NOTES for Luk 9:50
The Savior's words that those who are not against Christians are thereby "for" them can at first glance seem somewhat strange. In fact, there are plenty of people in the world who have nothing against Christ and even against Christianity, but who also have nothing, in general, "for" them. They are simply indifferent to all this, either remaining agnostics or choosing for themselves other spiritual traditions and spiritual paths.
Can such a position be called a position "for" Christ or "for" Christianity? If Christianity is viewed as some new religion, then, of course, the answer can only be negative. Every religion needs supporters, preferably conscious, active, and convinced of their rightness, people who could spread this religion and testify to its truth.
But Christianity is not a new religion; it is a new life. Life with Christ in His Kingdom, which He brought into the world. And with life everything is not as simple as with views and convictions, whether political, social, scientific, or even religious. One can become a supporter of certain views or convictions only when one understands and accepts them to the end.
Of course, every religion has among its supporters those who do not especially understand not only its theological subtleties, but sometimes even the subtleties of its doctrine; however, even such adherents who understand little of the subtleties express their support for their religion quite consciously and unequivocally, and sometimes even more decisively than everyone else. But with life everything is not so simple. People often live their whole life, or most of it, without thinking at all about how, by what, and why they live.
The same is true of the life of the Kingdom, which now, according to the Savior's word, has drawn near. A person can sometimes feel the movement of the breath of the Kingdom without really understanding what is happening to him and what he is dealing with. After Christ's coming this happens often, because the Kingdom has drawn near to everyone, not only to Christians. It is an objective spiritual reality, not a spiritual experience belonging to some particular confession or, even more, monopolized by it.
Today anyone can feel the breath of the Kingdom, provided, of course, that he does not reject in advance everything connected with Christ and Christianity. In that case it turns out that a person who appears to have no relation to Christianity can turn out to be "for" Christ and "for" Christians, provided, of course, that he takes his experience and his life seriously.
Of course, such "anonymous" Christianity does not yet guarantee that a person will consciously set out on the Christian path, but he will not become an enemy of Christ and Christians either. This means that the way into the Kingdom will be open for such a person, and the possibility of walking this way can remain for him long enough, as long as the One who brought the Kingdom into the world wishes.