2月25日

標　　題： 不要禁止他！

經　　節： 約翰對耶穌說：「夫子，我們看見一個人奉你的名趕鬼，我們就禁止他，因為他不跟從我們。」（馬可福音九章38節）

乍看之下，門徒致力維護耶穌事工的正統性，是值得讚賞的。他們發現有人不屬於自己一夥的，也奉主名趕鬼，就禁止他。然而，耶穌看透門徒假冒為善的真面目。那些門徒也被賜予趕鬼的能力（馬太福音十：8），但是他們卻失敗了（馬可福音九：28）。門徒在公眾面前無法趕出那害癲癇病孩子身上的鬼，一定覺得很丟臉。現在居然有人奉耶穌的名驅逐惡鬼，不但如此，這人根本不像他們一樣常常與耶穌在一起。他們原本應當關切自己為何缺乏屬靈的能力與生命力，他們應要為耶穌斥責他們小信而紮心自責（馬太福音十七：20）。然而，他們反倒是盯著別人看。他們不但不為自己的罪悔改，為自己靈性無力悲傷，反而想阻礙那些享受屬靈成功果實的人。有時候，小看他人屬靈的勝利，比誠實地正視自己的失敗，要來得容易。耶穌的反應一定令門徒很吃驚，祂說：「不要禁止他！」（馬可福音九：39）祂肯定地告訴他們：「不敵擋我們的，就是幫助我們的。」（40節）你是否學了這極重要的功課？你是否衷心地為他人的屬靈勝利而歡欣？對於那些以不同方式事奉主、或在其他基督教機構服事的弟兄姊妹，你是否予以鼓勵？

Do Not Forbid Him!

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us." (Mark 9:38)

At first glance, it appears a noble thing that Jesus’ disciples kept such careful guard over the orthodoxy of Jesus’ ministry. They found someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name who was not a part of their group and not under their control, and they demanded that he stop. Yet Jesus saw through His disciples’ hypocrisy. The disciples themselves had been given the power to drive out demons as well (Matt. 10:8), yet they had failed miserably (Mark 9:28).

How it must have embarrassed the disciples to have publicly failed to cast out a demon from a young boy. Yet, here was someone successfully exorcising demons who was not even regularly with Jesus as they were. They should have been concerned with their own lack of spiritual power and vitality. They should have felt convicted by their Lord’s stinging rebuke at their lack of faith (Matt. 17:20). Instead, they focused on others. Rather than repenting of their sin and grieving over their spiritual impotence, the disciples attempted to hinder someone who was enjoying spiritual success.

At times, it is easier to diminish others’ spiritual victories than to honestly confront our own failures. Jesus’ response to His disciples must have surprised them as He said, “Do not forbid him” (Mark 9:39). He assured them that “he who is not against us is on our side” (v. 40). Have you learned this vital lesson? Are you able to genuinely rejoice in the spiritual victories of others? Are you encouraging those who serve the Lord in a different way or who belong to a different group than you do?