Who Is Not Against Us, Is For Us - A Deeper Dive

Outsiders vs. Insiders

In this week’s message, we looked at two related themes in Mark 9:38-50: treating others as outsiders and creating stumbling blocks. The passage opens with John telling Jesus about someone they saw driving out demons in Jesus’ name. John and those with him told the person to stop “because he was not one of us.” 

John sets the basis for the first theme, pointing out that the person driving out demons was not one of the twelve. Our human nature is to gather with those who are like us. We may be similar in age or share a common interest. Whatever the characteristic, humans form groups, sometimes with unintended barriers to entry. John exhibits a natural human inclination that results from our tendency to form groups: we are often wary of outsiders. 

Those looking from the outside have occasionally accused churches of being “closed” groups. On the inside, we are comfortable with each other. We have our routines and customs and know the expectations for being part of the group. But do we realize how much we don’t resemble Christ when we close ourselves off, even unintentionally, to the “outsider?” The message of Jesus Christ is universal. Who are we to determine who is an outsider and who is an insider? Jesus says to the disciples, “no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me.” In other words, when someone shares the universal belief that Jesus is Lord and Savior, they cannot be seen as outsiders, regardless of whether we personally know the person. 

We have learned throughout the years that extending hospitality to strangers is critical to the life of the church. Our purpose is to welcome all with no conditions. As believers, we must always be in service in Jesus’ name. Jesus reinforces this idea by telling the disciples, “Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” All who profess Jesus Christ are welcome.

But the potential division between insider and outsider is not limited to the church’s front door. For centuries we have seen division within the Church. The Apostle Paul addressed division in the early church in his first letter to the church in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-17). There were quarrels among the people as to whom they should follow. Should they follow Paul? Should they follow Apollos? Paul reminds them that Christ, the one they should be following, is not divided. Today we quarrel over church leadership, interpretation of scripture, and other issues that are not essential to our salvation. We tend to focus on what divides rather than what unifies: the love and grace of Jesus Christ.   

We at Ococee Oaks should take great pride in our willingness to extend hospitality to the stranger and not allow petty disagreements to create division.

Stumbling Blocks

Sometimes the division between insider and outsider creates stumbling blocks. Returning to this week’s scripture, Jesus warns those who cause his believers to stumble. All of us are prone to moments in our faith journey where we struggle. Temptations from a broken world are hard enough to resist. But, when someone - inside or outside of the faith - encourages us to give in to temptation, the pull is sometimes too much for us to ignore. Jesus teaches that those who cause others to sin face being permanently separated from God. 

But stumbling blocks are not limited to those created by others. Many times we create our own barriers to leading a righteous life. Anger, revenge, and judgment are examples of how we create our own stumbling blocks. In verses 43-48, Jesus provides graphic responses to the sin we are responsible for. 

Jesus concludes with a metaphor that appears throughout the Gospels. Salt not only adds flavor to the food we eat but, for the people in biblical times, it was an essential ingredient in preserving food. When Jesus tells his disciples to have salt among themselves, he reminds them of God’s faithfulness in keeping his covenant with his people (see Leviticus 2:13). Having spiritual salt among themselves is also a way to change the flavor of the world just as salt changes the taste of food. Finally, the metaphor is a call to protect the world from moral decay, just as salt protects food from spoiling.

Are we building blocks or stumbling blocks? Do we welcome the stranger, or are we wary of those we do not know? We are reminded daily that we cannot do anything by ourselves. But, with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ by our side, we can do all things. Those who are not against us are surely for us.