“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. 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.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
“‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ [Isaiah 66:24]
Everyone will be salted with fire.
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
Jesus confronts his disciples again. They tell Jesus that they stopped some other people from driving out demons in Jesus’ Name.
I wonder why? What was their motivation? Was it to protect Jesus, or was it to maintain their perceived monopoly on Him?
Jesus is going to suffer and die, Jesus has now said this several times, but it has not yet sunk in.
In this section, Jesus is inviting his followers, and us, to consider a number of inner motives:
- Verses 38-40 is about God’s Kingdom and not our glory. Even an act as minor as a cup of water, done in Jesus’ Name should not be opposed.
- Verses 41-42 note that this work is not for our gain. Children, when you serve them, cannot give you prestige or money.
- Verses 43-48 he notes the supreme need for repentance and transformation.
All of these verses drive us back to what is happening in those inner places - our thoughts and motives.
We need to be continually turned towards Jesus. Looking at him in the face. It is not enough to turn away from sin. We turn to God. We follow. We keep in his presence. We keep atuned to him and what he is about.
In Psalm 51, David writes, “create in me ( O Lord) a clean heart”. David knows that he is incapable. Only God can change his heart.
That is both a one time and an on-going attitude. It's not a matter of trying harder to get things right. It's recognizing that we turn away from what God has already done in Jesus and go our own way. We need to swallow our pride, and return to Jesus, acknowledging that we try to do life on our own, rather than leaning and relying on him.
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