
hearts and minds, so that in the plentiful fruits of righteousness we may
always present to you and acceptable thank-offering; in and through your Son
our LORD Messiah Jesus, we pray. Amen.
_______________________________________________________________
MARK 9:38-41
= 38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man
driving out demons in your name. We told him to stop, because he was not one of
us.” 39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in
my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me. 40 Anyone who is
not against us is for us. 41 “What I’m about to tell you is true.
Suppose someone gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to me.
That one will certainly not go without a reward.
Let us continue ad seriatim.
That is, let us continue verse by verse as we have in the past. This pericope is
one of the shortest, important, and most ignored or sinned-again didactic
emphases of our Savior, IMO.
MARK 9:38 = 38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man
driving out demons in your name. We told him to stop, because he was not one of
us.” “Teacher” occurs again, emphasizing the role Jesus has chosen as he sat
with The Twelve inside, in private. John, brother to James, is one of the three
who had been with Jesus on the mountain at The Transfiguration. John seems to
have a rather narrow, exclusive perception of who it is Jesus is striving to
reach with his message. MARK 1:14-15 = … Jesus came into Galilee, [i]preaching the gospel of God, 15 and
saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [j]is at hand; repent
and [k]believe in the
gospel.” [NASB]
It appears that John, at the very least and perhaps others among The Twelve,
knows who is part of the “in” group and who is not. John appears to think,
based on the actions he, and some others among The Twelve, took, that the
exclusivistic boundaries The Twelve may have put around themselves were firm.
Potentially they considered that Jesus would approve of their approach to the
question of who was “in” and who was “out.” So extreme was their setting of
boundaries as to preclude or prevent any other disciple of Jesus from saying or
doing what they took to be their turf, their prerogative. This attitude, IMO,
continues to trouble many disciples yet today, some denominations, and even
entire branches of Christianity.
MARK 9:39 = 39 “Do not stop
him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment
say anything bad about me. Can any saying of Jesus be more clear? A “miracle”
or “sign” is something done, an act. What counts? I put it to you, based solely
on the Good News Tale in MARK, a healing, a correction of false perceptions as
to what “clean vs unclean” issues are all about, yes, even speech or testimony,
in this sense, count as something a person does. Jesus distinguishes all these
as evidence in the real world of deeds and actions of a person imputing
(through the use of the name of Jesus) good things to our Lord. Such a person
has “caught on” to who it is Jesus is, who he stands in for as CEO/king of the
kingdom here on earth. In this case, Jesus seems willing to include among his
empowered disciples a far larger group of persons than just The Twelve. There
is a further hint that The Twelve are not solely the empowered or encouraged
group, that the limits go beyond those who name themselves as followers of
Jesus. The power and authority Jesus intends for people willing to act or to
speak “in my name” is not limited to the apostles, The Twelve, or any other
group or, mathematically speaking, set of those who may be considered part of
the “in” bunch. There is no turf over which some select folks have exclusive
rights!
MARK 9:40 = 40 Anyone who is
not against us is for us. WOW! and double WOW! Nine short words in the Koine’ Greek,
yet by these words Jesus opens the eyes of The Twelve and us to just how
unprivileged they, and we, are. Jesus hereby opens the boundaries we humans
might set on who is a part of the “in” group, and in essence says there are no
limits as to who may act or speak, “in my name,” to accomplish something
useful, helpful, or good for another person or group of people.
MARK 9:41 = 41 “What I’m about to tell you is true. Suppose someone
gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to me. That one will
certainly not go without a reward.
This is a saying that essentially destroys any limits you, or I, or anyone else
might seek to set around who is doing or saying something authentically a deed
of the followers of Jesus. How trivial could Jesus have made the act or deed
done? “A cup of water” is something tiny a person might scoop up by hand to
give a thirst quenching sip to another. This is not a carefully measured eight
ounces of sanitized, chlorinated water in a clean glass. Anyone who gives a
disciple of Jesus such a trivial gift “in my name because you belong to me” says
Jesus, will have a reward.
What does it take to give a sip of water to someone thirsty? Perhaps a little
time, perhaps putting down your own burdens so you can relieve another’s misery
by scooping up a handful of water, is all? Is that not a warning to The Twelve,
and to those who follow Jesus even today? Someone we may despise for their
race, customs, ancestry, green card status, religious persuasions, indeed for
any reason dream that they are not a part of Jesus’ select “in” group are
indeed truly persons Jesus has cast his net hoping to catch.
Betcha you and I can tell who is really part of the “in” crowd. People will do
trivial deeds of kindness and say trivial good things about this or that person
“in Jesus’ name,” because the recipient of such kindness “BELONGS to Jesus,” is
what alerts us. No, friends, not to the status of the recipients, but rather to
the status of those who do the good deed or say the gentle merciful, good word
about the disciple. The net Jesus is using has an extremely fine mesh, even the
trivial kindness is caught and noted. The net Jesus tosses has no limits as to
who may be rewarded!
Oh, dear friends, how many persons, seeking to follow Jesus have stumbled over
this saying? The church of our Savior has a horrendous record. We have excluded
and excommunicated people over kindnesses. IMO, Augustine got it right. When
someone is saying something, teaching something contrary to what Jesus teaches
in the church, we need to draw them in, hug them close, and by word and example
help them to grow out of their error and into the truth.
Even Paul would exclude from the fellowship of the congregation in Corinth only
a man who was so misbehaving toward his father’s wife, on the basis of what the
man claimed Jesus taught, so that the man would come to his senses . . . , and
be welcomed into Table Fellowship once again. Few would have the audacity to
claim that what the man was doing was anything kind, gentle, or good for his
father, his 'step-mother,' or himself. Even so, the goal Paul sets for the
Corinthians, and for us, is a last resort action.
I put it to you, heresy and immoral behavior are not reasons to exclude a
person from congregational fellowship until they become acts, speech, behavior,
or testimony that harm or hurt someone else in the fellowship. Even then, let
everything be done decently and in good order, that means transparency and
kindness at the bare minimum. Quick to forgive, speedy to bless, eager to
serve, happy to do an easy to accomplish kindness to another human . . . ,
whether you think you know they follow Jesus or not! May you be rewarded!
_______________________________________________________
Let us re-read MARK. Let us focus on MARK 9 and seek to grasp and
hold the good
news of Jesus it holds for us.
Let us pray:
O LORD, favorably receive the prayers of your church; that
clinging to your Word,
and being delivered from all adversity and error,
we may serve you and our
neighbors in safety and freedom; grant us
your peace in our times, for we pray
in your name and for the sake of
the Good News, O our Savior and Master Jesus.
Amen.
Ha! I found another set of preparatory summaries. I'm less organized than
I ought be, but not so disorganized as I thought!
The Rev'd R E LANGFORD JR, FAPC, ELCA pastor ! retired !
39.58°N by 75.98°W
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