And those disciples who want to be the first in the service of Jesus learn from Him: They will only be close to their Lord if they treat people not "from above down", not from the height of their importance and authority, but in direct personal contact they take care of those for whom there is no time in the so-called "adult" life: "And he took the child, and embraced him."

The moral meaning of the episode narrated by Mark is clear. A child cannot contribute to a person's career, a child cannot give him material benefits. On the contrary, the child needs to be provided with material benefits, he needs to be given them, everything must be done for him. And Jesus says, "If a man welcomes the common man, who has no influence in society and needs help, he receives me; moreover, he accepts God Himself." And in this episode, a lesson for each of us. It is not difficult to seek the friendship and favor of influential and useful people, it is not difficult to ingratiate oneself with the influential and powerful of this world, and ignore modest people. All this is "natural" for a world in which the Darwinian "struggle for existence" reigns. In the Kingdom of God, it is different. In essence, Jesus is telling us to "accept," that is, to seek the company and acquaintance of not so much those people who can do something for us, as to seek out those for whom we can do something. It's difficult. But this is the service of Christ and God (Matthew 25:40), such is the order in His Kingdom. In the earthly kingdom the order is different. These orders are polar opposite, irreconcilable. And he who lives in the order of the Kingdom of God understands why the path of Jesus leads to the fact that in the "earthly kingdom" He is "delivered into the hands of men." Who, how, when, and over whom will be the first, the disciples of Jesus can seriously argue only as long as they hear Jesus' words about the necessity of His way, but do not understand its meaning. This understanding will not come to them soon, only after the Resurrection.

Discourse 22.

8. Who is for? Who is against?

9.38-41 — "And John said, 'Teacher! we have seen a man who casts out demons in Thy name, and does not follow us; and they forbade him, because he does not follow us. Jesus said, "Do not rebuke him, for no one who has done a miracle in my name can soon curse me." For he who is not against you is for you. And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ's, verily I say unto you, shall not lose his reward."

"The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men" (9:31), the disciples were told. Such is the way of their Master. They were thinking about something else, about which of them would be the first, higher than the others. But it is not only His disciples' desire to take first place that hinders a correct understanding of the way of Jesus Christ. The Evangelist Mark recounts another conversation between the disciples and Jesus, and names another reason for the disciples' misunderstanding of the path of their Teacher's sacrificial suffering.

Jesus Christ's ability to heal people who were thought to be possessed was so obvious and impressive that even His name became a magical word, like a spell. Thus, for example, we read in the Book of Acts:

"Even some of the wandering Jewish exorcists began to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, We adjure you by Jesus, Whom Paul preaches. This was done by some seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva" (Acts 19:13-14).

It is about the same incident that the Apostle John speaks in our Gospel: "At this John said: Teacher! we have seen a man who casts out demons in Thy name, and does not follow us; and they forbade him, because he does not follow us."

In those days, everyone believed that both physical and mental illnesses were nothing more than the harmful influence of specific demons. And there was one typical way to cast them out. If someone knew the name of a still stronger spirit and commanded the evil spirit to leave the person in his name, it was believed that the demon was already powerless to resist, for he could not withstand the power of a more powerful name. This is what we are talking about here. John tells of a man who used the name of Jesus to cast out demons. The apostles forbade him to do this because he was not part of their inner circle.

We must agree that the reaction of the apostles was understandable. For did not that strange exorcist steal from them what was most attractive and convincing to people about them – the power to give freedom from demons and heal in their name, their Master? Jesus is their Teacher! What right did this stranger have to usurp a place in their inner circle? Worse, didn't that miracle worker give the impression that belonging to the society of Jesus' disciples was not so important at all? And should not every honest person agree that it would be "more proper" to join the disciples of Jesus first and then operate in the name of their Master?

But the Master evidently thought otherwise: "Jesus said, 'Rebuke him not, for no one who has done a miracle in my name can soon curse me.'" In other words, it is a person's principled orientation toward Jesus that is decisive, not formal membership in the community of His disciples. For he who is inspired by Him and therefore does good cannot think and speak ill of Jesus so easily and quickly. And "he who is not against us is for us!"