“Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbadE him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not…”—Mark 9:38-39
Because of the specific ministry with which I am involved, I have had the opportunity not only to become friends with others in ministry but also to partner with them in outreach efforts. That makes sense, doesn’t it? People in ministry will, most likely, have friends in ministry. However, in Mark 9, we find a man doing ministry whom the disciples should have befriended, but didn’t. (Interestingly, it was “John, the beloved” or the “apostle of love” who led the criticism of this should-be friend.)
What was this guy’s problem according to John? Was he doing a different work than the disciples were doing? No, he was casting out devils, something the disciples had done before (though they were unable to do so not long before this). Was he using different methods? Perhaps, but it appears he was doing his work the same way the disciples had: “in thy [Jesus’] name.” So just what was John’s issue with this guy?
“He followeth not us,” John said. Twice. John passed up the opportunity to befriend another man in ministry, and even condemned his ministry, on the grounds of association and elitism. “He followeth not us.”
The “followeth not us” criticism comes in many varieties today. The “us” may be referring to an alma mater, or a city where a well-known church is located. Personalities and styles may dominate the discussion of “us.” “Us” may identify a group who adhere to a “checklist” of sanctioned church practices. However, when our ministerial friendships are based on anything other than the truth, they fall short of being Christ-centered. A.T. Robertson says of this episode, “One needs to know the difference between loyalty to Jesus and stickling over one’s own narrow prejudices.”
Just because someone didn’t graduate from your school or doesn’t attend the conferences at a popular Fundamentalist church, doesn’t make him an enemy of the gospel—and it shouldn’t make him your enemy either. He may not speak your “religious language” and he may not use all of your methods. He may use methods you don’t. Can’t you see all the “followeth not us” in those standards for friendship?
Now I am not advocating that we all go join the local ministerial association. Most of these associations disparage agreement on truth and pursue cooperation in spite of the truth. Christ-centered friendships (partnerships, associations) will center on the truth. Where there is agreement on truth, there can be association and cooperation: friendship. What John missed (and I wonder sometimes if we miss it too) is that our field of friends could be much wider if we didn’t narrow our vision of friendship based on association and elitism.