Whoever is not against us is for us (Mk 9:38 - 43, 45,47- 48)
The Lord Jesus teaches us in the Gospel a completely different view of people than is usually the case in our approach to them: For whoever is not against us is with us! (cf. Mk 9:40). We, on the other hand, are afraid of the otherness of people. It is very easy for us to criticize, point out mistakes, be indignant at their behavior ... We are looking for accusations against them in order to obtain confirmation of our criticism.
In this way, we actually set a different criterion: whoever is not with us is against us! Perhaps, it would not be a tragedy yet if the pronoun "we" were referring to ourselves. In the Gospel of St. Luke is spoken by the Lord Jesus, which means the fellowship of the disciples with Himself: "We" as much as the disciples of Jesus with Him as the Master. And if we look the same way, "the one who is not with us" means people outside the Church and outside Christ. There is something tragic about this: people who are different from us are not Christ's and are thus destined to damnation! Unfortunately, it seems that this is the approach that we often encounter today. This, however, is not in line with the teaching of the Lord Jesus. He teaches something else: Whoever is not against us is with us (cf. Mark 9:40).
With the recognition of every man who is not against as a brother, the possibility of a real relationship with him begins. Let us remember the parable of the Good Samaritan. It was about explaining the concept of neighbor. Who is our neighbor whom we have a duty to love? It is every man encountered, regardless of his nationality, religious affiliation, etc. An anecdote tells about the master of the Spiritual Life who asked his disciples: "When does the night end and the day begins?" The students answered differently, looking for a criterion to define the beginning of the day: one said that when the sun rises, another that when a man already distinguishes a man from an object etc. Finally, the master said: " When a person begins to recognize his brother in the face of another person, the real night ends and the day begins ". This story is completely consistent with what the Lord Jesus said.
In today’s Gospel I am struck by the discrepancy between Jesus' tolerance and openness and the mentality of his disciples.
Jesus' disciples, who recently found themselves powerless in the face of an unclean spirit, now criticize the man who does so in the name of Jesus because he is not part of their group. A similar event took place in the life of Moses (cf. Numbers 11: 24ff). When he complained about excess responsibilities, God instructed him to choose seventy elders to whom he had communicated his Spirit. From then on, they were to bear responsibility for the people with Moses. When Joshua later jealously reports to Eldad and Medad that they prophesied even though they were not present at Pentecost, Moses replied, " Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!" (cf. Numbers 11:29).
The Holy Spirit guides everyone differently. He works not only by the seventy elders but also by those who are "outside the tent"; He works not only through the Twelve but also through those outside the Church community. God's Spirit cannot be imprisoned. The Spirit is free. He is not bound by any ritual. It works outside of human structures.
Each of us has a mission and the necessary gifts to accomplish it. God's Spirit is at work in each of us, and everyone can prophesy — albeit in different ways. Christ and His Spirit are not only with one person or with one category of people. Jesus came to everyone. That is why he wants to tell us today: "Do not be jealous. On the contrary, rejoice that God's work can grow in others, including those who think and believe differently."
When speaking of the scandal of "the little ones", that is, the simple people, Jesus uses the verb that literally means "to cause sin", "to be a stumbling block". Faced with such a scandal, He portends a terrible punishment: drowning in the sea with a great millstone put around the neck. In the ancient world, it was the highest type of punishment. For it was believed that the spirits of drowned people forever hover over the waters in which they perished and will never be at peace.
In the face of such a cruel potential punishment, the action should be radical. Every opportunity for evil that may offend others should be avoided. Cutting off an arm, a leg or gouging out an eye should not be taken literally. Rather, it is a symbol of the difficulties we have to struggle with and grapple with on a daily basis. Anything that enslaves, leads to sin, takes away from love and causes scandal, must be rejected and avoided, that is, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of this life (cf. 1 Jn 2:16). In spiritual life, it is important to get to know ourselves, our weaknesses, and defects that cause further sins and, consequently, hell.
Sometimes people have such a mess in their heads that they no longer distinguish what is good and what is bad, because they have grown up in an environment where the hierarchy of values has been shaken. Therefore, it is important not only to remove the effects of scandals but, above all, their causes.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george