In His Name

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

IN HIS NAME

Mark 9:38-41

38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

NIV

We do not know anything about this man who was driving out demons, except what we might guess. He could have been one of John the Baptist’s disciples who, at the suggestion, or command of John, followed Jesus, but was not one of the twelve. He could have been one of those seventy that Jesus had sent out in pairs and returned to continue his service in the name of Jesus. What it would seem is the twelve had that attitude of “Us four and no more”. They were the special ones, the ones Jesus specifically called to be his disciples, and therefore all others were just the common believers and had no right to do any miracles in the name of Jesus. Jesus made it clear that a person is either in or out, or we should say, for him or against him. If anyone does good things in the name of Jesus they will not lose their reward. However, let’s see how much of a reward there is if we are trying to do good things in our name. That is the concept of all the humanistic endeavors, done in their name, the name of man. Still, what we should focus more on here in this narrative is not the man, himself who is doing good things in the name of Jesus, but of his disciples, as we have already mentioned having that self-righteous, “Us four and no more” attitude. We can see in a certain sense how this still exists in our post-modern church. There is some division, between the ministers and the common believers. A closed club of those who each denomination has authorized to be called pastor, or evangelist, or whatever other titles they confer on a person who meets their requirements. The pulpit is usually guarded quite well against just another doing good things in the name of Jesus. Oh, sure we might entrust a few others with some title like a deacon, or elder, or such, but we don’t actually expect them to meet all the scriptural qualifications. Then we add other titles like church board or some other leadership group title that have no biblical reference at all. Still, it is some kind of closed club that one has to somehow gain access to from the approval of men, rather than the approval of God, or simply doing the work of God in the name of Jesus, no matter who we are, or the title we possess. That is the story of this unnamed man, doing the work of God in the name of Jesus. Should we not all praise God for anyone who is doing the work of God in the name of Jesus? What matters of the title, what matters of any distinction other than being a child of God, a follower of Jesus? So then let us all be about doing the work of God in His name.