20^th October 2009

(Sunday 27 September 2009)

Lessons -- Psalm 124; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50

Instead of being commended for stopping an outsider from healing others 'in Jesus' name', the disciples are condemned for hindering his work.
'Whoever is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:40 NRSV)'

The disciples' zeal is laudable, but misguided. They know that there is no place for half-hearted commitment to Jesus. Elsewhere Jesus tells them that 'whoever is not with me is against me' (Matthew 12:30). So they assume that this non-aligned healer must be stopped from 'cashing in' on Jesus' name.

Their caution would be commendable if this chap had been using Jesus' name to manipulate desperate folk. Jesus often warned against being taken in by false teachers. And (in Mark) he is at pains to stop crowds and disciples treating him as another miracle worker.

But here the situation is different. In 'casting out the demons' that afflict peoples' lives, this miracle worker displays a close affinity with Jesus. The disciples do not see this and they condemn a 'fellow traveller'.

Jesus will have none of it. 'Whoever is not against us is for us.'  Those who are not 'insiders' may still be bearers of God's healing power and the Christian community is to be receptive where they are open to the Kingdom of God -- either by restoring people to health and wholeness (healer) or by insignificant acts of kindness ('cup of water' 9:38-41).

The Church should be grateful for such acts of mercy and justice because they are signs of the goodness of God supremely embodied in Christ.

Wherever healing or kindness occurs in lives which have been affected by the demonic forces of sin, tragedy or injustice, God is present and Jesus is honoured! We should be glad wherever people are restored to health and wholeness and wherever disciples are welcomed.  In such acts the Gospel is embodied. Such folk will 'have their reward' (v41): not because -- like many of Jesus' disciples --  they've sought recognition of their good deeds, but because they have simply 'served' the 'neglected' in their midst.

It is easy for self-conscious Christians to miss the signs of Christ's presence in the unselfconscious acts of non-aligned 'fellow travellers':

in the skill, courage and commitment of medicos, peacemakers, agitators, humanitarians and reformers who work tirelessly to restore health, righteousness, justice and dignity, as well as in simple acts of kindness.

These 'outsiders' have 'a certain openness toward Jesus' which should remind us / the Church that 'truly Christian service' means 'casting out demons' (which afflict individuals and communities) and being kind without thought of personal reward or public recognition.

Nothing is said about converting the outsider. Quite the contrary! He is the one who opens the eyes of self-satisfied Christians to who Jesus is. In saying that 'whoever is not against us is for us', Jesus shows he is the Protector of all genuinely human values -- health and wholeness, justice and mercy, truth and freedom -- as well as the Guarantor that, at last, the demonic forces which destroy faith and dignity shall come to an end. He shows that commitment to human dignity is not an optional extra after we have had our religious and social needs met. It is fundamental to life in the Body of Christ.

However, what Jesus says would be gravely misunderstood if we thought there was nothing more to being his disciples than supporting good causes.

Today it often seems  the Gospel is captive to the politics of the Left (in broad churches) or of the Right (in narrow churches). In both cases, ideas about what it means to be 'human' and what should be done to defend human dignity are largely drawn from ideals not connected to what is done 'in the name of Christ' (vv 38,39).

What Jesus says here is not an invitation to baptise our 'politically correct' causes. It summons us to 'hunger and thirst after righteousness'  *and* to protest against 'demonic cultural forces' that are diminishing human dignity and demeaning the Gospel.  Because, as Jesus says in Matthew about those who are not with us being against us (12:30), the Church is warned not to be hoodwinked by miracle workers whose ideals are hostile to the name of Christ.

Such forces are very influential today in public debate and legislation before our parliaments -- though this morning's papers report that Christian beliefs and values may be respected in anti-discrimination legislation soon to be introduced into the Victorian Parliament.

Nevertheless truth, righteousness and mercy are not widely valued.

Relationships are often shallow, callous, hedonistic and faithless.

Refugees and others from different cultural and religious backgrounds are often held in contempt. Casual sex is often applauded as a right. The rights of the unborn and the frail elderly are often ignored. Hatred of 'the name of Christ' is common.

Support for human rights and social justice is now largely based, not on the inviolable dignity of our God-given creation and redeemed humanity in Christ, but on the desires of individuals and groups. 

What does this mean for the Church's mission today? In rightly defending the dignity of the vulnerable, the abused and the neglected (as we are bidden in today's gospel), we must ensure that we speak from the renewed humanity which has been uniquely embodied in Jesus. We must speak 'in the name of Christ' and not from other ideals defined for us by the United Nations or our political party -- though there are times when they will come together.

Sadly, as vv 42-50 show, disciples with the best of intentions can lead 'the little ones' astray -- those whose dignity we should defend. That happens when our speaking and acting on their behalf are not done 'in the name of Jesus' but 'in the name of individual rights'.  In such cases the Church unwittingly becomes an advocate for behaviour and causes that are hostile to the goodness and mercy of God as embodied in Christ. 

The Church that confesses 'the name of Jesus' is called to uphold human dignity and responsibility in the light of what God has done for all in his incarnate, crucified and risen being. That is, we shall be glad to acknowledge God's love for sinful and broken people like us in becoming fully human with us. We shall grieve over sin and injustice -- including our own. We shall marvel at the costly love of God (on the cross). And we shall rejoice in hope because, as the resurrection makes clear, affliction, evil and death do not have the final word in human affairs.

Once we have seen what it is to 'cast out demons' in the name of Christ, we will be grateful for all genuine works of healing, mercy and kindness among us. Whenever sick, sinful or suffering people find healing, forgiveness and hope, a miracle of God has taken place -- even when the agent is not a bona fide Christian.

At the same time, we should take care to ensure that acts of kindness and support of human rights, social justice, health and wholeness are inextricably connected to Jesus Christ, whose name is truly and fully known in the 'great miracle' of his life, death and resurrection. Apart from him, we couldn't identify the miraculous work of God in others. And we'd be tempted to promote ideals which seem 'Christian' but are based on our individual and collective desires and wills. If we were to endorse them, we would be guilty of abandoning 'the little ones' whom we are called to serve.

When that happens the Church falls under the judgment described so graphically in the text (vv 42-50): the 'hell' of being separated from God's goodness and mercy. The images are disturbing -- especially if we have become used to thinking of God as endlessly benevolent.

Such grim passages are often used by sectarians to warn 'non-Christian'  neighbours about the cost of rejecting Jesus. But here Jesus tells his own disciples that it would be better for them to be drowned or engage in self- harm than to be blind to the miracles of God in their midst or to promote ideals that aren't connected to 'his name'.

Still, this would be a harsh note on which to finish were it not for the encouragement Jesus gives his disciples at the very end of the passage. In verses that are hard to translate (where the expression 'salted with fire' probably means 'living in a sacrificial way for the sake of the world'), he urges them to be prepared to suffer for the 'little ones', to recognise the work of God in those who 'cast out the demons' which bedevil our life in the world, and in everything 'to be at peace with one another'.

For such things to happen a miracle is required -- one for which we must pray and work. We are encouraged to continue praying and working for 'the little ones' by the crucified and risen One who says these words. Because he, for our sake, has miraculously triumphed over demonic forces that threaten goodness and dignity, we can be encouraged to trust God and withstand evil -- even when powerful influences in the Church and the community seem too strong.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA. 

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