“He
who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters.
Matthew 12:30
Matthew 12 [25.] Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.
Matthew 12 [30.] “He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.
Matthew 12 [33.] “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit. You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things. I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Meaning:
Jesus has just answered the Pharisees who claimed that he cast out demons by Beelzebul. He showed that he drives out demons by the Spirit of God and that he is binding the strong man, Satan (Matthew 12:24-29). In a conflict between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan, there is no neutral ground. This short saying calls every listener to decide where they stand.
- “He who is not with me is against me”
The battle Jesus has described is not a quarrel between two equal teachers. It is the struggle between God’s reign and the power of evil. In such a struggle, standing on the sidelines is not possible. The Pharisees thought they could judge Jesus from a safe distance, but by refusing to side with him they had already taken the other side. The crowds, too, were wondering, “Can this be the son of David?” (Matthew 12:23). Jesus makes it plain that wondering is not enough.
This echoes Joshua’s challenge to Israel: “choose today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Jesus said the same about money: “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Loyalty to God cannot be divided.
- “He who doesn’t gather with me, scatters”
The picture is of a shepherd gathering his flock or a farmer gathering a harvest. Jesus came to gather God’s scattered people. John says that Jesus would die “that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). Anyone who is not working with Jesus in this gathering is, in effect, scattering. Even religious leaders who should have been shepherds were driving people away from him.
- A different saying in Mark
On another occasion, when the disciples tried to stop a man who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, Jesus said, “For whoever is not against us is on our side” (Mark 9:40). The two sayings fit together. In Mark, Jesus warns his followers not to reject people who are truly working in his name. In Matthew, he warns his opponents that they cannot stay neutral towards him. We should be generous towards those who serve Christ, and honest about our own response to him.
The Significance of Matthew 12:30
- No neutral ground
Everyone is either with Jesus or against him. Indifference is a choice too. This saying invites us to make a clear decision to follow him.
- Gathering with Jesus
Following Jesus means joining his work of gathering people to God, through prayer, kindness, witness and service. A faith that only watches is not the faith Jesus calls for.
Cross-References:
Luke 11:23: "He that is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters." Luke’s record of the same saying.
Joshua 24:15: "but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh." A clear choice of loyalty.
Mark 9:40: "For whoever is not against us is on our side." A related saying about those who work in Jesus’ name.
Conclusion: Jesus declared that whoever is not with him is against him, and whoever does not gather with him scatters. In the battle between God’s Kingdom and Satan’s kingdom no one can stay neutral. Jesus came to gather God’s people, and he calls everyone to choose his side and join his work.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible