Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 12:30
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
30. He that is not with me is against me ] The thought of the contest between Christ and Satan is continued. Satan is not divided against himself, neither can Christ be. Neutrality is impossible in the Christian life. It must be for Christ or against Christ. The metaphor of gathering and scattering may be from collecting and scattering a flock of sheep, or from gathering and squandering wealth, money, &c.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mat 12:30
He that is not with Me is against Me.
Neutrality in religion impossible
I. The character described.
1. Let us direct our attention to the openly profane.
2. There are others not habitually profane.
3. The honest and well-disposed.
4. The outwardly religious.
II. The light in which they are regarded by Christ. All who are not with Christ are against Him, and will be chargeable-
(1) With rejecting His salvation;
(2) With inducing others to reject it;
(3)With preventing as far as they can the display of the Saviours glory. Learn:
1. How inevitable is the destruction of the Saviours enemies.
2. How awfully severe will be their destruction. (Steer.)
The necessity of gathering with Christ
I. Describe the man who is with Christ. Union and companionship.
II. The proof of an interest in Christ, as afforded by our gathering with him. (T. Dale, M. A.)
With Christ, or against? Gathering, or Scattering?
The principle illustrated is the impossibility of a state of neutrality in the service of Christ: illustrations are fetched first from the battlefield-He that is not with Me, etc. And, secondly, from the harvest-field-He that gathereth not, etc. The immediate occasion of the text was the blasphemous imputation of the Pharisees, that Jesus cast out devils by Beelzebub. In reply our Lord appeals to reason Every kingdom divided against itself, etc. He also appeals to the acknowledged duct. Thus He must be the stronger.
I. Make a personal application of the subject. In the battlefield of life, whose side have you chosen? In the great harvest-field of the world, whose interests are you serving?
1. The battlefield is the world. We are soldiers. Are we fighting? Are we clad in armour?
2. The harvest-field. Are you gathering or wasting?
II. Make a national application of the subject. Has England gathered with Christ, or scattered? (C. R. Alford, M. A.)
I. That those who are not with Christ in discipleship and in the profession of faith are against christ, as the disciples of another master, and in the disobedience of unbelief.
II. Those who are not with Christ in the purpose and design of his death, are against christ in defeating the purpose of his death
(1) The first purpose was to make an atonement for our sins;
(2) To give repentance and pardon to guilty men;
(3) To make meet for the glory of heaven. We can be with Christ by enjoyment and participation.
We are against Christ by defeating the purpose of His death.
(1) By rejecting it altogether in a spirit of infidelity;
(2) By embracing a system which does not contain any of its grand principles;
(3) By careless unconcern.
III. Those who are not with Christ in the affections of the heart, are against him in its enmities and in its indifference. To love Christ is an essential of Christianity; we may be against Christ by enmity or indifference.
IV. Those who are not with Christ in gathering, are against him in scattering abroad. Neutrality here is opposition. (J. Dixon.)
No neutrality in religion
In those days when there was war in heaven, and Satan and his angels rebelled against the Almighty, one circle of angels alone, it is said, remained neutral. They would not join the arch-rebel, neither would they range themselves among the hosts of their Almighty Sovereign. At the final discomfiture of the rebellious angels, that circle which had not joined in their rebellion could not justly be associated with them in their punishment; nor, on the other hand, did it deserve the blessedness of heaven. Those angels, therefore, were consigned to the earth, and bound irrevocably to its fortunes. These are the fairies. They enjoy all the pleasures and all the happiness which their new habitation can afford; but it is on a lease, as it were, and every seven years their lease expires. It is renewable as long as the earth lasts, and they are always reinstated in their privileges on paying to Satan a quit rent of one of their number. Now this is an allegory. Whenever we have been neglectful of our duty, whenever we have refused to fight the battles of Him whose soldiers we have vowed ourselves, we may be forgiven, indeed, and reinstated in our former privileges; but it is always at the expense of some sacrifice to the principle of evil, whose power we should have resisted from the first, but did not. (Newland.)
No neutrality in religion
I. Who are allied with Christ?
1. They who are delivered from the power of Satan.
2. They who are in co-operation with Christ.
II. All not thus with Christ are of necessity against him.
1. That mans natural state is one of antagonism to God.
2. That it is a necessity of mans nature to influence for good or evil all with whom He may associate.
3. That our allegiance is Christs righteous and inalienable due. (H. C. H.)
I. The human heart cannot be in a state in which neither Christ nor the world has the supremacy. Man must have a master and a God, etc.
II. Neither Christ nor His enemy will accept of, or allow of, neutrality-serving both in turn, and hence warring against both in turn.
III. Neutrality is impossible, inasmuch as Christ holds it to be war against Himself. Christ requires the whole heart, life, etc.
IV. Neutrality is seen to be practical hostility to the kingdom of Christ-enemies of Christ. (J. Stewart.)
No via media in morals or religion
Christs words contain a principle and an appeal. We cannot occupy a neutral position in relation to either morals or religion now when life is before us, or by and by when the issues of life are manifested.
I. This truth. Border-countries are proverbially bad to live in. The two clauses of the text may be read thus:
1. He that is not in heart with Me is against Me. No externality of observance will suffice: no mere association will suffice. There must be personal heart-union with Christ.
2. He that is not in life-service with Me is against Me. Unpractical sentimentality will not suffice. Loudest professions will not suffice. Christs words appeal searchingly to two classes.
(a) Those who excuse wrong life by right creed.
(b) Those who excuse wrong creed by good life.
II. The qualifications of this truth. Temporary uncertainty may be good, or at least may be excused. Such as comes in
(a) Mental states of indecision;
(b) Beginnings of religious life;
(c) Occasions of religious doubt. There is no excuse for uncertainty or indecision in relation to Christ. We ought to follow Him wholly. (R. Tuck.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 30. He that is not with me is against me] In vain do men seek for methods to reconcile God and mammon. There is no medium between loving the Lord and being his enemy – between belonging to Christ or to Satan. If we be on the side of the devil, we must expect to go to the devil’s hell; if we be on the side of Christ, we may expect to go to his heaven. When Christ, his truth, and his servants are assaulted, he who does not espouse their cause is not on Christ’s side, but incurs the guilt of deserting and betraying him. There are many, (it is to be feared,) in the world who are really against Christ, and scatter abroad, who flatter themselves that they are workers together with him, and of the number of his friends!
Scattereth abroad.] This seems to have been a proverbial form of speech, and may be a metaphor taken from shepherds. He who does not help the true shepherd to gather his flock into the fold is, most likely, one who wishes to scatter them, that he may have the opportunity of stealing and destroying them. I do not find any parallel to this proverbial mode of speech in the Jewish rabbins, if it be one, nor have I met with it among the Greek or Roman writers.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Luke hath the same, Luk 11:23. Some understand this concerning the devil, whom he was so far from favouring, that his work was quite opposite. Some understand it concerning some neuters, that would neither show themselves for Christ nor against him. Our Saviour tells them, that this cause would bear no neutrality, they must be either for him or against him. But possibly it is best understood concerning the scribes and Pharisees, whom he lets know, that he was one who showed men the true way of life and salvation, and those that complied not with him were his enemies, and instead of gathering, scattered the sheep of God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
30. He that is not with me isagainst me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroadOnthis important parable, in connection with the corresponding one (Mt12:43-45), see on Lu 11:21-26.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He that is not with me, is against me,…. These words chiefly refer to Satan, and are a further proof, that Christ did not cast out devils by him; since they two are as much opposites, as can possibly be; Satan is not on the side of Christ, but an adversary to him; there is an original, and implacable enmity, between the serpent and the seed of the woman; there is an open war between them, and therefore one cannot be thought to lend assistance to the other. They were concerned in different things, had different views and interests, and so took different methods;
and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth: Christ is the good shepherd, that gathers his sheep to himself, and into his fold, by the external ministry of the word, and internal efficacy of his grace; Satan is the wolf, that catches and scatters the sheep, and seeks to kill and destroy them: and since there is such an open war proclaimed and carried on between Christ and the devil, none ought to be neutral; whoever is not on the side of Christ, is reckoned as an enemy; and whoever is not concerned by prayer or preaching, or other means to gather souls to his word and ordinances, and to his church, and to himself, is deemed by him a scatterer of them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He that is not with me ( ‘ ). With these solemn words Jesus draws the line of cleavage between himself and his enemies then and now. Jesus still has his enemies who hate him and all noble words and deeds because they sting what conscience they have into fury. But we may have our choice. We either gather with () Christ or scatter () to the four winds. Christ is the magnet of the ages. He draws or drives away. “Satan is the arch-waster, Christ the collector, Saviour” (Bruce).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “He that Is not with me is against me,” (ho me on met’ ernou kat’ emou estin) “The one who is not with me is against me,” is in a state of anarchy, rebellion, or total rejection of me. And that one was Satan, in whose service the Pharisees were ignorantly engaged, Joh 5:39; Joh 8:44.
2) And he that gathereth not with me,” (kai ho me sunagon met emou) “And the person who is not progressively gathering (fellowshipping) or going along with me,” in my “kingdom of heaven,” or church work, that He began in calling His disciples, choosing, and ordaining apostles to go forth as fruit bearers and reapers for Him, Joh 15:16; Joh 15:27.
3) “Scattereth abroad.” (skorpizei) “He is scattering, disintegrating, –or wasting abroad.” He is an obstructionist, an hinderer of my work, as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, Sanhedrin, and Herodians were, those who eventually crucified our Lord, Mat 23:13-15.
Satan-is the scatterer, waster of the souls and lives of men. Jesus is the gatherer, Savior, and preserver of men, Act 4:12; Rom 1:16.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
30. He that is not with me. There are two ways of explaining this passage. Some suppose that it is an argument drawn from contraries, and that Christ’s meaning is: “ I cannot reign till the devil is overthrown; for the object of all his attempts is, to scatter whatever I gather.” And certainly we see abundant evidence of the earnestness with which that enemy labors to destroy the kingdom of Christ. But I rather agree in opinion with those who explain it to denote, that the scribes are declared to be, in two respects, opposed to the kingdom of God, because they intentionally hinder its progress. “ It was your duty to assist me, and to give me your hand in establishing the kingdom of God; for whoever does not assist is, in some measure, opposed to me, or, at least, deserves to be reckoned among enemies. What then shall be said of you, whose furious rage drives you into avowed opposition? ” (126)
And he that gathereth not with me scattereth The truth of this is abundantly manifest from what has been already said; for so strong is our propensity to evil, that the justice of God can have no place but in those who apply to it in good earnest. This doctrine has a still more extensive bearing, and implies that they are unworthy to be considered as belonging to the flock of Christ, who do not apply to it all the means that are in their power; because their indolence tends to retard and ruin the kingdom of God, which all of us are called to advance.
(126) “ A batailler ouvertement contre Dieu;” — “to fight openly against God.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(30) He that is not with me is against me.The words seem at first at variance with the answer to the sons of Zebedee, when they reported that they had seen one casting out devils in the name of Christ, and had forbidden him because he followed not with them. Then they heard, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us (Luk. 9:50); and those words have naturally been the watchword of those who rejoice when Christ is preached every way, and by whatever organisation. In reality, however, the two formul do but present the opposite poles of the same truth. In the great struggle between light and darkness, good and evil, God and the enemy of God, there is no neutrality. The man of whom the two disciples complained was fighting against the devil in the name of Christ, and was therefore with Him. The Pharisees were hindering and slandering that work, and therefore were on the side of Satan. They were not gathering in Gods harvest of souls, and therefore they were scattering and wasting.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
30. Not with me is against me Our Lord here illustrates by a proverbial maxim the contrariety of Satan’s kingdom and his own, as shown by the opposite works of the two.
He Any one; here spoken in allusion to Satan. Not with me That does not harmonize with me in spirit and in action. Is against me And therefore one is not to be considered the ally of the other, as you charge me with being the ally of Satan. Gathereth scattereth These words allude to a gathering in harvest. Co-labourers gather in concert; the ravager of their fields scattereth the produce.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”
Jesus finalises His words with a conclusion. This is so important a matter that he who is not with Him in this must be counted as against Him. Either men are for the Kingly Rule of God over their lives or they are against it. Men cannot claim to be on His side unless they are with Him and are themselves gathering men into the Kingly Rule of God. All must be involved. And if men are not gathering with Him (into the new congregation) then they are ‘scattering’. This probably has in mind the scattering of the sheep as found in Mat 9:36. In other words not to be one with Jesus in His ministry is to outside the Kingly Rule of God, and is to become a false shepherd and to harm the sheep.
We should note that when He in contrast said ‘he that is not against you is for you’, He was speaking of those who while not accompanying them were still in alignment with Him and demonstrated by their success that they were under the Kingly Rule of God (Luk 9:49-50).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 12:30. He that is not with me, &c. “If, according to the maxims of the world, those are reckoned enemies who do not assist us against our foes; I, who am so deeply engaged in the opposition to Satan, ought much rather to be reckoned his enemy; and he who does not set himself, according to his ability, to gather subjects into mykingdom with me, is but vainly and foolishly scattering abroad; and, however he is employed, wastes his time and labour in what will at last turn to no solid account. Much more criminal and fatal then must the character and conduct of those be, who, with deliberate, implacable malice, oppose my cause, and are resolved, at all adventures, to do their utmost to bear it down, as you are attempting to do by these vile insinuations which you have now suggested.” See Doddridge, and the note on Mar 9:40.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 12:30 . Jesus is speaking neither of the Jewish exorcists (Bengel, Schleiermacher, Neander), nor of the uncertain, fickle multitude (Elwert in the Stud. d. Wirtemb. Geistl . IX. 1, p. 111 ff.; Ullmann in the Deutsch. Zeitschr . 1851, p. 21 ff.; Bleek), neither of which would suit the context; but as little is He expressing Himself in general terms; so that must be applied to Satan , while Jesus is understood to be representing Himself as Satan’s enemy (Jerome, Beza, Grotius, Wetstein, Kuinoel, de Wette, Baumgarten-Crusius); for the truth is, He, previously as well as subsequently, speaks of Himself in the first person (vv, 28, 31), and He could not be supposed, He who is the Messiah, to represent Himself as taking up a neutral attitude toward Satan. On the contrary, He is speaking of the Pharisees and their bearing toward Him , which must necessarily be of a hostile character, since they had refused to make common cause with Him as it behoved them to have done: He that is not with me is , as is seen in your case, my enemy , and so on.
] illustration borrowed from harvest operations; Mat 3:12 , Mat 6:26 ; Joh 4:36 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1354
THE NECESSITY OF A DECIDED ADHERENCE TO CHRIST
Mat 12:30. He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad.
TO inculcate a devotedness of heart to God, and to insist upon it as indispensably necessary to salvation, is generally deemed harsh and uncharitable: and certainly, if it were not required in Scripture, we should be exceedingly blame-worthy in so alarming and terrifying the minds of men: but we must speak what God has spoken, and deliver faithfully what he has commissioned us to declare. To what purpose would it be for us to deceive our fellow-creatures? We might speak of candour, and prophesy smooth things, and lull men asleep in sin; but we could not invalidate the word of God, or reverse the sentence that he shall utter: the declaration of our Lord would still condemn both our hearers and ourselves: If we are not with him, we must be against him, and he will account us his enemies in the last day.
In considering this declaration, it will be proper,
I.
To explain it
Taken by itself, it has no material difficulty in it
[The Lord Jesus Christ is a Sovereign, who is at war with all the powers of darkness: and we, as his subjects, are bound to fight his battles Among the subjects of earthly monarchs no neutrality is admitted: if their kingdom be invaded, all must unite to repel the enemy: neutrality in such a case would be treason. Now thus, whosoever joins not himself to the standard of our Lord, to fight under his banners, and to oppose his enemies, is a traitor to his cause; he is really against our Lord, if he be not for him. As a labourer who has neglected to gather up his corn, has in fact wasted and scattered the property of his employer, so he, whose duty it is to exert himself in gathering a harvest of souls for the Lord Jesus, if he neglect his duty, is really the means of alienating them the more, and of driving them farther from him.]
But, when compared with a passage of an opposite aspect, a considerable difficulty arises from it
[Our Lord on another occasion used an expression apparently the very reverse of this: He that is not against us, is on our part [Note: Mar 9:40]. Now which of these assertions is true? for, in words, they plainly contradict each other: or, if both be true, how are we to reconcile them with each other? The true way to ascertain their meaning is, to consider the occasions on which they were spoken.
When our Lord uttered the words of our text, he had been arguing against those who imputed his miracles to a confederacy with Satan; and had shewn, that as the whole aim of his life was to destroy the influence of Satan over men, Satan would never have aided him in such a work; he would rather have withstood him to the utmost of his power: and consequently, the miracle which Jesus had wrought in expelling Satan from the demoniac, evinced his power over Satan, and his determination finally to bruise him under his peoples feet. From hence our Lord took occasion to observe, that there must be the same determined hostility in his power against sin and Satan as he himself had evinced; and that, if any of them should make a truce with Satan even for an hour, they would instantly be considered as traitors to him, and be dealt with as his enemies.
But when our Lord spake the words recorded by St. Mark, he had been reproving his disciples for presuming to forbid a man to cast out devils in the name of Jesus, merely because he did not associate himself with them: Forbid him not, says our Lord: he is not a partisan of yours, it is true: but he is advancing my interests, as well as you; only he is doing it in a somewhat different way. His performing of miracles in my name is a proof of his faith in me, and of his concern for my honour: and therefore, though he may not have so clear views as you, or walk exactly in the way that you would have him, yet he is to be acknowledged as a friend of mine: he does nothing against me; and therefore must be considered as on my side.
Thus the two passages, though apparently opposite, involve no contradiction whatever: the one shews us how to act towards the avowed enemies of Christ; the other, how to act towards his less conspicuous friends: the one forbids neutrality; the other bigotry, or party-spirit.]
Viewing these words then as a declaration that neutrality cannot be endured amongst the followers of Christ, we proceed,
II.
To confirm it
There is a twofold warfare, which, as Christian soldiers, we are to maintain; and to each of them does the declaration in our text apply. We must be decided and constant in our opposition to,
1.
The enemies of Christ within us
[Amongst these we must number all our corrupt affections and propensities, which tend to the subversion of Christs authority within us. Not one of these is to be spared, though it should be dear as a right eye, or apparently necessary as a right hand. They are indeed exceedingly numerous, and have strong holds which are almost impregnable. They are also mustered and led on by a subtle adversary, the prince of the power of the air, who worketh in all the children of disobedience. Still, however, we must not be discouraged, but must go forth against them, strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. We have armour, if I may so say, forged for us in heaven, and fitted to every part that is vulnerable, except the back, which we are on no account to turn to our enemy. Clothed in this, we need not be afraid: with the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith, we shall in due time be more than conquerors. But we must never make a truce, or even parley with any of our enemies. The filthiness both of the flesh and of the spirit must be opposed without ceasing, and without reserve. Every evil temper, every sensual inclination, all sloth, impenitence, unbelief, or whatever it be that wars against the soul, must be mortified and subdued; nor must we ever cease from our conflict till we have overcome, and are crowned with victory.
Now, if we be not thus resolute, we shall not only not advance the kingdom of God within us, but shall weaken and destroy it. The work of grace within us is not like that of a painter or statuary, that may be left and resumed at pleasure, but like that of a ponderous stone rolled up a steep ascent, which will return, as soon as the force that impelled it is withdrawn. Relapses into sin tend exceedingly to impair the gracious principle within us; they harden the heart, and sear the conscience, and grieve the Holy Spirit of God; and if not speedily repented of, set us further from God than we were before our minds were first awakened [Note: 2Pe 2:21. Mat 12:45.]: so true is it, that, if we cease to gather with Christ, we scatter abroad.]
2.
The enemies of Christ around us
[The whole world is, as it were, risen up in arms against our Lord and Saviour; all of them saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. Against them, therefore, we are to take part with our blessed Lord. We must protest against their maxims, their principles, and their conduct. We are not to be of the world, even as Christ was not of the world. Instead of attempting to hold communion with them, which is impossible, we should come out from among them, and be separate [Note: 2Co 6:14-17.]. The attempting to seek their friendship is an act of hostility against Christ himself [Note: Jam 4:4.]. Let us not however mistake, as though religion required us to hate any of our fellow-creatures; we must love their persons, but hate their ways. This line of conduct is prescribed to all the followers of Christ: whilst they glory in the cross of Christ, they must by means of that cross be crucified unto the world, and the world be crucified unto them.
Now, if we draw back from this avowal of our sentiments and this decision in the cause of Christ, we rank ourselves immediately on the side of his enemies. In forsaking his law, we praise the wicked, when rather, by keeping his law we should contend with them [Note: Pro 28:4.]. We strengthen the hands of Christs enemies, and in the most effectual manner promise them life, though every part of the inspired volume threatens them with death [Note: Eze 13:22.]. Let us remember then that we must be faithful to our profession: we must shew whose we are, and whom we serve: we must shine as lights in a dark world, and, instead of being conformed to the world, we must, by being transformed through the renewing of our minds, prove, and exhibit to all around us, what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God [Note: Rom 12:2.].]
Let us learn then from hence,
1.
The proper objects of Christian zeal
[There is a zeal that is good; and there is a zeal that is not according to knowledge. Of the latter kind was that which the Apostles manifested when they forbade a man to cast out devils, merely because he did not follow with them. The work itself was good; and its being done in the name of Jesus, gave them reason to believe that he was a believer in Christ, though he did not unite himself to them. Should they not then rather have rejoiced in the good that was done, though it was not done precisely in the way which they would have preferred? Alas! the spirit which they indulged prevails in every age: men do not like to see the empire of Satan assailed, or the kingdom of Christ established, if it be not done by their own particular party, or by the means which they particularly prefer: and they would rather that the good were wholly left undone, than that persons, differing from each other in smaller matters, should unite together to effect it. All this is the effect of pride, and envy, and bigotry: and, whatever such persons may think, they will be reproved by Christ, even as the Apostles were. The proper object of our zeal is the advancement of Christs kingdom upon earth, and in our own hearts in particular. To be zealously affected always in such a cause is a good thing: and I pray God that we may never relax our exertions in it to the latest hour of our lives.]
2.
The necessity of abounding in it more and more
[We have observed, that men cannot continue stationary in the divine life: we must either advance or decline. Now it is not at our first conversion only that the words of our text are applicable to us, but at every period of our lives. The longer we have professed ourselves the Lords servants, the more necessity there is for firmness and decision. To become lukewarm, is the worst of states, the most offensive to God, and the most injurious to ourselves [Note: Rev 3:17-18.]. We have this only alternative, either to maintain a warfare against all the enemies of Christ, or to make Christ himself our enemy: and can any one doubt which he should prefer? If we provoke him to anger, will our hands be strong in the day that he shall deal with us? Let us then fight a good fight, and quit ourselves like men: then shall we be approved of him who has chosen us to be soldiers, and reign with him in glory for evermore.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Ver. 30. He that is not with me, is against me ] “But the devil is not with me,” saith Christ, “for all I do or suffer is to destroy his works.” Let this sentence also be noted against neutals and Nicodemites, who stand halting betweem two, and will be sure to hold themselves on the warm side of the hedge howsoever. Such were of old the Samaritans, Nazarites, Ebionites, and those Corinthians that would neither “be of Paul, nor Apollos, nor Cephas, but of Christ,” 1Co 1:12 ; that is, as some neutals say today, they are neither Cavaliers nor Roundheads, but good Protestants; others are neither Papists nor Protestants, but Christians, that is, just nothing, Atheists. Christ hates neutrality, and counts it enmity; he loathes lukewarmness, accepts not any excuse in that case, Jdg 5:16-17 ; Dan and Ephraim are passed by in the reckoning up of the tribes, Rev 7:5-8 , as if they were soldiers put out of pay, and cut out of the rolls. So are all testable indifferents, out of God’s book of remembrance,Mal 3:16-17Mal 3:16-17 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
30. ] These words have been variously understood. Chrysostom and Euthymius understand them to refer to the devil: Bengel, Schleiermacher, and Neander, to the Jewish exorcists named above. Grotius and others understand it as merely a general proverb, and the to mean ‘ any one ,’ and here to apply to Satan, the sense being, ‘ If I do not promote Satan’s kingdom, which I have proved that I do not, then I must be his adversary .’ But this is on all accounts improbable: see below on and . I believe Stier is right in regarding it as a saying setting forth to us generally the entire and complete disjunction of the two kingdoms, of Satan and God. There is and can be in the world no middle party: they who are not with Christ, who do not gather with Him, are against Him and his work, and as far as in them lies are undoing it. See Rom 8:7 . And thus the saying connects itself with the following verse: this being the case, , the sin of an open belying of the present power of the Holy Spirit of God working in and for His Kingdom, assumes a character surpassingly awful. This saying is no way inconsistent with that in Mar 9:40 ; Luk 9:50 . That is not a conversion of this, for the terms of the respective propositions are not the same. See note on Mar 9:40 .
As usual, this saying of our Lord reached further than the mere occasion to which it referred, and spoke forcibly to those many half-persuaded hesitating persons who flattered themselves that they could strike out a line avoiding equally the persecution of men and the rejection of Christ. He informed them (and informs us also) of the impossibility of such an endeavour.
In the there is an allusion to the idea of gathering the harvest: see ch. Mat 13:30 : Joh 11:52 , and for , Joh 10:12 , in all which places the words exactly bear out their sense here.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 12:30 . ne begins at this point to have the feeling that here, as elsewhere, our evangelist groups sayings of kindred character instead of exactly reproducing Christ’s words as spoken to the Pharisees. The connection is obscure, and the interpretations therefore conflicting. On first view one would say that the adage seems more appropriate in reference to lukewarm disciples or undecided hearers than to the Pharisees, who made no pretence of being on Christ’s side. Some accordingly ( e.g. , Bleek, after Elwert and Ullmann) have so understood it. Others, including Grotius, Wetstein, De Wette, take the of the adage to be Satan, and render: he who, like myself, is not with Satan is against him. Kypke, Observ. Sac. , says: “Prima persona posita est a servatore pro quacunque alia, proverbialiter, hoc sensu: qui socius cujusdam bella cum alio gerentis non est, is pro adversario censeri solet. Cum igitur ego me re ipsa adversarium Satanae esse ostenderim, nulla specie socius ejus potero vocari .” This certainly brings the saying into line with the previous train of thought, but if Jesus had meant to say that He surely would have expressed Himself differently. The Fathers (Hilary, Jerome, Chrys.) took the to be Jesus and the to be Satan. So understood, the adage contains a fourth concluding argument against the notion of a league between Jesus and Satan. Most modern interpreters refer the . . to the Pharisees. Schanz, however, understands the saying as referring to the undecided among the people. The only serious objection to this view is that it makes the saying irrelevant to the situation. : late for the earlier , vide Lob., Phryn., p. 218. As to the metaphor of gathering and scattering, its natural basis is not apparent. But in all cases, when one man scatters what another gathers their aims and interests are utterly diverse. Satan is the arch-waster, Christ the collector, Saviour.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
30.] These words have been variously understood. Chrysostom and Euthymius understand them to refer to the devil: Bengel, Schleiermacher, and Neander, to the Jewish exorcists named above. Grotius and others understand it as merely a general proverb, and the to mean any one, and here to apply to Satan, the sense being, If I do not promote Satans kingdom, which I have proved that I do not, then I must be his adversary. But this is on all accounts improbable: see below on and . I believe Stier is right in regarding it as a saying setting forth to us generally the entire and complete disjunction of the two kingdoms, of Satan and God. There is and can be in the world no middle party: they who are not with Christ, who do not gather with Him,-are against Him and his work, and as far as in them lies are undoing it. See Rom 8:7. And thus the saying connects itself with the following verse:-this being the case, ,-the sin of an open belying of the present power of the Holy Spirit of God working in and for His Kingdom, assumes a character surpassingly awful. This saying is no way inconsistent with that in Mar 9:40; Luk 9:50. That is not a conversion of this, for the terms of the respective propositions are not the same. See note on Mar 9:40.
As usual, this saying of our Lord reached further than the mere occasion to which it referred, and spoke forcibly to those many half-persuaded hesitating persons who flattered themselves that they could strike out a line avoiding equally the persecution of men and the rejection of Christ. He informed them (and informs us also) of the impossibility of such an endeavour.
In the there is an allusion to the idea of gathering the harvest: see ch. Mat 13:30 : Joh 11:52, and for , Joh 10:12, in all which places the words exactly bear out their sense here.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 12:30. , …, he that is not, etc.) The latter part of the dilemma contained in Mat 12:27-28, is confirmed by Mat 12:29; the former by Mat 12:30, with this meaning, your sons are not against Me, nor do they scatter abroad; therefore they are with Me, and gather with Me. There is no neutrality in the kingdom of God; that activity which is natural to man is exercised either in good or in evil, especially in the case of those who hear the word of God. The work and cause of Christ is, however, simple and pure; and though it has so many enemies and adversaries, it overpowers them all, nor does it enter into collusion with them: see Luk 12:51. This verse forms a Divine axiom.-, that gathereth) The work of Christ and of Christians is to gather; see ch. Mat 23:37, Joh 11:52. This word corresponds with the Hebrew ,[573] one that gathereth, or a preacher.
[573] , Koheleth is the appellation by which Solomon is designated in the book which bears this name, viz. Ecclesiastes. On the signification and derivation, see Gesenius in voc.-(I. B.)
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
that is: Mat 6:24, Jos 5:13, Jos 24:15, 1Ch 12:17, 1Ch 12:18, Mar 9:40, Luk 9:50, Luk 11:23, 2Co 6:15, 2Co 6:16, 1Jo 2:19, Rev 3:15, Rev 3:16
gathereth: Gen 49:10, Hos 1:11, Joh 11:52
Reciprocal: Exo 32:26 – Who is on 2Sa 3:6 – Abner 2Ki 10:6 – If ye be mine Psa 94:16 – rise up Dan 11:17 – upright ones Amo 8:12 – shall run Mal 1:4 – They shall build Mat 25:42 – General Gal 5:17 – and these Col 1:13 – delivered
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
NO NEUTRALITY
He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth abroad.
Mat 12:30
There are many persons in every age of the Church who need to have this lesson pressed upon them.
I. The best of both worlds.They endeavour to steer a middle course in religion: they are not so bad as many sinners, but still they are not saints. They feel the truth of Christs Gospel, when it is brought before them; but they are afraid to confess what they feel. Because they have these feelings, they flatter themselves they are not so bad as others; and yet they shrink from the standard of faith and practice which the Lord Jesus sets up. They are not boldly fighting on Christs side, and yet they are not openly against Him.
II. The danger of the position.Our Lord warns all such that they are in a dangerous position. There are only two parties in religious matters: there are only two camps: there are only two sides. Are we with Christ, and working in His cause? If not, we are against Him. Are we doing good in the world? If not, we are doing harm.
III. The principle.The principle here laid down is one which it concerns us all to remember. Let us settle it in our minds that we shall never have peace and do good to others unless we are thorough-going and decided in our Christianity. The way of Gamaliel never yet brought happiness and usefulness to any one, and never will.
Bishop J. C. Ryle.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
2:30
This verse is a conclusive statement of principle on which Jesus regards all intelligent creatures. There is no neutrality between the kingdom of Christ and that of Satan. A man may refuse to be outwardly an advocate of the kingdom of Christ but still wish to profess being in favor of it. But in that case he will be regarded as an active worker in the kingdom of Satan and against that of Christ.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 12:30. He that is not with me. The opposition between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan is absolute; it is impossible to be neutral. Neutrality is often the worst hostility. Since these two opposing kingdoms exist, all moral beings must belong to one or the other. Our Lord has proved that He is the stronger, that He is the Messiah, working miracles by the Spirit of God; the alternative is therefore presented in a new form: Christ or Satan. The Pharisees decided for Satan, and were consistent in their opposition. Sentimental admirers of Christ are simply inconsistent enemies.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Jesus’ point in this statement was that there can be no neutrality in one’s relationship to Him. Those who do not side with Jesus side with Satan. This put the Pharisees in undesirable company. The Old Testament viewed man’s judgment as a harvest that God would conduct. Jesus claimed that He would be the harvesting Judge. Jesus’ statement here would have rebuked the Pharisees and warned the undecided in the crowd. Apparently they were not only refusing to come to Jesus themselves but were even scattering the disciples that Jesus was gathering.