Day 59

Leviticus 22:17–23:44; Mark 9:30–10:12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 10:19

IN MARK’S GOSPEL today, the apostle John said something very interesting: “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group” (Mark 9:38).

What’s interesting is how this sentiment is very much alive and well two millennia later, even though Jesus addressed it clearly. As believers, we tend to run with those who see things as we do. On the surface, this isn’t that big of a deal. People find community among those they understand and with whom they find common interests. Things get a little more dubious when we move into the territory of our dogmas and theological formulae. In these areas, we wall ourselves off from one another and, over time, begin believing that our tribe has a corner on the truth and everyone else is off by varying degrees. This can escalate into theological wars, church splits, denominational splits, and just about any other form of hostile segregation we could think of. We simply can’t imagine God using someone whom we do not agree with or who is not a part of our clan or group.

But this was not the perspective of Jesus at all. In response to John’s confession, Jesus gave us the posture we are to hold on to: “Don’t stop him! . . . Anyone who is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:39-40). Jesus went on to tell John that any act done for anyone who belongs to Jesus —even something as small as a drink of water —would not go unrewarded.

If we could begin to live with open hands rather than clenched fists toward those who share this faith journey with us but who have stories different from our own, we would find that we share Jesus in common. May we celebrate our uniqueness while holding dear the one thing that matters most: Jesus.

WORSHIP:

You are my King and my God. You command victories for Israel. Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes.