The Anonymous Man
How would you answer the following true or false
question? Jesus and his apostles were the only ones who preformed
miracles while he was on this earth. If we were to insert that
question on a standard Bible quiz, I dare say that a high percentage
of participants would give “True” as their answer. But they would be
wrong! In the Gospel that bears his name, Mark records an incident
involving an anonymous man who was casting out devils in Jesus’
name. Its significance is both instructive and encouraging.
The apostle John brought up the incident during a private house
meeting, saying: “Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name,
and he followed not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not
us” (Mark 9:38). The verb tenses paint a colorful picture of the
encounter. The verb “casting out” is a present participle,
signifying that John and his cohorts likely witnessed not one but
several exorcisms. The verb “forbad” means “to hinder or restrain”
with a view to curtailing or stopping the activity. The tense is
imperfect—continuous action in past time. So, the
anonymous man continued to cast out demons from his beleaguered
countrymen while the apostles kept on insisting that he curtail his
ministry and join their ranks. The anonymous man apparently
considered the emancipation of sinners of greater import than a
token association with John and the boys, and therefore went about
his business...to their chagrin.
Now we know two things to be true of any man or woman who is casting
out devils in Jesus’ name. First, that individual is operating in
faith. Secondly, he or she is operating in the power of the Spirit!
Or to say it another way, they live as did Stephen, a man “full of
faith, and of the Holy Ghost” who “did great wonders and miracles
among the people” (Acts 6:5, 8). Or as Barnabas, who was a “good
man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith” (11:23-24). Barnabas
was a preacher par excellence. He “exhorted” the disciples at
Antioch to “cleave unto the Lord with purpose of heart” with the
result that “much people was added unto the Lord” (11:23). That, my
friend, is effective ministry—an effectiveness that is absence from
the great majority of churches across America!
Could it be that the faith and Holy Ghost power that accentuated the
ministries of Stephen, Barnabas, and the anonymous man are absent
from ours? The reason sinners are not being added to the Lord is
probably because saints are not cleaving to the Lord! The point is
this unnamed man, while an annoyance to the apostles and anonymous
to us, shared a kindred spirit with Stephen and Barnabas!
Two questions come to mind. First, what made the apostles think that
this man would be better off in their company? This is the same
crowd that Jesus had referred to as “faithless” and admonished for
their lack of spiritual discipline in the areas of “prayer and
fasting” (9:19, 29). Moreover, they had been engaged in a petty,
self-serving squabble about “who should be the greatest” (9:34). Our
anonymous man was operating on a higher spiritual plane than the
apostles, and did well to reject their offer. He had already learned
what the apostles had yet to learn at Pentecost—that experiencing
and enjoying God’s presence and power was not restricted to the
physical presence of Christ!
Secondly, when did the anonymous man establish his faith connection
with the Lord Jesus? While there is no definitive answer, Mark
appears to have provided a hint in the same chapter. Remember the
earlier dialogue Jesus had with the father of the
demon-possessed son from whom the disciples were unable to cast out
the dumb spirit? The father asked: “If thou canst do anything, have
compassion on us, and help us” (9:22). Jesus rejoined: “If thou
canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”
(9:23). Jesus was telling the father in no uncertain terms that
faith in him and the power of his name was the trump card for
apostolic impotence! In other words, your faith could have gotten
the job done without my personal presence or any help from my
personal assistants. I believe our man was in the crowd that day,
heard our Lord’s words about the primacy of faith, and ventured out
with an unfettered vision founded upon the word of Christ!
Do you and I have a problem being anonymous? Are we willing to be
anonymous with men while being approved of God? Living by faith and
being filled with Holy Ghost power is not an apostolic privilege. It
is as readily available to those of us who labor in obscurity as it
is to those who appear to be pillars in the church. That unnamed man
was an outsider from an apostolic perspective, but an insider from
the only perspective that really counts—God’s!
It is said that prayer is the key to heaven, and faith unlocks the
door. May the Lord Jesus grant us grace to embrace faith afresh, and
to open as many kingdom doors for God’s glory as did Stephen,
Barnabas, and the anonymous man!
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