Does not follow us
“Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to hinder him because he does not follow us.” Luke 9:49
Does not follow us – Have you been a victim of the “not one of us” accusation? It’s a travesty, especially when it occurs among the followers of Jesus. That’s exactly what is happening here. The disciples think that they have an exclusive engagement with Jesus. If you aren’t “coming along in the midst of ” them, then you couldn’t possibly be a real follower of the Master. The Greek makes it pretty plain. The phrase is long but the important words are “not” (ouk) and “accompany” (akolouthei). According to the disciples, if you didn’t accompany them, you were automatically excluded. No one could really be a Jesus-follower unless that person did it their way.
There’s more than one lesson here. Of course, if this has ever happened to you, you know how wrong it is. Followers of Jesus are followers of Jesus. It is the relationship to Him that matters, not my assessment of your inclusion in my particular group. Jesus straightens them out. If someone exhibits the behavior of a follower, then he or she is one of us no matter what group he happens to accompany. That’s the first lesson.
The second lesson is this: Who are you to decide who is a follower? If you make the mistake of excluding one who shows a life devoted to Jesus, have you really embraced Jesus’ prayer for unity (John 17)?
There is a third point. The disciples were anxious to stop the efforts of someone outside their circle because they were focused on who gets the credit. “We can’t have those others demonstrating the power and glory of God. After all, that would make us look bad.” Jesus recognizes pride in all its subtle forms. But many times we don’t. What Jesus says is this: if the “others” are advancing my kingdom, they are part of us. There are only those who serve me and those who don’t. In my kingdom, every servant is loved and cherished equally.
Is that how you see it? Are you thrilled by the devotion of those who don’t share your Christian “identification tags” because they are in the “wrong group”?
