Matthew 12:30
Sunday, 17 August 2025
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. Matthew 12:30
“The ‘not being with Me,’ he is against me. And the ‘not gathering with Me,’ he scatters” (CG).
In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of binding the strong man before his goods can be plundered. With that thought complete, He now poignantly states, “The ‘not being with Me,’ he is against me.”
There is a great deal of dissension about who Jesus is speaking of in this verse. Some say it is a word against the Pharisees, others say it is referring to Satan, others that it is anyone at any time as they interact with the cause of Christ, etc. Checking the surrounding verses gives us the answer.
A man who was demon possessed, blind and mute, was brought to Him. He healed the man (vs. 23). The people asked if He could be the Son of David (vs. 24). He was accused by the Pharisees of casting out by Beelzebul (vs. 24). From there, Jesus gave His words on kingdom division, authority to cast out demons, and binding a strong man (vss. 25-29).
In verses 31 & 32, He will speak of blasphemy against the Spirit, stating that speaking a word against the Son of Man is forgivable, but speaking against the Holy Spirit is not. But Jesus has said in verse 28 that if He casts out demons by the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God has come upon them.
He is clearly stating that He and what He does are in accord with the Spirit. Therefore, when someone speaks against His actions, they are speaking against the work of the Spirit. As anyone opposed to the Spirit is under the authority of the devil, those opposed to Christ’s works are not in accord with the Spirit.
The general words, “the not being with Me,” indicate the devil and those who are his. There is “what God is doing,” and “what the devil is doing.” That is the totality of what is happening in the universe around us. Understanding this, He next says, “And the ‘not gathering with Me,’ he scatters.”
A new word, skorpizó, to dissipate, is introduced. It is derived from skorpios, a scorpion. A scorpion penetrates its prey, causing a dissipating effect. One can think of a grenade being tossed into a room, and those in the room scatter, causing a dissipating effect.
When the Spirit of God is present, there will be one effect. When the presence of the devil is present, there will be another. Bengel rightly ties the thought of gathering to the word qoheleth, Teacher or Preacher, found seven times in Ecclesiastes. The word is derived from qahal, to convoke or assemble.
Through the teaching of the Teacher, there is a gathering effect that takes place in the kingdom of God. Through opposition to it, there is a scattering effect. God is teaching us through the work of the Spirit. As Jesus is filled with the Spirit of God in the fullest sense, what He does is the ultimate gathering for the kingdom that can be realized.
Life application: Jesus’ words are not speaking of the general state of any of us on a given day. One day, we may be on fire for Jesus and out telling all about Him and His goodness, handing out tracts and blaring Christian music from our car stereo. The next day, we may be in a grumpy mood and completely ineffective in our witness.
This is the normal way of life. Being a Christian does not change that. We are physical, chemical, and biological beings. Variations in those aspects of us can change our whole attitude. But this does not change our state in Christ. If we have accepted the gospel, we are sealed with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:13, 14).
Those who have not believed the gospel are incapable of being “with” Christ because they do not have the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit that testifies to Jesus Christ. He inspired Scripture, and all Scripture points to Jesus. Jesus’ life is documented in Scripture. We can either accept that He is who Scripture claims or reject that. The gospel is given in the word, and it can be explained by man (Romans 10:14-18).
To reject the gospel is to reject what God is doing in redemptive history in and through His Son. The issue Jesus is referring to is being a part of one kingdom or another. If one moves from the devil to Jesus, he is with Jesus, and he gathers with Him because he has the Spirit of God.
If Jesus is rejected, the person who rejects Him is not with Him. Therefore, his being, his existence, stands in opposition to the work of the Spirit. This is an all-encompassing thought. It is not a Jew/Gentile issue. It is not a Russian/Ukrainian issue. It is not an “I support Israel” or “I don’t support Israel” issue, nor a democrat/republican issue. And so forth.
We have our own divisions for various things we want or desire. At times, what we do may or may not align with God’s plans as they are being worked out in human history. This may be because of stubborn rebellion, poor doctrine, etc. However, the main division of all things comes down to Christ.
Are we in Christ because of our acceptance of the Spirit’s working in Him, or are we of the devil, having never been converted to accepting the Spirit’s marking Him as God’s chosen Servant to bring us back to Him?
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:8, 9
O God, help us to clearly identify the battle that is raging in the world. The devil has his kingdom, and Christ Jesus has His. Help us to effectively communicate the gospel for others to see this and to call out to You through Jesus. May You strengthen us for this at all times. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.
