Jesus is suggesting the utter disproportionate nature of God's grace in the Mark text when he says, "I assure you that anyone who gives you a drink of water because you belong to me will certainly receive his reward."

In other words, Jesus is saying that we do not even have to be conscious of our discipleship in order to receive his redemptive blessing. Simply giving a disciple a drink is just cause for God to reward/bless that one with his redemptive net.

Hence, Jesus says, "For whoever is not against us is for us." He goes on to suggest that this redemptive purification, like fire, will purify to the point that it will show whether or not a person is either for him or against him.

In antiquity, the symbol of fire is like a two-edge sword. It can either burn and destroy another's illusion of discipleship or it can purify another's true and honest friendship and service with God.

An example: A man approached a pastor the other day following a wedding service. I overheard him say, "Pastor, when are you people going to come back to the fold?" He was a member of a different denomination than the pastor.

The pastor responded: "Well, any time is fine with me. Tell me when we can come back home."

Then the man threw the pastor a curve ball. "What do you think of ordaining women? Boy, those women mess up everything they get involved in! Don't you agree?"

The pastor explained that he didn't have anything against women being ordained. "So," said the pastor, "The USA has been around for more than 200 years. We've never had a woman president and look how messed up our country is at times."

The conversation ended with that remark.

This is a situation where Jesus' purifying fire burns up and destroys an insider's illusion of what he thinks God desires the church to be. Actually, holy scripture suggests no guidelines for priestly gender.

A reciprocal of this example: Bill, a friend of mine now deceased, was thought by many to be not only unchurched but also selfish and self-centered. He did not belong to his detractors group. (v. 38)

Following WWII Bill made a fortune by investing his savings in futures and commodities. He was an old crusty, eccentric sort of a guy. He lived alone and most of the people in his neighborhood thought him to be mean and nasty.

When Bill died at an old age I was asked to preside at his funeral. I agreed.

So during the visitation hours I talked with people about him in preparation for the eulogy. The following is a partial list of my inquiry into Bill's life:

He gave a poor struggling restaurant owner $15,000 per year so that he could keep his prices down and his proportions up, and his restaurant open. Of course, that's where Bill ate so he had an interest in keeping it open.

He paid the medical bills for numerous people in his neighborhood who did not have insurance. He did this especially for children.

He gave money to numerous people to start their own business when they could not get money from anywhere else.

He helped countless people with their rent, utilities and mortgage payments during hard economic times.

He got jobs for people when they were out of work and needed a job. It turns out he was on the board of directors of a major corporation - nobody ever knew this.

This is a situation where Jesus' purging fire purified and made holy another's true and honest friendship and service with God.

"Whoever is not against us is for us."

It turned out that upon auditing Bill's tax records and bank statements the IRS found he had given well over $2 million to various churches and charities during his last 20 years of life. He died possessing very little.

A parable: Micah rubbed his forehead in utter frustration, in anxious expectation of the upcoming Kingdom Banquet Bowl. As God's agent, poor Micah was getting tired of taking a licking from Conrad, Lucifer's agent. The Kingdom team had never, even once, defeated the Powers and Principalities team.

Poor Micah was aghast at what had appeared in the morning Kingdom Times daily newspaper. The headlines read: "Coach Micah's Kingdom Squad Underdogs in Upcoming 1991 Banquet Bowl."

Among other things the article went on to say that the World Banquet of Powers and Principalities is still markedly better attended than God's eschatological banquet. "In fact," the article went on to say, "The P&P Banquet is ahead of God's banquet by at least two to one. In other words, if God gets 1,000 to his banquet, Lucifer will pull more than 2,000 to his banquet."

Micah shook his head in disgust as he soberly and ponderously remembered last year's Banquet Bowl. Thank God, he thought, for his new friend James who had redeemed the agony of defeat with his purifying proclamation of the Lord Jesus' gospel message of grace.

Last year's banquet took place in Germany. Prince Frederick was married to Princess Maria. The two were members of different Christian denominations. The wedding took place in the beautiful Cathedral of Our Lady in Munich. What a beautiful affair this state wedding was, with all of the pomp and circumstance imaginable. Horse-drawn carriages, military guards in full colorful array, and a symphony orchestra in formal dress. And, if that wasn't enough, the reception was in a huge banquet hall in the palace.

It would be an understatement to say the wedding was overwhelmingly inspirational and glorious. The entire affair, including the reception was an exhibition of regality and grandeur.

Everything appeared to be "fine and dandy" on the outside but on the inside Conrad, the Powers and Principalities' coach, was dealing Coach Micah of the Kingdom team another lethal blow.

Things began to fall apart when an announcement appeared in the wedding bulletin that read, "Welcome to the Lord's table, all of you are the Lord's guests at this, his great wedding feast and banquet." As the Lord's agent, Micah figured he had done a great job in getting that announcement placed in the bulletin. But then, during the announcements, before the wedding, as if he had no idea how seriously the Lord took his responsibility of being the gracious host at his banquet, the pastor told the gathered assembly that they could not partake of the eucharistic meal unless they were members of a particular Christian religion and church. The pastor said, "If you are not a member of this church, the banquet, of course, would have no meaning or effect for you." Micah was horrified by this talk that completely misrepresented the Lord God's generous nature. Meanwhile, Conrad stood back in a corner of the great sanctuary, leaning his shoulder against the wall, with a big smirk on his face.

And the closer it came to the time of the great thanksgiving and wedding banquet the more Micah could see the gathered assembly pondering what they should do.

Finally, some didn't go forward to partake of the banquet meal because they believed too strongly in the doctrines of their church, that said that God's banquet isn't effective when held in another church. Some didn't receive the banquet meal because they didn't believe in any of that kind of "hocus pocus" magic stuff about forgiveness and nurture and nourishment being really present through the gift of a piece of bread and a cup of wine. And some went forward to receive the Lord's banquet because they were members of that particular church and were told that if they didn't attend the Lord's banquet enough times they would be out of the church on their ear.

Ironically, the distribution of the Lord's banquet meal took place while the entire congregation sang, "He called me to his banqueting table, his banner over me is love."

Hence, about half of the gathered wedding celebration assembly partook of the Lord's gracious banquet meal.

Micah was just sick about the entire scene. Especially disappointed was he as he passed through the reception line, congratulated the bride and groom, and entered the reception hall. Micah quickly took his place at one of the banquet tables. As he sat down Conrad, whose place was next to Micah's whispered, "Look at this place, you don't have an iota of a chance of defeating me, old chap. This place is packed. Everyone is here."

Just then, Princess Maria's mother, the hostess for the wedding reception banquet, lifted her glass for the traditional toast to begin the great reception banquet and everyone partook of it.

Micah had once again been convincingly defeated and Conrad laughed an evil manipulative and demonic laugh.

Micah's thoughts returned to the present moment. He threw the Kingdom Times on the table and smiled. He recalled the conversation he had with his new friend, James, at the reception after last year's defeat. James had explained to Micah that he had been one of the gathered assembly who was of another church. James had boldly gone forward and received the Lord's banquet even though he was told it would not be effective and nourishing. He went on to explain to Micah, God's agent, that he had read in the Bible, "Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.' In the same way, he gave them the cup after the supper saying, 'This cup is God's new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you.' " James said, "I believe that Jesus' body and blood is given for me. And if this is true, I am certainly not against Jesus even though I'm of another group. I most surely must be for the Lord Jesus' kingdom."

James went on to explain to Micah how Jesus' words had freed him from his enclosed tomb. How Jesus' inclusive, loving and compassionate words had unbound and freed him from his enclosure. Said James, "Jesus said that we should not be glad because the evil spirits, like Conrad, will finally obey us, but he says that we should rather be glad because our names are written in heaven. Because we are first God's friends." James told Micah that this had happened to others too at the Banquet Bowl. James said that Jesus' words freed a few more disciples at every banquet and that it was only a matter of time and the entire world would be included in the Lord's kingdom banquet net.

Thus for Conrad, his upcoming win would only be a Pyrrhic victory.

But for Micah, even bringing one dispersed sheep to God's great banquet table would be a great and lasting victory.