Thoughts for the Day

John said to Jesus: ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

This tiny piece of scripture from Luke's Gospel gives us a wonderful principle from Jesus, which is one that we should all take to heart. The apostles have seen a man casting out demons, perhaps this means curing someone with some kind of mental disorder, we don't know. But they are seemingly jealous for themselves since they had been unable to achieve this at one point (see Luke 9.38-40), and they are perhaps jealous on behalf of Jesus, that his name is used but the man is not part of his close group of disciples. Whatever the cause of this little incident it was going to produce an attitude that in itself was sinful.

Such an attitude can stop the spread of God's work in society and in the church. It can mean that our focus is on things non-essential and we take our focus away from Christ and onto trivial things. Jesus asks two questions of us today, "Are you with me?" and "Do we do things that hinder the spreading of the Gospel?"

Jesus' answer to this little problem brought to him by John is one of generosity. If someone is not against him, then he is for him. Perhaps we can add that we should leave it to God to judge the other person, and also us!

Lord Jesus Christ,
help us to be open minded
and welcoming to those
who believe differently to us,
knowing that it may be us
who are on the wrong track
rather than them.
May we learn what
things are important
and keep our eyes on Christ.
Amen.