Whoever is not Against Us is for Us

Gospel Reflection for May 22, 2024

St. Augustine, Courtesy of Wikipedia

We hear in the Gospel for today a familiar injunction:

“John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us." Mark 9:38-40.

It would seem, at first glance, that the words of Our Lord are contradicting another Gospel account which reads:

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Matthew 12:30

It is very easy to take these two gospel passages and attempt to put them at odds with each other and find contradiction. This is a common desire for those who seek to debunk the gospel accounts of Christ. But we can look a bit deeper and see that there is not a contradiction, in reality, they are actually in harmony with one another.

St. Augustine aids us in this:

“Both declarations are true: that “he who is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad”; and also, the injunction, “Forbid him not; for he that is not against you is for you.” This means that one fittingly shares in the worshiping community insofar as one stands with the whole church, and not against it. Yet those same individuals must be reproached for separating themselves from the church, wherever their gathering inadvertently becomes a scattering. If, then, one seeks reconciliation with the church, one does not need to receive what one already possesses, but merely needs to be set aright on those points at which one had gone astray.”¹

The desire of Christ is that all be unified with His one Church. This is a desire that cannot be neglected, but in the case where one stands with the church against its enemies, finds in the Church, an ally. Today’s world is an example of this. The darkness in the world is ever surrounding those of good will and it will be through Christ that the final victory comes.

With that being said, St. Augustine does have an eye toward unity in the above quote. He speaks of those seeking reconciliation with the Church not needing to receive what they already possess. This, in the context against the Donatists, is in reference to Baptism. Once someone has received a valid baptism, the indelible mark can never be erased. Essentially, they never cease belonging to Christ though they may reject Him. This means that the road to reconciliation is always open as long as the person is living and can repent.

Practically, today, we can see this as an affirmation of our separated brethren in the Protestant Ecclesial communities. Most have a valid baptism as long as it was done with water and the Trinitarian Formula. Thus, they “need not receive what one already possesses” but they must “be set aright on those points at which one had gone astray.”

We live in a world that is increasingly hostile to the Christian message. Look no further than recent commencement addresses. Now is the time to unite under Christ’s one church in virtue of the Baptism that we share. He who is not against us is for us, and yet, we have to still remain vigilant so that the gathering does not intentionally scatter.

1. St. Augustine of Hippo, On Baptism, Against the Donatists.