“He That Is Not against Us Is with Us” (Mark 9:38-40)

In this passage from the Gospel of Mark, we hear,

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:38-40).

Jesus teaches us that a person who performs miracles in his name, including the exorcism of a demon, recognizes Christ’s authority. Here we are reminded of the words of Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), which teaches that “many elements of sanctification” that are proper to the Catholic Church are operative, by God’s grace, “outside of its visible structure” and work “toward Catholic unity” (8).

In other words, as A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture provides on page 920,

The dispositions and faith of such a person may be imperfect, but his miracles are a commendation of Christ and his teaching. Unlike the Scribes and the Pharisees who were [seemingly] irreconcilable in their opposition, he is making common cause with the disciples.

And so we work with other Christians and others of goodwill wherever possible, and pray that we are ultimately all one as Jesus and the Father are one (John 17:20-23).