9:38–41 The preceding passage (9:33–37) urges a willingness to serve others instead of a concern for greatness and makes the strongest kind of identification between Jesus and his followers. In this passage, which concerns the treatment of a person who is using Jesus’ name in exorcisms but is not a member of the Twelve, the question seems to be how to recognize a follower of Jesus. This question follows naturally from the preceding discussion, for if one is to serve other followers of Jesus and is to count the treatment of them the same as treatment given to Jesus himself (9:37), one needs to know who the followers of Jesus are.

Since the material in the Gospels was preserved because it was deemed useful to the church in dealing with doctrinal and practical questions of Christian life, th…