Radical Faithfulness

CHILDREN'S SERMON

Make a batch of salty popcorn, and share it with the children. Ask them to tell you what makes the popcorn taste so good ... suggest butter and salt. Explain that salt is a good seasoning, but it can also preserve things and keep them in good shape. Let them know that before we had refrigerators, salt was considered to be very valuable, because it was one of the few things that could keep meat from going bad. Tell them that Jesus wants us to be Salty Christians, and he says in the gospel of Mark: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50). Ask if they can guess what this means. Suggest that Jesus wants us to keep each other in good shape, and not do anything that would make a person sin or get hurt. Poll the children on the kinds of things that might cause problems for fellow Christians: telling lies, tricking them, setting a bad example for them. Encourage the children to be Salty Christians, and do whatever they can to keep other people from going bad.

Out of the midst of a "discipleship" section (Mark 8:27-10:52) comes this week's unusual message. In verses 38-41, the disciples proudly tell Jesus how they had nipped a budding heresy in their midst. Discovering a man exorcizing demons in Jesus' name, without any official disciple-designation or given authority, they command the healer to stop. The use of the phrase "in your name" suggests a technical reference (more specific than indicated in v.37): The man was practicing a sort of "word magic," invoking Jesus' name to perform healings. Mark's description makes it clear that this man had received, no direct authority from Jesus -- so it would seem the disciples reaction may be justified. But Jesus' response flings wide the doors of discipleship. Jesus includes within his domain individuals his own disciples would never dream of embracing. Some commentators explain Jesus' acceptance of this unknown healer's activities by claiming he must have been one of John the Baptist's disciples, or one of the 70 sent out by Jesus. But the text itself makes no such stipulation. Jesus' only explanation rests in his declaration that "Whoever is not against us is for us" (v.40). It is not the unauthorized exorcisms that draw Jesus' ire, evoke sharp words and stir up startling images. The disciples themselves earn the tongue-lashing Jesus offers in verses 42-50 because of their wrong-headed attempts to contain the power of Jesus' name and the deliverance it brings.

Holman Bible Handbook (Mark 9:14–37)

The disciple’s discussion of who was the greatest indicates their misunderstanding of the destination of “the way” of the cross they traveled with Jesus. The measure of true greatness is service. In this Jesus set the standard, coming not “to be served, but to serve” (10:45). The child (in 9:37) is not a model for discipleship (see 10:15) but an illustration that no insignificant one should be neglected in the disciples’ service.

Holiness for Ordinary People (What Makes a Holy Church?)

It seems reasonable to think that if every individual in a church were a holy person, then we’d have a holy church, but it doesn’t work that way. “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” One good man and one good woman do not automatically make a good marriage. Each might be a wonderful individual, but a wonderful marriage is more than two wonderful persons. Likewise a holy church is more than a collection of individuals who are holy persons. In fact, it may even be possible for holy individuals to come together as a church body, and then as a group act far less than holy.

John says in our text: "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us" (v. 38 NIV). The Message puts it this way: "We stopped him because he wasn't in our group" (emphasis added both instances)

The disciples clearly had already developed an "us versus them" mentality. Perhaps we're no different. When you're a member of an exclusive club, whether somebody is "one of us" or not is terribly important. That's certainly the case for these contemporary ultra-elite clubs.

They draw a privileged line in the sand -- on one side are the Ins, and on the other side the Outs. Given the missional values of Jesus, it's ironic that his disciples were cranky enough about the Ins and Outs to warrant comparison with these other elite clubs. John wanted to make sure that non-disciples weren't casting out demons. Most people might think that getting rid of a demon is a good thing. But apparently not John. He'd rather have that demon stay put than have a nonunion exorcist cast it out.

this incident comes on the heel of the "Who is the greatest?" argument the group had been having. They didn't get it then, and it is clear that in today's text, they still don't get it.

It could've been easy to understand the God-given power behind miracles as something reserved for Jesus the Christ and those anointed for a future messianic mission. But Jesus took a decidedly inclusive and unthreatened response to elitism in this text (vv. 39-41). He realizes that the work of God isn't a private or privileged affair -- after all, he chose teenagers, fishermen, and tax collectors as his Twelve in the first place. Jesus has a larger cosmic perspective, and when, as he would say on one occasion, the fields are ready for harvest, it's all hands on deck.

One Anglican church recently felt this tension. It was well attended by a working poor and homeless population from the neighborhood, but became increasingly popular with local seminary students who were eager and able to serve in the church. Leadership had to think intentionally about not alienating the blue-collar and no-collar set in their church by giving too many service and leadership roles to seminarians. They didn't want to send the accidental message that you needed an "A" in Systematic Theology in order to be used by God.

Holiness for Ordinary People Groups Can Be Holy

A group can also be holy—as a group. The church is supposed to be a holy people. In fact, a church can act Christlike as a group in a way that an individual cannot. Who would claim we are a perfect example of all the characteristics of Christlikeness? Who would say, “Here, look at me, and you will find a perfect example of Christ’s mercy, grace, compassion, tenderness, justice, wisdom, and suffering?” Do you say this? Well, do you? See? Not one of us in our right minds would claim to be a perfect example of all these qualities of Christ. Yet in the church we can find them all. Not every one in the church exhibits all of these, but collectively we can find each of these attributes in the church. There may only be two or three people who represent Christlike compassion fully, but you can find them in the church. There might only be a single person who is suffering at Christlike levels, but you can find them in the church. It’s in the church that we find Christlikeness in its fullest sense. This is why we never consider ourselves individually the “body of Christ.” Would you? Never! I am not the body of Christ. Neither are you. We are the body of Christ—all of us in the church collectively. Together we can find among us all the character qualities of Jesus Christ. While none of us perfectly exhibits all of these qualities, together in the power of the Spirit we show the world what Jesus is like—we are the only body of Christ they can see.

Holiness for Ordinary People Filling with the Holy Spirit

Filling with the Holy Spirit. We’re familiar with being personally filled with the Spirit, but few of us ever expect (or even believe) that the whole church could be filled with the Spirit. But what if we could experience this today? What if God came upon his gathered people and filled the gathered people with the Spirit. What would that be like? Well, it would be like the church in the book of Acts. When God fills his church with the Holy Spirit, that body will never be the same again. Why does this not happen today? Why is such an experience not even sought or expected? We give altar calls for individuals to be Spirit-filled, but what if an entire congregation at once sought this experience—as a church? What if we all went to the altar as a church? Did God quit filling the church with the Spirit after Acts 2? Some of us don’t think so.

Or consider as well the potential missional implications of Jesus' response. You've probably heard the phrase "belonging before believing." This describes people journeying into Christianity through first experiencing community or participating in church small groups, and then coming to conversion after that. Parallel to that concept, could we see "serving before believing"? We don't get details about the "someone" of verse 38, but John said that he was not ekolouthei -- literally meaning "not following us" or "not a disciple." Somehow someone not yet known as a follower of Christ had gotten wind that demons could be cast out in the name of Christ. We don't know anything else about the story of "someone," but isn't it possible that serving God -- even with potentially impure motive (and we don't know that such was the case here) -- caused him to believe in the power of Christ as the Messiah?

Holiness for Ordinary People Koinonia

Koinonia. Pot-luck suppers and traveling in a van to shop on a Saturday may seem like mostly fun, but they are an essential corporate means of grace through which God sanctifies his church. How can we love each other if we are seldom together? “Doing life together” is an increasing theme in the emerging church, and it is sound doctrine. God sanctifies his church as we mix together. Steve DeNeff reminds us that the church is like God’s washing machine. We all come together and tumble in the washing of the word as we experience a group cleansing. Koininia denotes more than fellowship, but just getting together is a start. As we gather and “do life together,” God uses us to encourage, correct, urge, guide, and inspire each other. From our interaction, we come away encouraged, corrected, urged, and inspired. As we gather together, he is in the midst of us, helping us become more like Christ together. As we do this, we become in actuality what we are in name: the community of Christ.

While the church is giving based on gospel values of mercy and care for the marginalized, their friends give alongside them for their own humanitarian reasons. The church views this as an avenue to demonstrate Christian values in a nonthreatening way, while also building relationships with those outside the faith. They call it creating common ground through common good. Jesus was concerned with something so much larger than just one demon's being cast out. He wanted to ensure that his future church would never feel like a country club. Instead of being exclusivist, he wanted her to be as inclusive as possible. So how do we turn our churches into the least elitest places of our culture? When we do this, we will truly "bear the name of Christ" (v. 41), and neither church insider nor outsider will need to feel that he is "not one of us."

Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship Chapter Five: The Servant King: Mark

Mark invites us to stop projecting the guilt and fear we feel inside ourselves out on to the rest of the world. And he invites us to take up our own cross and follow Jesus. He paints a tragi-comic picture of the disciples—blundering about, getting it all wrong, failing to see what Jesus was on about, and letting him down totally. And yet he continues to show Jesus teaching them, loving them, leading them, and ultimately dying for them. That is where we start. If there’s anyone reading this who feels that they have blundered about, got it all wrong, misunderstood Jesus and let him down totally, then Mark has good news for them. This good news includes an invitation to Jesus’ table, where you can leave the burden behind at the foot of the cross, and receive new life, Jesus’ life, to be your new reason for living.

Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship Chapter Five: The Servant King: Mark

He invites us, in other words, to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. He invites us to stop being arsonists and to start being firemen.

Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship Chapter Five: The Servant King: Mark

That is what is going on when Desmond Tutu stands in front of a mob and risks his own life to tell them that violence isn’t the answer. That is what is going on when the Church accepts the fact that it suffers in a recession like everyone else, and finds creative ways forward in mission and worship despite losing large chunks of its traditional inherited income. That is what happens when the Church provides a place, and a human presence, where people in pain can come to weep and perhaps to pray. And it is what happens when the Church in a particular country stands up and says ‘no’ to what is going on in society all around. And if ever there was a time for that, it is right now.

Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship Chapter Five: The Servant King: Mark

We live in a world of Jameses and Johns, of projected guilt and fear and anger. There’s no point in the Church simply keeping all of that in circulation. We don’t need any more Jameses and Johns, Christians who project their own insecurities out on to the world and call it preaching the gospel. We need—and it’s a scary thought—Christians who will do for the world what Jesus was doing.

In the midst of a discipleship-focused section in Mark's Gospel (Mark 8:27-10:52), today's scripture offers a message that challenges us to reconsider how we understand the boundaries of God's work and who gets to be a part of it. This week's passage opens with the disciples reporting to Jesus, almost proudly, that they had put a stop to a man casting out demons in Jesus' name because he wasn't "one of us." This man, operating outside of their circle was using the name of Jesus to perform acts of healing, and the disciples saw this as a problem—an unauthorized person performing miracles as if they held the exclusive rights to the power of God.

However, Jesus' response does not affirm their gatekeeping; it does the opposite. He tells them, "Whoever is not against us is for us" (Mark 9:40). Jesus flings wide the doors of discipleship, reminding his followers that the mission of God is not a private club with an exclusive membership list. Instead, the work of God invites all hands on deck, whether they come through official channels or not.

Exclusive vs. Inclusive Discipleship

The disciples' reaction reveals something very human: the tendency to divide the world into insiders and outsiders, "us" versus "them." Perhaps they thought their closeness to Jesus and their position as His chosen disciples gave them the sole authority to perform miracles and minister in His name. This kind of thinking can still creep into our churches today. We might find ourselves drawing lines, consciously or unconsciously, about who is "qualified" or "allowed" to serve in Jesus' name.

Like the disciples, we may be tempted to think that we're the only ones who can serve because we've been faithful or have the right training. But Jesus has a different vision for His church—a vision that rejects elitism and embraces radical inclusivity with joy and celebration.

Consider the example of a church that attracted both the homeless and working poor, as well as seminary students eager to serve. The leadership had to be intentional about not making service roles exclusive to the well-educated seminarians at the expense of those from the working class. They realized that leadership in God's kingdom isn't determined by education or status but by the heart's readiness to serve.

Belonging Before Believing and Serving Before Knowing

There's a phrase in modern ministry: "Belonging before believing." It refers to the idea that people often come into a relationship with Jesus not because of deep theological understanding but because they first experienced genuine community. They belong to the community, and through that sense of belonging, they come to believe, feeling connected and part of a larger whole.

In the same way, we might think of this story in Mark as an example of "serving before believing." The man casting out demons in Jesus' name was not yet known as a follower, yet he participated in the work of God. He saw the power of Christ's name, and though we don't know the details, we might imagine that serving in this way brought him closer to understanding the whole truth of Jesus' mission, encouraging growth and learning.

Sometimes, we have people in our churches or communities who may not fully understand the faith but are drawn to serving. This is an opportunity for the church—not a threat. When people serve alongside us, even if their motives aren't entirely pure or their understanding incomplete, they are exposed to the heart of the Gospel: God's love for the marginalized, the outcast, and the outsider. As we serve together, we create common ground through the common good.

Radical Inclusivity in the Kingdom

The point Jesus makes is that the power of His name is not limited to a select few. God's work cannot be contained by human boundaries or hierarchies. While the disciples were concerned with who had the "right" to cast out demons, Jesus was concerned with something much larger: that His followers would never become an exclusive, inward-looking community.

The church Jesus envisioned was never meant to be like an elite country club. It was never meant to draw strict lines about who is in and who is out. Instead, it was meant to reflect the wideness of God's mercy, the breadth of His mission, and the openness of His grace.

The Challenge for Us Today

So how do we, in our own churches, break down the barriers of exclusivity and create spaces of radical welcome? How do we become the least elitist place in our culture?

Celebrate All Contributions: Whether someone has been in the church for decades or has just walked through the doors, we should celebrate the gifts and service they bring. Everyone has something to offer in the work of God, and we need to honor that.Look Beyond Ourselves: Jesus' words challenge us to look beyond our own circles, our own congregations, and see the wider movement of God in the world. There are people doing God's work who may not fit into our categories of "church people," but that doesn't mean they aren't part of God's mission.Focus on the Mission, Not the Titles: The disciples were worried about who had the right title and authority to cast out demons. Jesus was focused on the mission: healing, deliverance, and spreading the kingdom. We should do the same. Our focus should be on the work of God, not on maintaining control or exclusivity.

Conclusion

Mark 9:38-50 is a reminder that Jesus' kingdom is wide, inclusive, and always expanding. It is a place where boundaries are broken down, where those who aren't "officially" in the group can still serve, and where the name of Jesus brings deliverance and healing to all. As we strive to follow Jesus, may we become people who open doors, tear down walls, and welcome all into the work of God's kingdom.

Let us remember Jesus' words: "Whoever is not against us is for us." And let us live out that truth in our own communities, making our churches places where all are welcome to serve and be served in the name of Christ. Amen.