Misfits

Luke 9:49, 50 "Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."

Sometimes I wonder about the man who drove out demons in Jesus’ Name. He was not a disciple and we don't even know if he was a convert, but he seemed to be successful at exorcising people with demons. Was he a charlatan, a quack doctor, or a showman? The Bible doesn't say, but whoever he was, after Jesus died on the Cross, did he stop what he was doing or did he become a misguided misfit, who still carried out remarkable healings in Christ’s Name? I guess we'll never know until we get to heaven. The fact that he remains unnamed in the Gospels suggests that soon after the resurrection he was never heard of again.

Last night, I watched an old black & white movie called “The Misfits.” It starred Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe in what turned out to be their very last movie. Both of them died soon after the film’s release, so as I was watching the movie, I was looking for signs of illness and sickness. Instead, I was utterly captivated by their remarkable performances. Both of them played their characters so real that I forgot I was looking at actors and became entranced with their misfitting personalities. It takes great acting to do that and, at the end of the movie, I felt privileged to have seen two stars perform at their very best.

As Christians, we can all feel like misfits at times. The world seems to be going crazy and our faith is looking out dated. The glory days are in the past and our influence on society appears to be waning. Pop stars like Madonna, Elton John, and others take delight in mocking our beliefs or decrying our faith. Celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell denigrate people of faith, especially when church lifestyles and traditional Christian views conflict with their own. We're being made to feel like there is no room on earth for believers in Christ or worshippers of God anymore. We're misfits who maintain their lives around manufactured myths and lying legends that have no place in today’s sophisticated world.

And yet, as we begin another Christian year, we can take heart in the fact that the One we worship was treated much the same. He was born in a stable and laid in a feeding trough. He became a refugee in a strange land and when he returned, he grew up in a backwater town, amongst the poorest of the poor. He was never fully accepted by his own people and when he came to the capital city, they trussed him up like a sacrificial beast and publicly impaled him to a cross. He was God’s Misfit to a world of misfits. And yet, somehow by the grace of God, he conquered sin and death, and inspired the lives of millions upon millions of people, who deem it an honor to be called misfits for God and fools for Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, life isn't easy and even for You it was a tough road to endure. Sometimes we get bewildered when the world becomes belligerent against our faith. Sometimes we become confused when people with power, fame and fortune castigate our Christian beliefs. Help us to remember that they did the same to You, but that You overcame it all. Long after these fortune seekers and pop icons have turned to dust and their accomplishments are forgotten, Your name, Your work, and Your mission will still endure. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.