*Scripture verses covered in this section's commentary are noted in italics

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Matthew 12:30 meaning

Jesus speaks two proverbs whose core truth reveals that anyone who is not with Jesus and His kingdom is working against Him.

The parallel Gospel accounts of Matthew 12:30 are Mark 9:40; Luke 9:50 and 11:23.

Jesus continues His rebuke of the Pharisees, who have just accused Him of casting out demons in the power of Satan. He has already demonstrated that their accusation is false, and invited them to consider the truth—that He is working in the power of God’s Spirit.

Now He draws an important line. Jesus speaks two proverbs. A proverb is a saying or expression that conveys a general truth. The first proverb Jesus speaks is He who is not with Me is against Me (v 30). The core truth Jesus is conveying with this proverb is that there are ultimately only two sides in the great cosmic conflict: God’s side and not-God’s side. Anyone who is not with Me [Jesus], is not on God’s side (v 30). He is against God. Everyone is either ultimately with Jesus and His kingdom or against Him and His kingdom. There is no neutral ground. There is no third option. And there is no option not to choose one or the other.

In a very different context, Jesus gives what appears to be the opposite proverb. Mark and Luke both record this moment.

“John said to Him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For the one who is not against us is for us.’” (Mark 9:38-40)

“John answered and said, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow along with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not hinder him; for the one who is not against you is for you.’” (Luke 9:49-50)

In these passages from Mark and Luke, John the disciple notifies Jesus that someone else is doing good things in His name. John adds that he told this person to stop. Jesus then corrects John using a proverb that is opposite to the one Jesus told the Pharisees, “For the one who is not against you/us is for you/us” (Mark 9:40/ Luke 9:50). When someone is doing good, don’t get in their way. God knows motives, we don’t.

Side by side those truths are:

“He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30)

There are ultimately only two sides in the great cosmic conflict: God’s side and not-God’s side.

“The one who is not against us is for us” (Luke 9:50)

Do not worry about others who are doing good or try to stop them from doing good, regardless of what you might think of their motives.

Immediately after He speaks the first proverb, He who is not with Me is against Me (v 30), to the Pharisees, Jesus says the second proverb. And he who does not gather with Me scatters (v 30). The meaning of the second proverb is very similar to the meaning of first. Its core truth is that anyone who is not working with Jesus is working against Him.

It usually takes more effort to gather and build than it does to scatter and tear down. To gather means to draw together, to organize and build. Jesus invites people to believe in Him and to follow Him in the gathering and building of His kingdom. As was just mentioned, scatter is the opposite of gather, but there is an additional contrast between these two actions. It almost always requires a degree of intent and focus to gather. And while one can deliberately scatter, scattering does not necessarily require intent. One can mindlessly or accidentally scatter. The actions of gather and scatters along with the intent (or lack of intent) required to do them show us that it requires a deliberate choice to be a participant in God’s kingdom who gathers with Jesus. The kingdom must be sought after (Matthew 6:33). And it must be sought after by faith (Romans 9:30).

In this context the Pharisees are clearly not with Jesus. They are not interested in gathering with Him. They are against Him. They are scatterers.

Biblical Text

³⁰He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

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Additional Resources

Book Theme

The Gospel of Matthew was written to demonstrate to the Jews of Jesus, the Messiah’s generation that He was indeed the Christ. Matthew thematically substantiates the Messianic identity of Jesus beginning with the genealogy of Jesus, which ran from Abraham, the father of Israel’s people through King David who was promised to have a son who would be on Israel’s throne forever. Throughout his Gospel account Matthew makes use of numerous prophecies both explicitly stated and by way of subtle allusion to support his thesis. Matthew further makes use of parallel events in Jesus’s life to those of Messianic figures from the Old Testament (Moses, Joseph, David, etc.) to bolster his argument.

Jesus came to offer the Jews the chance to participate in the inauguration of the Messianic Kingdom. To do this, they would have to receive and follow Him as their Messiah. Jesus’s message was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Ultimately, they rejected Him as their Messiah and condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion. The Jews’ rejection of the Messiah opened the door for Gentiles to enter the kingdom (Matthew 8:11-12, 22:1-10). Matthew’s Gospel is therefore a call for the Jews repent of their murder of Jesus and to embrace Him for the divine Messiah He is.

Matthew shows how their rejection of Him and His brutal death was predicted not only by Jesus Himself, but also was foretold in the Jewish scriptures of the Messiah.

The main proof that Jesus was the Messiah was “the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:39, 16:4). This was Jesus’s death and resurrection from the dead. “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

Because Matthew’s Gospel was written to people who were already members of God’s eternal family by virtue of their faith in God’s promise to send the Messiah, Matthew emphasizes the “reward of eternal life” (aka “The Prize of Eternal Life”) rather than “the Gift of Eternal Life”. In other words, Matthew’s Gospel focuses on how to “enter the kingdom” rather than how to “be born again”.

Matthew’s Gospel demonstrates how Jesus came to fulfill the law and open a way for God’s people to participate in the Messianic kingdom if they would follow His example of worshiping God from the heart by forgiving and serving others.

For “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). If we have faith to follow the example set forth by the resurrected Messiah, whom all authority on heaven and earth has been granted (Matthew 28:18) and take up our cross for His sake (Matthew 16:24-25), then we will become great in His kingdom (Matthew 20:26).

Finally, Matthew provides extensive samples of Jesus’s teachings including “the Sermon on the Mount”, “the Little Commission”, and “the Olivet Discourse” and many parables, alongside accounts of numerous miracles and wonders, personal moments with His twelve disciples, interactions with seekers, and increasingly as his Gospel account progresses: challenges and confrontations with His adversaries – the Pharisees, Scribes, and Priests.

Chapter Context

Matthew narrates a series of four confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees. Matthew has hinted at and even shared conflicts between the Pharisees and Christ’s ministry before, but in this chapter, he presents the Pharisees as the main human opposition to Jesus and His kingdom. The first two confrontations involve Jesus’s actions on the Sabbath. The third is over the nature of Jesus’s miraculous authority. And the fourth is the Pharisees’ demand that Jesus demonstrate a sign to prove His claims. The chapter ends with Jesus describing His followers as family.

Matthew 12:30 meaning

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Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

Maps and Charts

Videos

The Bible Project - Matthew Summary Pt. 1

The Bible Project - Matthew Summary Pt. 2

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