Do not try to stop him, for anyone who is not against us if for us. The sending of the twelve on mission by Jesus took place not long after Jesus had appointed those whom he wanted to accompany him. As a matter of fact, in the Gospel according to Matthew, the appointing of the twelve and their commissioning took place at the same time (cf. Matthew 10:1ff). Jesus wanted the twelve to immerse themselves fully in the mission of proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, for as he had remarked earlier on, whereas the harvest was bountiful, the same could not be said about the laborers (cf. Matthew 9:37). The time had come for the twelve to join the labor force of the Lord. It was a development that must have excited the twelve as it afforded them the opportunity to put to “practice” all the things they were learning from Jesus. It gave them the opportunity to develop and hone their skills, so to speak. However, perhaps unbeknownst to the twelve, it was also an opportunity for them to get to know more about their identity and mission by living it. It was only by going on mission that the twelve came to know about the DOs and DON’Ts of their trade, some of which they had to learn the hard way. It is probable that the incident about which we read in today’s Gospel passage took place when the twelve were out on mission. The disciples had come across someone else casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Because this individual was not one of the twelve and probably was not a familiar face around their camp, they tried to stop him. Jesus did not approve of what they tried to do: “Do not prevent him, for there is no one who can drive out a demon in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me.”
The disciples’ attempt to stop the individual from invoking Jesus’ name was not out of malice. It was an understandable reaction from them. They were just trying to do what they thought was best for their “team.” They were a people of their time, and groups such as theirs were pretty much exclusive clubs. They might have interpreted their being set apart from an elitist point of view. They might have thought that Jesus had called them from among the people in order to make them “different.” In his response to their concern, Jesus reminded them of the goal of their mission. Jesus’ mission (as well as the disciples’) was to bring the scattered peoples of the earth into the profession of the one faith. Theirs was the responsibility of helping Jesus usher a kingdom where everybody was welcome, a kingdom not made of exclusive clubs. The sight of this unknown individual driving out demons in Jesus’ name should have been both a welcome sign and a cause for much rejoicing by the twelve. The twelve should have interpreted it as an indication that their proclamation of the good news was being met with success. As it turned out, it was a learning moment for them.
The disciples were still a long way from fully understanding the reason why Jesus had called them to himself. Just like we would do, the twelve longed for that day when Jesus would let them loose so that they could show him what they had learnt as well as what they were able to do. And even as they basked in the success of their first missionary endeavor, they came to realize that there was more to being a follower of Jesus than telling people about the kingdom of God or performing signs (cf. Luke 10:17-19). At any rate, even those who were not followers of Jesus could perform such signs. Rather, following Jesus in order to be his companion requires complete conformity to him (Jesus). It requires conforming one’s thoughts and attitudes to those of Jesus (cf. Philippians 2:5). The twelve might have learnt from Jesus how to preach the message of the kingdom. They might also have learnt from him how to work some signs. However, they were yet to conform themselves to him. They were yet to see things from the perspective of Jesus.
While the disciples were perhaps seeing in the individual someone who was competing with them, Jesus was seeing a fellow laborer in the vineyard of the Lord. The disciples saw in the man someone who was coming to steal the show from them. They wanted to keep to themselves this good thing that had happened to them. Perhaps they reasoned out that it was for the good of everyone if such knowledge and power was kept in the hands of a few. Jesus understood where they were coming from and took the opportunity to school them in a fraternal way on that for which they had signed up. There is no competition when it comes to working in the vineyard of the Lord. Although they might not be wearing a uniform, those who labor in the Lord’s vineyard are after the same goal: winning souls for the Lord.