Many years ago, while serving with a parachurch ministry in South India, I heard a young pastor preach from the story of Zacchaeus. When Jesus looked up into the tree and said, “Come down, for I must stay at your house today,” the pastor interpreted it this way:
“Come down from the CSI tree, the Baptist tree, the Brethren tree. Come to our church, and then you will receive the blessing of Jesus.”
I was surprised.
Many years later, the same pastor, now one of the best-known pastors in the region, reportedly told a pastors’ seminar, “Never allow anyone except the pastor’s family to stand on the altar.”
The years had passed. The influence had grown. But the circle had not become any larger.
Why do sincere Christians build such small circles around such a big kingdom?
Jesus answers that question in Luke 9.
John’s Report
Immediately after teaching the disciples that greatness comes through service and childlike dependence (Luke 9:46–48), another incident follows.
John says, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” (Luke 9:49, NRSV)
Read John’s words carefully.
He does not say,
“He does not follow you.”
He says,
“He does not follow us.”
The issue was not Jesus.
The issue was the disciples.
There is another irony hidden in the passage. Just a few verses earlier, the disciples themselves had failed to cast out a demon (Luke 9:37–43). Now they encounter someone outside their group successfully doing what they could not do. Instead of learning from him, they stop him.
Perhaps John’s concern was not merely theological. Perhaps it was also jealousy.
Someone was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. The battle against evil was being fought. The kingdom was advancing. Yet John’s instinct was to stop the work because the man was not part of their company.
The Son of Thunder was thundering once again. Jesus, however, saw the situation very differently.
“Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:50, NRSV)
Parochialism is the belief that God works primarily through our group, our denomination, our tradition, our circle.
John viewed the kingdom as a private and privileged operation. Jesus saw it as God’s kingdom advancing toward its appointed goal.
That raises an uncomfortable question.
Do we want to REACH the world? Or do we merely want to be part of the world being REACHED?
Those are two very different ambitions.
When the Kingdom Becomes Our Property
Religious demographer Dr. Todd Johnson estimates that there are nearly 50,000 Christian denominations in the world today.
Think about that.
How much energy is spent proving that our translation is the only inspired one, our style of worship is the proper one, our posture in prayer is the biblical one, our denomination is the faithful one?
Meanwhile millions of people have never heard the name of Jesus.
Jesus reminds us that the real question is not whether someone belongs to our group.
The real question is whether they belong to Him.
How do we treat church planters, village evangelists, and first-generation believers whom God is using powerfully, even though they have never attended a theological college? Many of them have led more people to Christ than those of us with degrees on our walls.
Will we stop them because they are not part of our company?
Jesus says,
“Do not stop him.”
Joshua Had to Learn This Lesson Twice
Joshua struggled with parochial thinking too. The first occasion came while he was still serving under Moses.
When Eldad and Medad prophesied outside the tabernacle, Joshua immediately urged Moses, “My lord Moses, stop them!” (Numbers 11:28, NRSV)
Moses’ reply is one of the most generous statements in the Old Testament:
“Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29, NRSV)
Moses saw God’s kingdom.
Joshua saw the boundary.
Years later, after crossing the Jordan and standing before Jericho, Joshua encountered a mysterious warrior with a drawn sword. His immediate question revealed that he had not yet fully learned the lesson.
“Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?” (Joshua 5:13, NRSV)
The Commander of the Lord’s army replied,
“Neither.” What an astonishing answer!
God had not come to take Joshua’s side. Joshua had to come over to God’s side.
Joshua immediately fell on his face in worship. The issue was never whether God belonged to Israel’s camp. The issue was whether Israel belonged to God’s mission.
That is the turning point.
The Kingdom Is Bigger Than Our Circle
Anything that hinders true discipleship must be surrendered.
In this passage Jesus exposes one such obstacle: parochialism.
We often disguise it as doctrinal purity.
Sometimes we call it protecting the truth.
Sometimes we call it loyalty to our tradition.
But when it prevents us from recognizing God’s work beyond our own walls, it has ceased to be faithfulness and has become pride.
John’s problem was not that he loved Jesus too much.
His problem was that he loved his circle more than he loved the kingdom.
We still make the same mistake.
We draw circles around denominations, traditions, Bible translations, worship styles, theological systems, and ministry brands.
Jesus keeps drawing a much larger circle around his kingdom.
The question is no longer,
“Is he one of us?”
The better question is,
“Is he serving the same King?”
The Commander of the Lord’s army never joined Joshua’s side.
Joshua had to join His.
John had to learn the same lesson.
So do we.
The kingdom is far bigger than our little circles.
Let us not spend our energy guarding our fences when Jesus has called us to gather the harvest.
Part 2 of 3 — Three Temptations Every Disciple Must Resist