Mark 9:38-40 – Dealing with intolerance

In verse 38, John, out of the blue, brought out an incident he and the other disciples encountered in the course of their ministry. He said to the Lord, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” That man appeared to be a believer of the Lord Jesus. It could well be that he was not as well-grounded as the Twelve but he was successful in whatever he was doing. The disciples could have told him repeatedly to stop doing what he was doing, but he refused to listen. And what was particularly eating them up was the fact that he was experiencing success. He was experiencing the power in using the name of the Lord Jesus. It’s the human tendency that when someone else appears to be more successful than us we think it shows us up. And that gnaws us.  

We may not know why John brought up this incident. It could well be the phrase “in my name” which Jesus mentioned in verse 37. And perhaps he was hoping to be approved by the Lord for doing what they did. But this is not important. Underneath the veneer of what John was saying the Lord could see His disciples’ attitude. There was jealousy and intolerance toward the success of others. They obviously did not remember that he had said,” If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and the servant of all.”    

So the Lord responded within the earshot of all his other disciples. He said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name and is soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us."

The point of the Lord is this: learn to appraise ministry rightly. Don’t just look at outward results. Don’t conclude too much from what appears on the exterior. Learn instead to recognize the truth it represents. If the name of Christ is acknowledged do not smother it, encourage it instead. Do not be jealous if success in the ministry of others is detected. Adopt a non-grudging, non-suspicious attitude but be discerning. Know that the ministry of others who had rightly exercised the name of the Lord can experience success. Rejoice when the name of Christ is glorified.