Sermon: “Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us”

Scripture Reading:  Mark 9:38-41 (New Revised Standard Version)

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

Sermon:  “Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us”

Today’s Scripture reading is not an easy one to hear or interpret.

First of all, there’s the whole demon possession thing.  In a scientific age, we understand that most of the behaviors that ancient peoples attributed to demon possession we would attribute to physical or mental illness.  And, thanks be to God, when such illness is correctly identified, then a person can be treated.  So, we need to be careful not to take everything literally when we read an ancient text that arose in a completely different worldview than our own.

Mainline scholars today approach ancient texts like this one mostly through a metaphorical lens rather than a literal one.  With that in mind, I encourage us to see the “demons” spoken about in this text as a metaphor for the things that negatively affect the health of a person or a community.  In other words, “casting out demons,” would be a metaphor for restoring a person or a community to a state of health.

Viewed like this, today’s Scripture reading does not seem so off-putting to our sensibilities.  However, what does still seem off-putting is the disciples’ reaction to the restoration of health.  Given that restoration of health is a good thing, you’d expect the text would read something like this:  “The disciple John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we rejoiced because it was so wonderful to see our neighbors free from their infirmities!’”  But that’s not the way the text reads. 

Instead, John says, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 

What is up with that reaction?!  The disciples witness a healing--actually, several healings, because the word “demon” is plural, but instead of praising God and encouraging the healing to continue, they get mad and try to shut it down. 

What were they thinking?!  The phrase “because he was not following us” gives us a clue.  Apparently, whoever this unnamed outsider is, he did not follow the proper protocols; he did not approach the disciples and ask their permission to heal in Jesus’ name.  He did not even give the disciples the courtesy of informing them that he would be working on their turf!  And their noses got more than a bit out of joint because, somehow, the disciples erroneously had it in their heads that they were the ones in charge, that all of the healing work “in Jesus’ name” had to be directed by them.  Which is ludicrous, of course.  “Jesus” is not a brand that can be owned; Jesus is the Son of the living God--the Christ--who embodied God’s Spirit; Jesus is the one who empowers whomever he chooses to heal in his name.

But before we get too critical of the disciples, it’s important to remember that they are human beings with human flaws like all of us.  In this text, they aren’t doing anything that most of us haven’t also done at some point in our lives.

I know I have.  Let me give you an example. 

In one church I served, several years ago, there was an AA group that met on the same night we had church meetings.  (The church owned a big building with a number of different meeting spaces.)  The AA group that met in the fellowship hall was very well attended--in fact, more people attended that group than attended worship on Sunday mornings-- and when they’d take a break partway through their meeting, many of them would go outside to chat and smoke.  And, as it happened, their favorite gathering spot was underneath the windows of the second floor meeting room where church meetings took place. 

I have to confess that when I was in a church meeting on AA nights, my first thought on hearing the AA group outside the window wasn’t always, “Praise be to God!  How wonderful that so many people have found support and healing from their addiction!” 

I wish that had been my first thought.  But mostly it wasn’t.  Often my first thought when I heard the AA group or smelled their cigarette smoke wafting through the meeting-room window was, “I wish they wouldn’t be so noisy--and do they have to smoke right under our windows?!  How rude!”  Like the disciples in today’s reading, rather than seeing the big picture and rejoicing in the healing that was taking place--which was the most important thing in God’s eyes, I’m sure--I allowed myself, instead, to focus on a few minor things that annoyed me. 

But back to the disciples.  I believe there is another dynamic going on in this situation, as well--a dynamic that fueled the disciples’ emotional reaction to the unnamed healer and contributed to their desire to stop his good work.  And this dynamic has nothing to do with the healer himself.  The healer’s behavior just happened to trigger the disciples’ unresolved emotions from a previous incident. 

Earlier in chapter 9 of Mark’s Gospel--not part of today’s text, we read that the disciples themselves were trying to cast a demon out of an afflicted boy, but they simply weren’t able to do it.  And, still smarting from their failure, they get into an argument with members of the crowd who had witnessed the failed healing.  And, if that wasn’t humiliating enough, Jesus then enters the scene and chastises everyone for their lack of faith.   I think we can assume that, at this point, the disciples had to be feeling pretty bad; if I were in their place, I’m sure I would have felt embarrassed, chagrined, ashamed, and angry.    

So, given human nature, a couple of days later, when the outsider in today’s text shows up and has great success at doing what the disciples have publicly failed to do big time, the disciples’ feelings seem to intensify.  It looks to me like the disciples are jealous of the outsider’s ability to heal people when they themselves lacked that ability, despite all the time they had spent with Jesus.  Plus, the healer’s success also seems to have triggered some of the disciples’ unresolved emotions from the previous incident, and the disciples unfairly redirect some of their own anger from that previous incident at him.  Psychologists call this phenomenon transference--when people redirect their feelings for a person from a previous incident onto an entirely different person and a new incident.  (https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/transference)

Why am I bringing this up?  Because we all do it--not just the disciples.  It’s a human thing.  For example, maybe we have unresolved anger from an argument we had with a family member, and then later someone at work says something that triggers that anger, and we unfairly redirect--and sometimes intensify--that anger onto the person at work.  Why am I bringing this up?   Because we all need to be aware that we do this--we all need to monitor our own behavior, notice when we do it, and put a stop to it.  Because when we are unaware of the times we engage in transference--when we don’t put a stop to the emotions we unfairly transfer onto other people, it is damaging to community.

We see the potential damage in our reading for today.  The disciples, unaware of their jealousy and their transferred anger, try to put a stop to God’s work of healing that was taking place in their community.  To put it another way, the disciples’ unexamined feelings nearly became a road-block to the mission of healing that God had given-- not just to them--but all who seek to follow God’s way of Love!  

Because of the disciples’ lack of awareness and ability to monitor their own behavior, Jesus had to intervene and remind the disciples not to impede God’s work.  Using words that were probably a direct quote from a proverb of his era, Jesus tells them, “Whoever is not against us is for us.”  In other words, Jesus reminds the disciples:

“Don’t let your emotions blind you to the big picture of what God is doing in the world.  Remember, God uses a variety of people--not just you--to accomplish God’s work of healing in the world.”

This Scripture text has some things to teach us today, doesn’t it?  To state the obvious, in our world, there are numerous divisions between people-- and emotions are running high, fueled by many things, including the stress, anxiety and grief of living in this pandemic.  In this atmosphere, how often do we--like the disciples of old--run into folks whose behavior triggers our ire?  Speaking for myself, I dare say it can almost be a daily occurrence!  May this Scripture passage remind us to take some deep breaths before we respond in these situations.

May this Scripture passage remind us to look at the big picture and evaluate what is going on before we unthinkingly transfer our emotions onto someone else.  May we pray for the people who make us mad.  May we ask ourselves some questions, such as:

·        Are the people who are triggering my ire well-intentioned? 

·        Do they share God’s value of helping all people--particularly those who are disadvantaged-- thrive? 

·        Are they working to heal the world, even if the way they choose to do it may be different than the way I might choose to do so?

Even if we think we know the answer to those questions, let’s have the courage to bring them up.  To ask these questions--not just to ourselves, but, where it’s appropriate, to the other.  Because maybe we know their answers--OR maybe we would be surprised…When we notice ourselves getting mad, can we set our anger aside and respond instead with curiosity?  Can we say something like,

·        I want to understand where you are coming from.  Can you tell me why you are saying or doing that? 

·        Can you tell me how what you are doing helps the greater good and improves the lives of people who are suffering?

The more we recognize our own humanity and tendency to transfer our feelings onto others, the more we can engage others with compassion, as Jesus did. 

Now hear me, I’m not naïve enough to suggest that everyone out there is working for healing or trying to do God’s will.  There are, sadly, some people in this world who really don’t seem to care about the suffering of their fellow human beings.  But we should not let our anger fool us into thinking that everyone who disagrees with us is in that camp.  God loves us all.  And healing is best accomplished when we allow God to open our minds and hearts and show us how to work with those others who ultimately want the same things we want, but who just go about it a different way.   

May God guide us in our discernment and help us to see the truth in Jesus’ words that “whoever is not against us is for us.”

Let us pray.   [OVER]

·        Loving God, thank you that you are still speaking through the words of Scripture and challenging us to work with our neighbors to heal the wounds of our world. 

·        Oh God, we boldly ask that you begin that healing with us. 

·        Forgive us for the times when we let our anger blind us to your bigger picture.  

·        Forgive us for the times when we transfer our emotions onto others, focusing more on what other people do wrong than what they do right. 

·        Help us to be humble enough to offer the same grace to others that you offer to us. 

·        Open our eyes to the glorious possibilities of the healing that could be accomplished in our world if we worked together with those who are seeking the same things we are, but by different means.

And hear us now as we lift up to you our prayers for our community and our world.

Bless our House of Representatives as they discuss and vote on a massive tax and spending bill.  May the reps listen to each other and find viable compromises, while at the same time focusing first and foremost on those who are disadvantaged.

Be with all of us as we continue to make decisions about how to live in this pandemic.  As we discuss the pros and cons of being vaccinated and wearing masks, help us to continually fact-check our assumptions, asking the same questions of ourselves as we ask of others.  And remembering that we decide affects others, and vice versa.  O God, lead us through this polarizing time with love, grace, and compassion.

Bless immigrants from Haiti.  Keep them safe as our country and other countries figure out how to handle the influx of people understandably escaping disaster. 

PHONE

SLIPS OF PAPER.

- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream…  [PAUSE]

- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing….  In Jesus name, Amen

PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE LORD’S PRAYER

- Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come 
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven 
- Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors`
- And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  AMEN