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MARK 9:38 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Mark 9:37Mark 9:39
“And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.”
Teacher, said John, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us — the interruption by John — one of the sons of thunder who wanted greatness — is ironic: immediately after the teaching about receiving the lowly, John reports that the disciples tried to stop someone doing the kingdom's work because he was not in their authorized group. The not one of us is the tribal exclusiveness that the kingdom's servant-of-all logic directly contradicts.

Church Fathers on Mark 9:38

John, loving the Lord with eminent devotion, thought that He who performed an office to which He had no right was to be excluded from the benefit of it.

Bede · 8th century

Or again, some unbelievers, seeing that the name of Jesus was full of virtue, themselves used it, and performed signs, though they were unworthy of Divine grace; for the Lord wished to extend His name even by the unworthy.

Theophylact · 11th century

We must take care that this saying of the Lord appear not to be contrary to that where He says, 'He who is not with Me is against Me.' [Luke 11:23] Or will any one say that the difference lies in that here He says to His disciples, 'For he that is not against you is on your part,' but in the other He speaks of Himself, 'He who is not with Me is against Me?' As if indeed it were possible [ed. note: St. Augustine has here quasi vero, instead of quasi non, which hardly makes…

Augustine · 4th century · de Con. Evan., 4, 5
Read all 9 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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Mark 9:38 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy