Does God love everyone?
I’d like to be able to leap to a quick affirmative, but if that’s such an easy question to answer, why are Christians so divided in the response? Last week at the Thursday dinner for the homeless, the preacher pointed out with some regret, what was to him an indisputable fact: Only Christians will be saved from an eternity in hell. While the speaker and his companions were doing all they could to save a few, God’s love can only be counted on to go so far, and many would not be saved. Regrettable, but you can’t expect more from God.
Now, I’m probably letting my basis show as I report that story. But even Jesus does not give simple answers on this subject. In the Gospel story today, his answers go two directions at once. Perhaps looking for approval, the disciple John tells Jesus that they saw someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name, but told him to quit because he was not part of their group. But where John sees a rival, Jesus sees a future ally, This outsider is able to do the signs of life that for Jesus symbolize God’s reign. Jesus sees the Gospel being demonstrated outside of his own ministry. He’s not questioning this outsider’s credentials or testing his theology. He sees no need to claim copyright or even control over his own name. Good is being done, and that is enough. The Kingdom of God is bigger than Jesus’ own ministry. #inclusive!
But the story goes on, and with no real reason for a change of subject, Jesus suddenly starts talking about who gets excluded. Again, the issue isn’t orthodoxy, it’s behavior. Those who get in the way of the faith of others will find no place for themselves in the Kingdom. The exclusive message continues with graphic instructions for staying on the sinless path, and the high cost of straying. Why is Jesus suddenly being so uptight and demanding?
What if Jesus isn’t changing the subject? Remember that John was objecting to this outsider exorcist simply because he wasn’t part of Jesus’ traveling crew. In Jesus’ name the exorcist did exactly what Jesus does on his own, and just as successfully. Busy objecting to the man’s credentials, John apparently didn’t see that. Maybe Jesus is pointing out that serious omission. Missing this sign of life, John misses God’s message. Life’s victory, evil’s destruction–John missed the whole party. If he keeps this up, pretty soon he won’t be able to see God at work around him at all. Jesus’ advice: You might want to do whatever it takes to avoid making that mistake again.
#exclusive? Just the opposite. Jesus is found wherever life wins. To go back to that exclusive sermon: for me, this message brought up all sorts of issues. But to one of the homeless clients, for whom the sermon was intended, it was just what she needed to hear. The possibility of forgiveness and love contained in what I saw as an exclusive message she found inspiring and renewing. Hope awakened for her, thanks to this preacher. Could it be that Jesus is even more inclusive than I thought? Much like John rejected the outsider casting out demons, I was ready to argue theology and Biblical understanding, but what good would that discussion have done? Would an argument have helped that audience hear the Gospel? Salvation is bigger than either I or the exclusive preacher realize. Jesus can use both of us in getting his message across, and the point is to not stand in the way. Both of us, the liberal and the fundamentalist, belonging and serving the Kingdom–that’s a #inclusive sign we were didn’t expect.
How big do you think Jesus’ message can be? Where and how have we closed our eyes to the possibility of his presence?