Kingdom-Builders

Year B – Sunday 26 

Readings: Numbers 11: 25-29; James 5: 1-6; Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48

Jesus makes the famous pronouncement: “He that is not against us is for us,” thereby extending his kingdom-building beyond the confines of any group or category. The builders of God’s Kingdom need not necessarily be Christians or even theists. They may be of any sort and type as long as they believe, work and spread the values of the Kingdom. The same goes for the demolishers of the Kingdom. They may call themselves Christians. Nevertheless, if they do not bear the values of the Kingdom they may not be considered to be part of Jesus’ dream.

Moses makes the same point. The Spirit of the Kingdom is not restricted to any ‘chosen’. All sorts of people consider themselves to be the chosen ones. Just like the Hebrews, today represented by Joshua, their idea of election was exclusive and intolerant. Moses, like Jesus, contradicts any concept of exclusion, intolerance, categorisation or labelling. The Spirit of Jesus, which is the Spirit of God, can never be exclusively ‘Christian’. This is fanaticism not religion.

There are no categories which may claim the Spirit of God. James makes this clear when speaking about those who thought themselves to be better than others, or more worthy of God’s promises. The choice God makes of those whom he might call his own does not follow the us-them divide of human reasoning.