Mark 9:36-38 - Receiving a child

9:36,37

Jesus then took a child  in His arms. A child was thought to be of little importance. Not in the sense of not caring for them. Several of the healing incidents involved parents being concerned about their children, and the well-being of children was very important indeed. But if getting on in the world was your aim, then welcoming a child was not going to help much. Clearly the kissing babies by politicians thing had not arrived on the scene yet. But if we welcome someone when there is no advantage to us, we are welcoming Jesus. We are doing what Jesus would do. More than that, we are welcoming the one who sent Jesus, ie the Father. So note the almost throwaway reference to the divinity of Jesus. He was sent by the Father, something that John’s gospel majors on.

9:38

There is a section heading here in NIV, but what is said here would seem to follow on naturally from the previous verse. John asks about someone who is casting out demons in Jesus name who was not “one of us”. Now the disciples have just been rebuked by Jesus, and it may be that John is trying to deflect attention away from them on to something else. We all feel better if we can find someone else who is getting in trouble! It is interesting that the disciples were not the only ones casting out demons in Jesus name. It may also be the case that the disciples were a bit aggrieved at their earlier failure to deal with the demon in the boy.