Mark 9:38-40

Today the evangelist Mark speaks to us about the driving out of demons in the Name of Jesus.

The apostle John saw someone who did not follow Jesus and who was driving out demons in His Name. John told the Master that the apostles had prevented him from doing such a thing.

But Jesus did not see a problem with someone performing a mighty deed in His Name, because such a person would not speak ill of Him at the same time. And Jesus concluded by saying that whoever was not against them was for them.

In the Jewish mentality of that context, a person's name was not just a word, a proper noun. The name represented a person's mission. It was something sacred like the human being itself, and deserved all respect. It was like invoking the person's life force.

When it came to the Name of God, this mentality was even more radical. The second commandment was "not to take the Name of the Lord your God in vain." God's Name was His very Person, His life force. For this reason, the Jews said "Lord" when referring to "God", to preserve His holy Name.

The ancient religions swore falsely by their deities, justifying their lies and injustices before the people. God wanted this not to happen among the Jews.

It is worth remembering that the name "Jesus" meant "God saves" in Hebrew. And driving out demons means bringing a person closer to God, distancing them from the influence of evil, enabling them to once again think and act consciously, under the light of faith.

John and the other apostles were concerned about the trivialization of the Name of Jesus by those who did not follow Him. At the same time, this attitude of the apostles could indicate a desire to have exclusivity over Jesus.

But the Master had an open mind and heart. He knew that mighty deed would only be authorized by God for people who spoke well of Him and who believed in Him.

Unfortunately, there are Christians with closed minds and hearts who, following the example of John and the apostles, still today forbid the Name of Jesus from being invoked by non-Christians, as if they had exclusive rights. Let us learn from the Master: whoever is not against us is for us. We do not have exclusive rights over Jesus.

But, yes, starting with ourselves, let us honor the holy Name of Jesus, the "God saves", and let us not allow it to be used in vain, to justify lies and injustices. This is a grave, mortal sin. May all evil be expelled from among us and from within us.

Local: Springfield, MA, EUA

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