He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me, he scatters.
12:30 He who is not with me is against me; Tue 9:40 and he who does not gather with me scatters. — There can be no neutrality. The people had to choose between the truth of Jesus or the lie of the Pharisees. They couldn’t be neutral. If they didn’t help Jesus, then they favored the Pharisees. Jesus collected. He came into the world to gather all the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 10:6), but the Pharisees scattered (Matt 9:36). How many people deceive themselves! They think they are neutral. They think that they are not opposed to Jesus and his work, although they do not engage in it; they approve and even defend the truth, they speak very nicely of the Bible and of the church, without recognizing that in reality they have placed themselves on the side of the enemy. Indifference is not merely indifference, but opposition. Believing alone without obeying is resistance against God. If we do not give our whole heart to God, we do not give him anything. Let everyone understand one thing: the supposed neutrality is pure hostility against Christ! Is there a conflict between this text and Tue 9:40, “he that is not against us is for us”? No way. In this text Jesus teaches tolerance of other disciples. He condemns envy and rivalry. It is not about neutrality. In Tue 9:40 it is about judging the brother, but in this text (Mat 12:30) each person has to judge himself.
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
who is not with me. Matt 6:24; Josh 5:13; Josh 24:15; 1Ch 12:17, 1Ch 12:18; Tue 9:40; Luke 9:50; Luke 11:23; 2Co 6:15, 2Co 6:16; 1Jn 2:19; Rev 3:15, Rev 3:16.
and the one who does not pick up with me. Gen 49:10; Hos 1:11; Joh 11:52.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
12:30 He who is not with me is against me; Mar 9:40 and he who does not gather with me scatters. — There can be no neutrality. The people had to choose between the truth of Jesus or the lie of the Pharisees. They couldn’t be neutral. If they didn’t help Jesus, then they favored the Pharisees.
Jesus collected. He came into the world to gather all the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mat 10:6), but the Pharisees scattered (Mat 9:36).
How many people deceive themselves! They think they are neutral. They think that they are not opposed to Jesus and his work, although they do not engage in it; they approve and even defend the truth, they speak very nicely of the Bible and of the church, without recognizing that in reality they have placed themselves on the side of the enemy. Indifference is not merely indifference, but opposition. Believing alone without obeying is resistance against God. If we do not give our whole heart to God, we do not give him anything. Let everyone understand one thing: the supposed neutrality is pure hostility against Christ!
Is there a conflict between this text and Mar 9:40, “he that is not against us is for us”? No way. In this text Jesus teaches tolerance of other disciples. He condemns envy and rivalry. It is not about neutrality. In Mar 9:40 it is about judging the brother, but in this text (Mat 12:30) each person has to judge himself.
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
THE IMPOSSIBLE NEUTRALITY
Matthew 12:30
He who is not with me is against me; and the one who doesn’t pick up with me, he does nothing but mess around.
the figure of pick up and smash It can come from one of two backgrounds. Of the harvest: the one who does not collaborate in the gathering of the harvest is scattering the grain in such a way that it cannot be recovered; or it can come from grazing: he who does not help keep the flock safe by bringing it into the fold is leading it astray and exposing it to the many dangers that lie in wait in the wilderness.
In this single shocking phrase Jesus establishes the impossibility of maintaining neutrality. WC Allen writes: “In this war against the strongholds of Satan there are two sides, with Jesus or against Him, gathering with Him or scattering with Satan.” We can use a very simple analogy. We can apply this saying to the church or to ourselves. Yes our presence does not strengthen the Church, so our absence weakens it. Nope there is a middle ground. In all things we have to choose a side; deciding not to choose, postponing the decision, are not a way out; because refusing to help one side is actually lending support to the other.
There are three things that make a person seek this impossible neutrality.
(i) There is the simple inertia of human nature. It is true that the only thing many want is to be left alone. They automatically hide from anything that involves a commitment, and every decision is.
(ii) There is the simple cowardice of human nature. many reject the way of Christ because they are afraid to take on the demands that Christianity imposes. What basically stops them is the fear of what others will say. The voice of the neighbor reaches them with more force than the voice of God.
(iii) There is the simple laziness of human nature. Most people prefer the beaten path to adventure, and more when they get older. Adventure is always a challenge; Christ presents us with the challenge of adventure with him, and the answer he receives many times is that we prefer the comfort of selfish inactivity.
Jesus’ saying – “He who is not with me is against me” – presents us with a problem, because both Mark and Luke contain a saying that seems to mean the opposite: “He who is not against us is with us.” U.S” mr 9:40 ; Lk 9:50 ). But they are not as contradictory as they seem. Note that Jesus said the second when his disciples came telling him that they had seen someone who cast out demons in his name, and they had forbidden him, because he was not from his company. So a very convincing suggestion has been made. “He who is not with me is against me” is a test that we must apply to ourselves. us themselves. Am I really on Jesus’ side, or am I trying to live my life in a state of cowardly neutrality? “He who is not against us is with us” is a test that we must apply to others. Am I given to condemn anyone who does not participate in my theology and worship and liturgy and ideology? Am I limiting the Kingdom of God to those who think like me?
The saying of this passage is a test that we must apply to ourselves; the of Mark and Luke it is a test that we can apply to others; because we must treat ourselves seriously, and others with tolerance.
Source: New Testament Commentary
Tue 9:40; Luke 9:50.
Source: Hispano-American Interdenominational Translation
CROSS-REFERENCES
m 568 Mar 9:40; Luke 9:50
Source: New World Translation
he is not with me, he is against me. He who does not have faith in Christ is actually against Him.
Source: The Bible of the Americas
30 (1) See note 40 (1) from mr 9.
30 (a) Luk_11:23 ; cf. Mar_9:40 ; Luc_9:50
Source: New Testament Commentary Recovery Version
scatters… → Tue 9:40.
Source: Textual Bible IV Edition
R611 The preposition μετά has been developed until it expresses the idea of followers or participants.
Source: Grammar Help for the Study of the Greek New Testament
g Tue 9:40.