“Whoever is not against us is for us …” (Mark 9:40).
On March 3, 1991, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department stopped motorist Rodney King for a traffic violation. During the arrest, King was struck over fifty times with nightsticks by multiple officers giving him more than 10 broken bones. The beating was caught on film.
Later when the officers were acquitted of all charges, race riots ensued throughout much of Los Angeles. In an attempt to end the violence Rodney King called a press conference in which he pleaded with the rioters to stop.
“I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?” King famously implored.
That’s an excellent question for the church as well. “Can we all get along?” The answer seems to be, “No, we can’t.”
One day the disciples came to Jesus with a problem. Apparently, there was someone who was so intrigued by what Jesus was saying and doing that he decided to mimic Jesus’ ministry. He was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, but had not pre-approved his activities with Jesus or any of the disciples (Mark 9:38-41).
Peter, James, John and the rest were concerned, to say the least, about this wannabe Jesus follower who had gone rogue. They asked Jesus to do something about it.
What was the reason for their discomfort? “He’s not one of us,” they declared.
As a Baptist, this is pretty much the way I grew up. I knew practically nothing about the beliefs and practices of the Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians or Catholics. I only knew that they were “not one of us.”
That’s why Jesus’ response is so fascinating. He didn’t ask any of the questions I expected.
He didn’t ask about the content of the man’s preaching. He didn’t ask about the man’s doctrines. He didn’t ask where the man came from. He didn’t ask about his theology or soteriology or eschatology.
His response was directed to two things only: the man’s motives and his results.
Jesus told his disciples that it’s impossible for someone to do something good (results) in his name and be against him (motives). He offered this sage advice: “Do not stop him … no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me” (Mark 9:39).
And with those simple words Jesus opened up a great big can of worms.
How are we to judge who we can and cannot work with when Jesus gave us such a wide-open river to swim in? How do we know who is in and who is out? How do we know who is worthy of our collaborative efforts? Most importantly, how do we maintain control?
It’s a real conundrum and Jesus didn’t seem to do anything to solve it. He seemed happy to leave it the messy, free-wheeling, Spirit-led movement that it was becoming.
Jesus was always looking for collaborators and he found them in the most unlikely places – women, fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes and even a few Pharisees and members of the Jewish ruling council. That’s a surprising and eclectic group. Some might call it “ecumenical.”
Anytime I enter a new town in my travels I notice every church building along the way. I can’t help myself. It goes with the calling.
I once entered a small town and noticed a beautiful white, wood-framed church with black trim and a small steeple. The sign announced that the name of the church was Calvary Baptist Church. Nothing unusual about that.
It was the tagline that caught my attention. It read, “An Independent, Fundamentalist, Premillennialist, King James Bible Congregation.”
Wow. That certainly narrows the field.
There are some Christians who simply aren’t happy unless they have clear and narrowly defined parameters which identify plenty of enemies to shun. They go through life fearful of stepping in the wrong direction. They are slaves, not to Christ, but to whichever radicalized, demagogue pastor is leading them at the time.
I understand the need for boundaries. The Bible tells us that we should always be ready to explain the reason for our faith (1 Peter 3:15). There is a group of essential beliefs without which our faith becomes a swamp rather than a powerful river.
In general, I agree with the dictum usually attributed to St. Augustine, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” The critical question is: What are the essentials? In my next blog article I will review what I believe to be the essentials around which our unity is built.
For now, reflect on the fact that Jesus was willing to work with a wide range of personalities and he called us to respect even those who are “not one of us.”
Certainly, Jesus had natural enemies but he wasn’t looking to create more.
It’s been two-thousand years since Jesus shut down his disciples’ efforts to silence those who are “not one of us,” by saying, “whoever is not against us is for us.”
You would think we would have learned that lesson by now.
This insight was written by Dr. Ellis Orozco. Dr. Orozco served in ministry as a pastor for 30 years. He is the founder and CEO of Karooso Ministries and the Public Theologian in Residence at Stark College & Seminary.