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BE AT PEACE (MARK 9:38-51)

REFLECTION
“Be at peace” is the theme for our reflection. To be at peace means to be in state of harmony with others or to avoid engaging in conflict with other people. Jesus admonished His disciples to be at peace with others and support others to focus on His mission in the world.

We must be at peace with others who may not share the same Christian fellowship with us but also believe and fellowship with Christ. This is the essence of ecumenism. Eccumenism means although we may have diverse churches and expression of Christianity, we are united through our faith and salvation in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is for this reason, when John said to Jesus, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” (Mark 9:38), Jesus replied, “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:39-40). In other words, Jesus’s ministry did not only involve the twelve disciples. Other people through Jesus’s teaching and personal encounter came to believe in Him, therefore, were able to drive out demons or healed through the flawless name of Jesus. We are greatly encouraged to live at peace with anyone who calls on the name of Jesus although the person may not be a member of our church. In addition, Jesus’ plan is that those who believe in Him and live at peace with on another must support each other in sustaining and promoting His universal mission of spreading the Gospel to save the dying and the perishing. It is for this purpose, Jesus assured His disciples and anyone called to be involved in His mission, “Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. (Mark 9:41). In other words, anyone who contributes to the furtherance of the Messiah’s mission by supporting the Church shall be rewarded. We can only live at peace with one another, work together and support Jesus mission in the world through the spirit of ecmenism or unity in diversty. Jesus has saved and called us from different nations, ethnic group, race and class to be come one big fellowship or Church so that we can work together to win the world of for Christ through ecumnism, mission and evangelism.

If we seek to live at peace with one another through unity in diversity then we must please Jesus in our speech and conduct as Christians so that we do not become a stumbling block to new believers or converts who yearn to be discipled into the perfect image of Christ. Sometimes our action as Christian leaders or believers can cause other we may call “baby Christians” to stumble. The Church universal and for that matter, church leaders and believers in different Church denominations must desist from attitude or actions that may create disunity, tension or disaffection in the body of Christ. These actions or attitudes may become a source of temptation to ourselves and other believers thereby causing us to lose our salvation. Jesus cautioned us to watch our actions by disciplining or controlling our hands and feet which symbolise actions that may be detrimental to the growth of the church. Again, Jesus warned us to be watchful of the lust of the eye so that we are not inclined to worldliness thereby drawing ourselves and others into the temptation and destruction of materialism. The penalty for leading a brother or sister into destruction is capture in Mark 9:42 when Jesus said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” Again the penalty for falling into the temptation ourselves is hell as captured in Mark 9:42-48. In other words, we shall experience a double agony if we fail to promote peace and also the spiritual welfare of other believers in the church. Beloved in the Lord, we must be on guard and consciously seek to do the will of God in our lives and that of others, for Jesus said, ” “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other. (Mark 9:50). Paul also encouraged us in his letter to the Romans, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” (Romans 12:17-19) In other words, regardless of the challenges and temptations in the world and even in the church, our core business a believers in the world is to promote peace and adhere to the great comission by preaching the Gospel for the salvation of many as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28: 18-20

In summary beloved in the Lord, we have been saved and called to participate in God’s mission in the world as agents of peace and the propagation of the Gospel. We must hold on to the teachings of Christ so that we do not become a stumbling block to other believers and also desist from any inclination that will lead us into temptation and hell. Let us live an impactful life as salts and remain agents of peace in the world for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and our salvation. Shalom.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit empower us to be the agent of peace and transformation in the world even as we await the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.