The Anonymous Man
How would you answer the following
true or false question? Jesus and his apostles were the only ones who
preformed miracles while he was on this earth. If we were to insert
that question on a standard Bible quiz, I dare say that a high
percentage of participants would give “True” as their answer. But they
would be wrong! In the Gospel that bears his name, Mark records an
incident involving an anonymous man who was casting out devils in
Jesus’ name. Its significance is both instructive and encouraging.
The apostle John brought up the
incident during a private house meeting, saying: “Master, we saw one
casting out devils in thy name, and he followed not us: and we forbad
him, because he followeth not us” (Mark 9:38). The verb tenses paint a
colorful picture of the encounter. The verb “casting out” is a present
participle, signifying that John and his cohorts likely witnessed not
one but several exorcisms. The verb “forbad” means “to hinder or
restrain” with a view to curtailing or stopping the activity. The tense
is imperfect—continuous action in past time. So, the anonymous man
continued to cast out demons from his beleaguered countrymen while the
apostles kept on insisting that he curtail his ministry and join their
ranks. The anonymous man apparently considered the emancipation of
sinners of greater import than a token association with John and the
boys, and therefore went about his business...to their chagrin.
Now we know two things to be true of
any man or woman who is casting out devils in Jesus’ name. First, that
individual is operating in faith. Secondly, he or she is operating in
the power of the Spirit! Or to say it another way, they live as did
Stephen, a man “full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost” who “did great
wonders and miracles among the people” (Acts 6:5, 8). Or as Barnabas,
who was a “good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith”
(11:23-24). Barnabas was a preacher par excellence. He “exhorted” the
disciples at Antioch to “cleave unto the Lord with purpose of heart”
with the result that “much people was added unto the Lord” (11:23).
That, my friend, is effective ministry—an effectiveness that is absence
from the great majority of churches across America!
Could it be that the faith and Holy
Ghost power that accentuated the ministries of Stephen, Barnabas, and
the anonymous man are absent from ours? The reason sinners are not
being added to the Lord is probably because saints are not cleaving to
the Lord! The point is this unnamed man, while an annoyance to the
apostles and anonymous to us, shared a kindred spirit with Stephen and
Barnabas!
Two questions come to mind. First,
what made the apostles think that this man would be better off in their
company? This is the same crowd that Jesus had referred to as
“faithless” and admonished for their lack of spiritual discipline in
the areas of “prayer and fasting” (9:19, 29). Moreover, they had been
engaged in a petty, self-serving squabble about “who should be the
greatest” (9:34). Our anonymous man was operating on a higher spiritual
plane than the apostles, and did well to reject their offer. He had
already learned what the apostles had yet to learn at Pentecost—that
experiencing and enjoying God’s presence and power was not restricted
to the physical presence of Christ!
Secondly, when did the anonymous man
establish his faith connection with the Lord Jesus? While there is no
definitive answer, Mark appears to have provided a hint in the same
chapter. Remember the earlier dialogue Jesus had with the father of the
demon-possessed son from whom the disciples were unable to cast out the
dumb spirit? The father asked: “If thou canst do anything, have
compassion on us, and help us” (9:22). Jesus rejoined: “If thou canst
believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (9:23). Jesus
was telling the father in no uncertain terms that faith in him and the
power of his name was the trump card for apostolic impotence! In other
words, your faith could have gotten the job done without my personal
presence or any help from my personal assistants. I believe our man was
in the crowd that day, heard our Lord’s words about the primacy of
faith, and ventured out with an unfettered vision founded upon the word
of Christ!
Do you and I have a problem being
anonymous? Are we willing to be anonymous with men while being approved
of God? Living by faith and being filled with Holy Ghost power is not
an apostolic privilege. It is as readily available to those of us who
labor in obscurity as it is to those who appear to be pillars in the
church. That unnamed man was an outsider from an apostolic perspective,
but an insider from the only perspective that really counts—God’s!
It is said that prayer is the key to
heaven, and faith unlocks the door. May the Lord Jesus grant us grace
to embrace faith afresh, and to open as many kingdom doors for God’s
glory as did Stephen, Barnabas, and the anonymous man!
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