“Don’t associate with them. They’re not one of our group.” Have you ever been told that, perhaps when younger by one of your classmates, or even your parents? Or even now by one of your associates? Unfortunately this is something that we sometimes hear in some churches, quite a bit in the past, and even occasionally still today. In our Gospel Scripture today, we see a little bit of this exclusivity from a few of the disciples. Let’s take a look.
As our Scripture opens, the disciple John spoke to Jesus, telling Him that he and some of the other disciples saw a man who was casting out demons in the Name of Jesus (vs 38). John and the others did not like that. This other man was not one of their group. They felt that because he wasn’t, he had no right to be using Jesus’s Name in any way. So they promptly shut him up, and John proudly told Jesus this. What was Jesus’s response? Did He agree that the twelve, and they alone, had exclusive rights to His Name? No! Jesus told John and the other disciples that what they did was not right. This other person, even though he was not officially one of the twelve disciples, was a true believer. If he was out fighting against the kingdom of Satan and evil, casting out demons, and probably also teaching the message of Jesus and God’s Word, he certainly wasn’t against Jesus (vs. 39-40). Jesus said that if this other fellow was not teaching or preaching anything contrary to what He taught, then he is not against them, like many of the religious leaders in Jerusalem were. This man was obviously on their side, on the side of God.
What about today? Do we see this in any of our churches today? Some people feel that if someone is not a member of their denomination then they can’t possibly be a true Christian. I’ve heard some folks say that anyone who attended this or that church certainly could not be saved. This was what John was believing here. If that man was not part of his small, select group, then he certainly could not be a follower of Jesus. What Jesus responded then, He responds now, as well. If a person truly believes in the Lord Jesus as Savior, if they are following and believing what Jesus teaches, then they are for Him, not against Him. This other man was a true believer. The Body of Christ comes from all different groups of people, many different denominations, all nationalities, and all races of people.
Jesus continued on to tell His disciples that any act of kindness done for any of His followers, is done to Him (vs. 41). Rather than picking up stones to hurl at the man, like John was acting like he wanted to do, Jesus said to instead show him acts of kindness. Thankfully John did, indeed, learn his lesson. John became the “apostle of love”, as is evident in his Gospel and his Epistles. No longer did he want to smack others down. Instead, he forever after taught others to love one another in Jesus’s Name.
Our Scripture continues on with a warning from Jesus against leading another believer astray, or into sin (vs. 42-48). As we read here, to entice, trap, or lead a believer into sin is a very serious matter, especially if they are children. Jesus cares very much about young children, and we are told throughout Scripture how important it is to teach them about God and His Word, the Bible.
Some people have taken issue with this passage of Scripture about cutting off hands or feet, and it’s description of hell as a place of torment, saying that it is way too harsh, and isn’t loving. They say it isn’t appropriate for today. Firstly, Jesus did say it, and anything He says is appropriate at all times. Next, God does not want us to literally disfigure ourselves, but instead, He is teaching us that we need to do whatever is necessary to deal with sin in our life. Sin is serious business, and we need to take all appropriate and necessary steps to root it out of our life.
Hell is mentioned several times in the closing verses of our Scripture. Jesus taught about hell. It is not a fairy tale or a figure of speech to just teach a lesson. It is a literal place of torment, that those who have not turned to Jesus as their Savior will spend eternity in. Jesus was not trying to scare people, but at the same time He was trying to teach important truths, as He does not enjoy seeing people end up there.
That is an important question to ask ourselves today. Where will you spend eternity? Are you a follower of Jesus, having accepted Him as your Savior, or is that a decision you still need to make? Do not wait another day, as we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
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