46 And there arose a reasoning among them, which of them was the
greatest. 47 But when Jesus saw the reasoning of their heart, he
took a little child, and set him by his side, 48 and said unto
them, Whosoever shall receive this little child in my name
receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that
sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same is great.
49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out
demons in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not
with us. 50 But Jesus said unto him, Forbid _him_ not: for he that
is not against you is for you.
This was no new dispute in which the followers of Jesus were engaged. The
question was as to which of them should be the greatest in his Kingdom.
There was something admirable in the discussion, for it revealed their
faith. To them the Master was yet to be King of kings and Lord of lords,
and they desired to have places nearest to his throne. Our conception of
his Kingdom may be more correct, but if its glories were as real to us as
they were to them, if we had faith enough to see this Kingdom in its real
importance, we, too, might at times question what our relative places in
this Kingdom are or will be.
However, Jesus rebuked them, for there is no place for pride among the
followers of Christ. Our nearness to him is not won by selfish effort or
granted by arbitrary decree; it is conditioned upon the humble service we
may render in his name. “He took a little child, and set him by his side;”
not because a child is a picture of humility—most children are
self-conscious and absurdly proud—but because the care of a child is a
symbol of humble service, and it was this spirit which Jesus praised. To
care for a child, or for men and women who like children are in need of
our help and sympathy and support, if done for the sake of Christ and in
the name of Christ, is a service rendered to the Master himself and not
only to him but also to his Father. The willingness to undertake such
humble service is the measure of true greatness.
The mention of service in the mind of the Master reminded John of a recent
incident which he felt to be quite to his credit; so “John answered and
said, Master, we saw one casting out demons in thy name; and we forbade
him, because he followeth not with us.” There was something admirable in
the spirit and action of John. He was so devoted to Christ that he wished
everyone professing his name to join the company of disciples, to live and
to labor and to suffer with them. There is always something admirable in
loyalty to a denomination or a sect. If one has found what he believes to
be the highest form of Christian life and service, if one feels that he is
treading the surest and shortest road to heaven, it is certainly
commendable in him to wish others to share his peculiar blessedness.
Jesus, however, rebuked him, and said, “Forbid him not: for he that is not
against you is for you.” After all, there is no place for bigotry among
the followers of Christ. We may love and admire our sect or society, but
we are never to stop the work of a fellow Christian however much he may
differ from us. There are only two questions to ask: First, Is he casting
out demons? That is to say, is he really accomplishing good? Second, Is he
doing the work in the name of a divine, crucified, risen Christ? If so,
“Forbid him not.” We must not expect all Christians to repeat the same
creed or to enjoy the same ritual or to accept the same polity or to
employ the same methods of work. We should remember the word of the
Master, “He that is not against you is for you.”