“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
This seems like a reasonable request of Jesus that St. John makes in the Gospel today. Doesn’t it make sense that Jesus would be concerned if someone was using his name to carry out ministry who was not a follower of his? There was no way to know what else he was saying or doing or if he might turn against them at some point. We can imagine what the lawyers would do with something like this today, right?
I think it is important to have a little context. In Mark’s gospel, John’s request comes immediately after we hear that the disciples were walking along behind our Lord talking about who was the greatest. Jesus reprimands them for their worldliness and tells them that they should seek to serve, rather than lording authority over others. Then, perhaps thinking he is on more solid ground, St. John brings up his question: what about this guy who isn’t even an apostle – who isn’t even on the team, and he is trying to claim he acts in the name and with the power of Jesus? Surely he is on the outs, right?
The apostles are trying to figure out who has authority, who has power, who can be a legitimate witness – who is on the “team.” They are deeply concerned about who is in charge, who has authority – who is exercising leadership. The idea that someone who is not known to them is claiming authority makes them apprehensive and nervous.
Why? Ultimately, I think we can see that it has to do with control, right? It is telling that John tells Jesus that the one casting out demons “does not follow us.” Notice that he doesn’t say “does not follow you.” What concerns him is not that the man is doing something against Jesus, but that he is not a part of their company – their group. In this, he expresses a common earthly tribal tendency: to be concerned and suspicious of those who aren't part of or don’t feel compelled to answer to the tribe, those who are not “team players.” The disciples, like most people, were accustomed to judging others based on the earthly tribe they belonged to, and to working hard to secure their own places in their own tribe.
How things don't change! Think about what is playing out now in our national politics and how Senators are so concerned to stay in their tribes – to not be caught out on their own. They know that stepping out of line will be political suicide.
And it's not just leadership. The dynamic of social membership, of being a part of a tribe, effects each of us. On a very visceral level, isn't it true that most people recoil at the idea of being outside of a social tribe or community. We know that to be on the outs in a community is dangerous and makes someone vulnerable. People outside of the circle don’t receive critical information, are vulnerable to rumors and slander, and are treated with distrust. Being left out is probably the greatest fear most people deal with in the world – being marginalized, being overlooked, being shunned.
With a big mortgage and lots of bills to pay, it becomes increasingly difficult to advocate for decisions and principles in the workplace that would put us on the fringe. When we need the help of teachers and professors in securing academic opportunities, it becomes risky to hold unpopular beliefs that will be perceived as out of touch or ignorant. When we have children and grandchildren who we love and who love and admire us, it becomes very challenging to witness to beliefs or ideas that challenge their lifestyle choices and make them feel condemned.
How many of us experience this, and so many other social challenges on a regular basis as we are trying to navigate living in a community? How nerve-wracking is it to wonder if we are on our way to being marginalized and left out, especially when we know that such marginalization could mean a lot of pain and suffering for us and those we love? The more earthly blessings that we have and the more attached to them we are, the harder it is to live with a serenity that is not constantly anxious about falling out of favor, being labeled as one of those who “does not follow us.” How easy it is to compromise with the devil when we are motivated by this fear that we might be left out, that we might become irrelevant, forgotten.
I think this is a great demon that our entire Church fights today. The modern world is moving ahead and moving in a direction that is increasingly tribal and increasingly hostile to the teaching and witness of Christ. And we feel the pressure, do we not? It can feel almost on a visceral, survival level that our Church being pushed out of the social main stream and into irrelevant backwaters.
What does Christ have to tell us today? To be courageous and to follow his example. What is his example? First of all, we must pray for increasing detachment from the goods of this world, and a decisive attachment to following him. Such that we will let go of anything that would keep us from him – our hand, our eye – whatever keeps us from being close to Christ, from the detachment we need to be faithful, we must be willing to offer that courageous sacrifice with Christ on this altar.
I do not say this lightly. I know that for many of us, we would probably rather lose a hand or an eye than what we worry about losing: the closeness of a family member, a promising career, a group of friends… We are not talking about trivial things.
And yet, do we not know in our hearts that we cannot be authentic and credible witnesses to Christ in our families, our workplaces, our friendships, unless we are willing to run the risk of losing them for the sake of Christ? There is no such thing as a cowardly Christian – because a Christian must always face the truth and live in love. And that always requires sacrifice and suffering. You cannot be a principled person if you are more worried about your earthly tribe than the heavenly host.
This does not mean that we act imprudently or angrily pick fights with the culture of our time. We should try to get along when we can. We should always be humble and recognize that we might not be seeing a person or situation as it truly is. We need to pray through every decision and work to discern where the Holy Spirit is at work an how he is guiding us. We should always desire peace and concord. We should seek unity and collaboration.
We should work to find common ground and to increase understanding among peoples. But all of this must be done with the awareness, as Jesus teaches us, that in the end we only answer to him. In the end our earthly tribe only matters insofar as it helps us to grow closer to him and is an expression of the love we share in him. Christ alone can give us true communion – love that is rooted in the truth and in generosity of heart. We must go to him first, trusting that he will not abandon us and that he will gently guide us along the path that leads to eternal life and leads us, not to a mere temporary earthly tribe, but to an eternal communion of love with him and all of our brothers and sisters.
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