In today’s Gospel one of Jesus’ disciples, John, wants to protect his “tuft” and restrict where and how God can work: “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Acting like he is protecting Jesus, John is actually showing jealousy and intolerance. Throughout Christian history, we have seen evidence of this same jealousy and intolerance in such expressions as “outside the Catholic Church you cannot be saved” or “unless you are born again, you cannot be saved.” God just laughs at such arrogance and asks, “who are you to tell me where and how I can save?” As we heard in last Sunday’s Gospel Jesus’ response to such jealousy and intolerance is “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.” (Luke 6:37).
Jesus’ response to John’s intolerance in today’s Gospel is a call not to restrict this person who is doing a good thing: “Do not prevent him…For whoever is not against us is for us.” God’s desire is for us to be inclusive not exclusive. Jesus teaches that it is not up to us to judge, separate, or exclude. Our job is to allow the weeds and wheat to grow together and to haul in every kind of fish. Jesus will separate but only at the end of time:
“Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” (Matthew 13:40-42)
“Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” (Matthew 13:49-50)
It is not up to us to judge or separate because God alone knows the human heart as we hear in the prayer for the dead in the Eucharistic Prayer at mass:
“Remember also those who have died in the peace of your Christ and all the dead, whose faith you alone have known.” (Eucharistic Prayer IV).
Those who have died in the “peace of your Christ” are professed Christians but there are others “whose faith” is known to God alone. As Jesus teaches in today’s Gospel, God’s love is inclusive: “For whoever is not against us is for us.”
Image: “Author, Date, FreePik [AI image generator], “Jesus Preaching,” CC-0, https://www.freepik.com/premium-ai-image/jesus-christ-gesturing-preaching-large-crowd-people-while-seated_338737194.htm.