Whoever is not ….

Finish this phrase of Jesus: “Whoever is not ….” My mind goes to “whoever is not with me is against me (Matt 12:30)”.

Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, then drove out a demon. The Pharisees declared that Jesus’ power came from Beelzebub (the devil). Jesus’ comment is a judgement on both the demons and the Pharisees.

But it also functions as a word of exhortation to his disciples. Good trees bear good fruit. Be 100% with Jesus and for Jesus, bear good fruit – and you avoid judgement and enjoy eternal life.

There is something very binary about this incident. If you are not for Jesus, you are against him.

Let’s consider Mark 9:40: “…whoever is not against us is for us.” The context is different. The disciples have been debating about who among them is the greatest, when another would-be disciple drives out demons in Jesus’ name. The pronoun also differs – Whoever is not for me (Matthew) as opposed to us (Mark).

Jesus is informing the disciples they might not be so unique, and might have more allies than they appreciate.

Perhaps the biggest contrast between the two statements is the degree of exclusivity. In Matthew, if you are not in, you are out, whereas in Mark if you are not out, you could be in. In Matthew it’s either-or, whereas Mark leaves room for some middle ground.

Jesus’ words in Matthew read as be fully sold-out for Jesus, or go home. And there is a place for that. Recognise Jesus’ divine authority and power, and align yourself only with him. Any other narrative is a counter-narrative, and aligns yourself against Jesus and with the devil.  

Whereas the Mark line is more tempered. There is a place for that too. Sometimes, people who come from outside your immediate tribe or network, might not be your enemy. There are others out there who are not part of your clan, but they are pulling the same way and overcoming evil just as you are. “Do not stop him” Jesus tells his disciples