Mark 9:39Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It appears that the Lord may be expressing conflicting statements, as He also states: ‘He who is not with Me is against Me’ (Matthew 12:30). However, these words are directed towards demons that seek to lead people away from God and disrupt His kingdom, whereas in this instance, He refers to individuals who are guided to God through the miraculous works of others.

Both statements hold true: the one where He declares that whoever is not with Him stands against Him, and those who do not gather with Him are scattered (Matt. 12:30; Lk. 11:23), as well as the one where He states, Do not prohibit, for whoever is not against you is for you (Lk. 9:50). It is challenging to interpret this other than as the importance of being emboldened in upholding the name of Christ, which is in support of the Church, not in opposition to her. Those who gather and scatter should be seen as divisive; this way, when they approach the Church, their goal should not be to impose their existing beliefs, but instead to be cleansed of their misconceptions.

In battle, we should consider not just our allies who fight alongside us, but also those among our adversaries who refrain from attacking as having a degree of friendship. Similarly, the Word of God proclaims, "He who is not with you is against you."

When the Lord emphasized the significance of the messenger solely through the authority of the one who commissioned him, John, one of the early apostles, relayed an encounter he and possibly another had with an individual casting out demons in Jesus' name, though this person did not belong to their group, leading them to prohibit him from doing so. Such a naïvely honest admission! The Lord responded, “Do not hinder him: for no one who performs a miracle in my name will soon speak evil of me. Why do you, empowered by the same name, judge one another so differently? Though he does not associate with you, are you aware of his connection to me?

The inquiry posed by John, which disrupted the teachings of Christ, is not included by Matthew. However, it holds significant relevance in understanding the Lord's guidance in this context. During their journey of evangelism, the apostles encountered an individual who was casting out demons using the name of Jesus Christ. His ability to perform such miraculous acts in the name of Jesus indicates that he was indeed a believer and a follower of the Lord. Nevertheless, his lack of outward association with Christ suggests he was a clandestine disciple, akin to Nicodemus, who was hesitant to openly profess his faith. Yet, his profound inner connection to Christ was sufficient for him to be blessed with the gift of miracles.

Christ did not support their actions and provided guidance for their future endeavors. He declared, "Do not stop him (Mk. 9:39)," for anyone who performs a miracle in My name truly believes in Me; those who have faith in Me cannot be considered My adversaries, nor can they act in opposition to Me, at least for the time being. Should they later turn away from Me or if their faith becomes weakened, that concern lies in the future; however, in the present, they do not work against Me, and thus not against you; he who is not opposed to you is with you (Mk. 9:40).

Jesus replied, "Do not prevent it. Anyone who performs acts of compassion in Christ's name cannot tarnish that name. The one who is not opposing them is, in fact, supporting them."

‘For whosoever is not against you is for you’ highlights a further justification for allowing the emergence of faith in Christ, even beyond His immediate followers. The Lord and His disciples faced opposition from adversaries intent on thwarting their message; however, this individual not only refrained from opposing them but also advocated for the honor of Christ’s name. Therefore, there is no reason to prevent him from his actions.

At the mention of these words from Jesus Christ, the apostle John recalled a significant event, which he felt compelled to bring forward for evaluation: “Teacher, we observed a man using Your name to cast out demons, who does not follow us, and we stopped him because he was not in our company.” The Lord responded, “Do not rebuke him, for no one who performs miracles in My name can easily speak ill of Me; and he who is not against you is for you.” This individual likely had a nascent faith, yet he acted in accordance with his belief as best he could. In any case, his actions were not harmful, so there was no reason to hinder him.