Insider vs. Outsider Mark 9:38-50
This morning as you enter church and look around you will notice that Pastor Larry is not here. You may be asking am I in the right place or am I an “insider or outsider.” In the Gospel text for today we hear the Apostle John reporting to Jesus “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” I wonder what was going on in the disciples’ minds.
In the first part of chapter 9 right after Jesus, Peter, James and John came down from the mountain just experiencing the transfiguration they hear the men of the law arguing with the disciples about how a demon couldn’t be cast out of a boy. The insiders were not able to cast out the demon. Now they witness this outsider casting out demons. Jesus reminds them if he is for us he cannot be against us. This morning we will hear how we are outsiders but by God’s grace we are insiders.
