Living in Unity with other Christians

The disciples see or hear of a man, not one of them, who is doing working using the name of Jesus. This upsets the disciples, he’s an outsider! He’s not one of us!

Do you think Jesus didn’t know about this person using his name? We fully expect Jesus to hear us when we pray in his name today. He knew when the woman with the issue of blood touched him in a crowd. I think he probably knew all about this “outsider” already. But the disciples felt they needed to “Drop a dime” on him and report him to Jesus. Maybe they even thought Jesus would be happy or reward them for this!

But Jesus sets them straight and then warns them:

And whosoever shall be a snare to one of the little ones who believe [in me], it were better for him if a millstone were hung about his neck, and he cast into the sea.

Whoa! That sounds pretty serious, doesn’t it?

We tend to think of Jesus as Mr. Nice Guy, loving and forgiving and saying things like:

· Take no thought about what you eat or wear

· Don’t worry about tomorrow

· Today you will be with me in paradise

Nice sayings. Nice comforting words.

But today’s words sound very serious.

And whosoever shall be a snare to one of the little ones who believe [in me], it were better for him if a millstone were hung about his neck, and he cast into the sea.

Yikes! This verse sort of frightened me as a child. What a vivid visual image it provoked. That of someone being pulled down to the depths of the ocean by a large weight around their neck. Obviously, this is serious talk. We can tell that Our Lord Jesus takes this very seriously.

Jesus wants us to be tender with the young ones in Christ. The beginners in the Faith. The ones that are most impressionable to questionable doctrine. The ones with such promise, if they are not squelched by the traditions of man.

I used to think, “But I’m not a Missionary. I don’t really come in contact with anyone in this category of being young in the Faith”.

But I do. We all do. When teaching Sunday School I think of this verse. When visiting inmates in prison I think of this verse.

But also in our homes. Any families with children? This verse applies. Certainly to the kids, but sometimes also to our spouse who may be rather new in Christ. Or our in laws, cousins, etc. They may see our actions and words more often than they do the inside of a bible. When you look at it that way, it is indeed serious stuff.

The disciples wanted to mark the outsider as “wrong” or “different”. We understand that.

Jesus makes the case that all the believers are His. We are to care for each other gently. We are to accept others working in His name. We are to take care of the new growth in the church. It’s important to Him.

We understand this is opposite of what the world does. The world worries about clothes and fashion, food and diet, money in the bank and insurance. That’s about all it cares about.

We are to take the other road. We accept the person regardless of how they dress. We welcome the skinny and the fat (thankfully). We don’t count money as a way to measure a person’s value.

Oh - by the way - the disciples in this story are later changed to be really nice people. We know the end of the story. After the disciples fight

about which of them will be the top guy, and after they try to hold the children back from seeing Jesus, and after they start crying from fear in the boat during the storm, and after they run way when Jesus is arrested, tortured and crucified.

After they witness His resurrection and ascension into heaven. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, they change for the better. Legend says they all died as martyrs for the cause of Jesus, except for the possible exclusion of John, who may have died a natural death of old age.

The disciples were changed when they saw the risen Jesus. The old power struggles weren’t important anymore. The old fears of death were gone. Outsiders could be seen as brothers.

This still happens today, when we see the Risen Jesus in our lives. Let us remember Jesus as we partake in Communion, minutes from now.

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. (Romans 11:36)

May we all work together, as families and as a church, for his glory. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.