If you would like to get a person-to-person phone call from some of the biggest and most powerful law firms in the country or even a lawyer from one of these firms ringing your doorbell all you have to do is break copyright on a corporate name. If the Koffee Kat on Margaret Street renamed itself “Starbucks” or “Andrew the Computer Guy” on Route 22 changed the name of his business to “The Apple Store” it would not be long before phones rang and mailboxes overflowed with “Cease and Desist” letters from big law firms representing the aggrieved corporations. Many law firms make a lot of money doing nothing but protecting corporate names and logos.

You can feel a similar protective instinct in today’s gospel. Jesus’ disciples are concerned about some exorcist driving out demons using Jesus’ name. They are ready to stop them: it’s trademark infringement and they don’t like it. They are part of Jesus’ inner circle and feel that they alone have been given the authority by Jesus to drive out demons. They want to limit Jesus’ ministry to the “proper channels” - which means, of course, just them!

But that is not how Jesus sees it. He came to do good for all who needed his help and he was not about to limit who could dispense that good, or for that matter, who was considered worthy to receive it. His is a ministry of super-abundance and generosity; while the disciples are concerned about proper channels and copyrights in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to heal the sick and help the poor. Mother Theresa thought if you gave a cup of water to a thirsty person out of love, you were in fact a follower of Jesus. “For whoever is not against us is for us.” We do not need to baptize every good non-believer for their good works, but we can say they are living in a way Jesus would recognize and applaud.

“There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me.” What does professing Jesus’ name mean for us? First of all it means living the life that Jesus lived. If we do, we will be able to drive out many demons in his name - the demons of intolerance, injustice, long-held grudges, poverty and a long list of other demons. Living the life that Jesus did means we must be careful about what we claim to be doing and saying “in Jesus’ name.” It would be wise for us to be less dogmatic and strive to live more evident Christian lives - in his name. At times, even in the Church, zeal can lead people to issue harsh judgments and place the worst motives to one another. If any cause is motivated by judgment, anger or vindictiveness, it will be doomed to fail. Jesus’ words to us were that we must love one another as He loves us. Jesus loves us while we are still in sin. We would do well to reflect on our own prejudices: religious, political, social, economic, racial, gender, etc. If we think we do not have any prejudices, ask someone who loves us what they perceive as our prejudices. Then be prepared to be surprised.

Jesus reflects God for us. His teaching reveals a bigger picture of God than many of us have. Our God may be too small. Today’s gospel reflects a big open-handed God. So does our first reading. We see in the Book of Numbers that God was not limited in bestowing some of the spirit given to Moses on just those 70 elders who got to the meting tent on time. The absent Eldad and Medad also got their portion of the spirit and they too prophesied in the camp. God and God’s gifts are not just limited to official people, places and times. Our inner circle does not limit God’s presence and activity. People may not belong to our group or be loyal to us - but can still be touched by God. Moses and Jesus affirm God’s big heart and gracious, open hands.

Jesus gets rather glum in the last section of the gospel today. He talks about cutting off the hand and foot and plucking out an eye. Mediterranean people are known for such exaggerated language. It is colorful speech and everyone gets the point - don’t we. Jesus knows the consequences of sin for the community. One person might sin, but it is the whole community that suffers. He is calling us to take charge of our lives and make whatever changes we have to in order to live his life. It can feel like cutting off a part of ourselves when we try to break a harmful habit we’ve had for a long time or when we try to simplify our lives so we can have more time for others or when we try to reduce our material excesses so as to help those who have less, when we try to focus less on ourselves so we can be more attentive to those immedialty around us, when we try to open our eyes and ears to the larger world of the poor, when we try to reduce our wasteful use of our earth’s resources...it can feel like cutting off a part of ourselves.

Making significant changes in our lives can feel like major surgery or, as Jesus puts it, like chopping off a hand or foot or plucking out an eye. Who wants to do that? We do, if we have heard Jesus invitation to follow him, to live by his name.