God's Work

The disciples have been travelling with Jesus and, along the way, he has been teaching them a number of things.  They have arrived in Capernaum and they are talking together about the lessons that Jesus was teaching them.  The disciples are really eager students.  They want to understand what Jesus is teaching them, but sometimes, their enthusiasm gets the best of them.

John – the brother of James, the son of Zebedee – says: Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to stop him because he was not following us (Mk 9:38).  We can almost hear the enthusiasm in his voice, mixed with a bit of hesitation, as if he’s trying to prove to Jesus that he’s done something really good, but at the same time, looking for his approval.  Have you ever encountered this situation in your own family, or in your workplace?  Have you ever found yourself in John’s position, eagerly trying to impress someone while at the same time hoping that you’re on the right track to understanding how things are supposed to be?

Poor John.  Can you imagine what he must have felt like when Jesus responded, not by saying: Right John, now you’re catching on.  No, Jesus replies in a surprising fashion.  He says: Do not stop him, for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me (Mk 9:39).  I can almost hear the disciples muttering among themselves: But what does he mean?  We’re the ones who he’s been teaching.  We’re the ones who have been learning about this new kingdom, we’re the ones who are supposed to be doing miracles, we’re the ones who he has chosen to be the leaders ... Their enthusiasm was getting the better of them, and Jesus had to stop them in their tracks.  He had to revise his lesson plan so he could help them to understand that the work God was calling them to do was much bigger than their own egos.

Human beings have always had difficulty grasping this concept:  the work that God is calling us to do is much bigger than our own egos.  Even in the time of the Prophets, when the Lord came down out of the cloud and took some of the spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders (Num 11:25), they were surprised that their ability to prophesy was limited ... but what was even more surprising was the fact that two other people, who were not among the elders, had also received the spirit of God and were able to prophesy (cf Num 11:26-27).  Here again, the work that God was calling the Israelite people to accomplish was much bigger than they could comprehend.

The same is true today.  When we look at our own lives, when we ask ourselves: what work does God want me to accomplish?, some of us might think that we have already done wonderful things: and we have.  Some of us might think that we’re retired and so it’s time to rest, but God’s plans for us are much larger in scope than we can comprehend.  This isn’t meant to scare anyone, but rather to keep us vigilant because God is full of surprises, but they are always accompanied with the gift of joy.  Ask God to show you what he wants you to do, and to give you the strength and the wisdom to accomplish it in his name.