Chapter V.—Of the Statement Which John Made Concerning the Man Who Cast Out
Devils Although He Did Not Belong to the Circle of the Disciples; And of the Lord’s Reply,
“Forbid Them Not, for He that is Not Against You is on Your Part;” And of the Question
Whether that Response Does Not Contradict the Other Sentence, in Which He Said, “He
that is Not with Me is Against Me.”
6. Mark proceeds as follows: “In those days again,1603 the multitude being very great,
and having nothing to eat;” and so on, down to the words, “John answered Him, saying,
Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name, and he followeth not us; and we forbade
him.1604 But Jesus said, Forbid him not; for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my
name, that can lightly speak evil of me; for he that is not against you is on your side.”1605
Luke relates this in similar terms, with this exception, that he does not insert the clause, “for
there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name that can lightly speak evil of me.”
Consequently, there is nothing here to raise the question of any discrepancy between these
two. We must see, however, whether this sentence must be supposed to stand in opposition
to another of the Lord’s sayings, namely, the one to this effect, “He that is not with me is
against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”1606 For how was this man
not against Him, who was not with Him, and of whom John reported that he did not unite
with them in following Him, if he is against Him who is not with Him? Or if the man was
against Him, how does He say to the disciples, “Forbid him not; for he that is not against
you is on your side”? Will any one aver that it is of consequence to observe that here He
says to the disciples, “He that is not against you is on your side;” whereas, in the other passage,
He spoke of Himself in the terms, “He that is not with me is against me”? That would make
it appear, indeed, as if it were possible for one not to be with Him, although he was associated
with those disciples of His who are, so to speak, His very members. Besides, how would the
truth of such sayings as these stand then: “He that receiveth you receiveth me;”1607 and
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me”?1608 Or is it possible for one not to be against Him, although he may be against
His disciples? Nay; for what shall we make then of words like these: “He that despiseth you,
1603 Iterum, inserted. [The Greek text, according to the best mss. reads: “when there was again a great mul-
titude.” So Revised Version. Augustin’s text is: “In those days again, when there was a great multitude.”—R.]
1604 The words, “because he followeth not us,” are omitted. [So the Vulgate and old Latin text; but the best
Greek mss. omit the clause, “and he followeth not us,” inserting the last clause, “because he followeth not us,”
as in Luke ix. 49.—R.]
1605 Mark viii. 1-ix. 39.
1606 Matt. xii. 30.
1607 Matt. x. 40.
1608 Matt. xxv. 40.
Of the Statement Which John Made Concerning the Man Who Cast Out Devils Although He Did Not Belong to the Circle of the Disciples; And of the Lord’s Reply, ‘Forbid Them Not, for He that is Not Against You is on Your Part;’ And of the Question Whether that Response Does Not Contradict the Other Sentence, in Which He Said, ‘He that is Not with Me is Against Me.’
508
Of the Statement Which John Made Concerning the Man Who Cast Out Devils…