Do not try to stop him, for anyone who is not against us if for us. In Mark 6:6bff, we read about the commissioning of the twelve. Jesus wanted the twelve to immerse themselves fully in the mission of proclaiming the good news, and so he sent them out in pairs. It was a development that must have exited the twelve, for it afforded them the opportunity to put to “practice” what they were learning from Jesus. It gave them the opportunity to develop their skills, so to speak. However, perhaps unbeknown to the twelve, it was also an opportunity for them to further learn about their identity and mission. It was by DOING that the twelve got 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 not a familiar face around their camp, they tried to stop him. Jesus did not approve of what they tried to do.
The disciples’ attempt to stop the individual was not out of malice. 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. They might have interpreted their being set apart in elitist terms, thinking 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. the fact that this individual was driving out demons in Jesus’ name was thus to be a welcome sign, for as Jesus told them, he wo was not against them was with them. it was an indication that their mission was being met with success.