In Luke 9:49-50, we find a rather strange account. John sees a guy casting out demons in Christ’s name and tells him to stop. He tells the Lord that he did this because the guy “does not follow with us.” The word follow is a discipleship word. The guy was not one of the inner circle of disciples. 

This conversation immediately follows a dispute among the disciples about who was the greatest among them (Luke 9:46). The Lord tells the disciples that if they want to be great, they need to receive, in Christ’s name, those who are insignificant, such as the child He uses as an example. 

Luke wants us to connect these two accounts. After Jesus tells the disciples that those who accept such insignificant people in His name will be great in His kingdom, v 49 begins, “Now John answered.” John is addressing, in some way, what Jesus just taught. 

The man who cast out demons was one of those insignificant people. We don’t even know his name. But he was serving “in Christ’s name” (v 49). The disciples were told to accept people like him “in Christ’s name” (v 48). 

John and the other disciples were arguing about which one of them would be greatest in the kingdom. This man was the kind of believer they needed to accept if they wanted to be great. Instead, they were forbidding him from doing what he was doing. Forbidding him from serving the Lord is the opposite of receiving him in Christ’s name. 

But Christ receives believers who do His work, regardless of how insignificant they might appear. When Jesus used the child as an illustration, He took him and “set him by Him” (v 47). The child was close to the Lord. When Jesus spoke of this man, He said he was “on our side” (v 50). This was another way of saying that he was beside the Lord, doing His work. 

One of the main lessons from this incident involving the unknown man is that we, as believers, can become focused on ourselves. The disciples were worried about which one of them would be the greatest. If John understood what the Lord was saying about serving those who are insignificant, he brought up the unknown man because he was seeking clarification. Surely, the Lord could not mean that John and the others were to serve this unknown person who was not part of their group. 

This guy was following the Lord. He was a disciple. He was at the Lord’s side. Instead of hindering him, they should have been encouraging him. 

And here is the lesson we can easily overlook: They wanted to be great in the kingdom. They should have desired that this man be great as well.  

As believers who understand the importance of rewards, we can miss this critical point. Seeking to be great in Christ’s kingdom is a godly desire. But our prayer should be that the believers around us reign with Christ, too.  

Like the disciples, we can focus on our own individual progress and overlook the well-being of those around us. We can even harm the spiritual progress of others. Instead of forbidding this man from serving the Lord, they should have received him, just as Christ received the child and the man. 

Let’s pray for the believers in our lives, that they would be great in the kingdom of God. Then, let us do all we can to make that a reality. When the Lord comes, He will reward such an attitude.