This article is from Issue 8, Called to be Witnesses
By N. W. T
Now John answered Him, saying,
“Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name,
and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”
But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name
can soon afterward speak evil of Me.
For he who is not against us is on our side.”
(Mark 9: 38-40)
We do not know much about this man mentioned, but he had evidently been among the multitudes watching Jesus and his disciples casting out demons and healing the sick. He had taken knowledge of Jesus.
The first thing we notice about this man is that he stepped out in faith believing. He acted upon his knowledge of Jesus in seeing and hearing. The teachings of Jesus were quickened unto him; he embraced every word and then acted upon them. Through this man’s faith, liberty was brought to souls in the name of Jesus. What a lesson for others to follow. Step out in faith believing! Jesus was pleased with this man’s faith. Remember, faith must have works or it is none existent. Faith without works is dead, simply dead. John 1:12-13 reads: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” This man had received Jesus and believed on His name..
Notice, this man, knowing what he was able to do in the name of Jesus, did not promote himself by coming to Jesus and asking to be part of the inner crowd so that he could be on the cutting edge of the ministry team. No! That was not in his heart at all. He was happy to serve God in the background in a place of obscurity; he did not sound a trumpet before him as the hypocrites do. He lived only to manifest the glory of God and he pointed men and women to Jesus and worked miracles in that name.
Let us remember the words of Nicodemus when addressing Jesus calling him Rabbi: “We know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:2). That is a powerful and profound statement: “except God be with him.” What an observation here! We can also recognise that God was with this man though he was not numbered with the immediate disciples of Jesus. He accepted and then acted upon the teachings of Jesus.
This is an incident where the disciples saw one casting out demons in the name of Jesus and the response of the disciples was to forbid him because he did not follow with them.
The religious hierarchy in Jerusalem forbid the apostles to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. It was pride and arrogance on their part; they wanted to recover the ground of influence they had lost over the people. This reminds me of the Church of England at the time of John Bunyan, forbidding him to preach the word of God because he was not commissioned or recognized by them as a minister.
It is the establishment that very often troubles the work of God. Jesus instantly said “forbid him not: for there is no man that shall do a miracle in my name which can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part” (Mark9:38-40). The message of Jesus to any establishment today is still the same, “forbid him not!” In other words, leave him alone and let him work in My name for the Kingdom of God.
Taken from Life on the Altar Publication
Issue 8 Spring 2023
LIFE ON THE ALTAR 