“If you’re not part of our group, you have no part in Jesus!” That sounds rather harsh, but that would have been the gist of what the Apostle John said to a man who was going around and casting out demons in the Name of Jesus. John, who later in life would write Epistles whose main theme is loving one another, certainly wasn’t showing much love or kindness at this stage in his life. As he, Jesus, and the other disciples were traveling, he saw or heard of a man who must have heard some of Jesus’s teachings, believed in Him, and was now using his faith in Him to cast out demons from those who suffered. That would seem to be a good thing, but John didn’t think so! John and some of the other disciples confronted this man and stopped him from continuing to minister to people in Jesus’s Name because he was not one of the twelve (vs. 38). This unnamed man was not a fraud. He must have been a true believer in Jesus because he was able to cast the demons out in Jesus’s Name. The 12 disciples opposed him because he was not a part of their group. They were jealous. They were more concerned with their own position than in helping those in need.
Jesus scolded His disciples and told them to stop. Someone sincerely acting in Jesus’s Name would not soon turn against Him (vs. 39-40). There is no neutral ground regarding Jesus. Those who are not against Him are on His side. Also, those who are not on His side are against Him (Matthew 12:30).
Are we guilty of the same behavior that the disciples showed to that other believer? Do we scorn believers who attend different churches or are members of a different denomination? Do we feel that they are less of a believer, or not even one because their church is different, perhaps because their church takes communion only once a month and we do it every week, or vice versa? Or that their sanctuary is circular, or their songs are different? Perhaps their pastor wears a suit coat to preach and not liturgical robes, or vice versa. Those, and many other issues are not reasons to withhold fellowship or scorn other believers for.
There are several essential points, known as the foundations of the faith, that one must hold to in order to truly be a Christian. One must believe in Jesus’s death on the cross, and His literal resurrection. They must believe that the purpose of His death was to pay for our sins, as we are all sinners, incapable of helping ourselves. One must believe that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, that Jesus was sinless, and born of a virgin. One must believe in the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. If a church or an individual holds to these, then we should be willing to fellowship with them, regardless if they are a different church than ours.
Jesus continues to teach His disciples of their need to show love and charity to others (vs. 41). Giving a cup of cold water to a person in need is the same as giving an offering to God. By the same token, harming others or failing to care for them is a sin, even if they don’t seem important in the world’s eye. Acts of kindness done to His followers He considers done to Himself. He also said that to lead a believer into sin is a very serious matter (vs. 42). Even such a terrible death is preferable to leading a Christian to sin.
Jesus then says something rather strong, and that is if one’s hand or eye causes them to sin, to cut it off and cast it forth (vs. 43-48). Jesus is speaking figuratively. No amount of self-mutilation can cure a sin problem, which is really a matter of the heart. Jesus is emphasizing the seriousness of sin, and the need to do whatever it takes to deal with it. Painful discipline is required of Jesus’s true followers. Sometimes we need to radically cut something out of our lives that can lead us into sin. Giving up a relationship, a job, or a habit that might draw one into sin or is against God’s will may be as painful as cutting off one’s hand. Jesus is worth the sacrifice. Nothing should stand in the way of our faith. We must be ruthless in ridding sin from our lives. As Jesus clearly indicates here, there are eternal consequences for sin, as hell is just as eternal as heaven is.
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