Interpretations on Matt. “He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (Matt.) Biblical origin of the phrase

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

Therefore I say to you: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven to men; if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the future.

Or recognize the tree as good and its fruit as good; or recognize the tree as bad and its fruit as bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

Spawn of vipers! how can you say good things when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

A good man brings good things out of a good treasure, and an evil man brings evil things out of an evil treasure.

I tell you that for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Matthew 12:30-37

Interpretation of the Gospel of the Blessed
Theophylact of Bulgaria

Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria

Matthew 12:30. He who is not with me is against me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.

How, he says, will Beelzebub help Me if he opposes Me more than anyone else? I teach virtue, he teaches evil. How is he with Me? I gather people for salvation, but he scatters. He also points to the Pharisees, because when He taught and brought benefit to many, they scattered the people so that they would not come to Him. So, the Lord shows that they are indeed like demons.

Matthew 12:31. Therefore I say to you: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven to men;

Matthew 12:32. if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the future.

He says the following here: every other sin has at least a small justification, for example, fornication, theft. For in such cases we refer to human weakness and are deserving of apology. But when someone sees miracles performed by the Spirit and slanderes them as if they were the power of a demon, what justification can he have? Clearly, he knows that they come from the Holy Spirit, but he deliberately acts badly. How can one receive an apology? So, when the Jews saw that the Lord eats, drinks, treats publicans and harlots and does everything else like the Son of Man, and then they blamed Him as a poisoner and a wine drinker, then for this they are worthy of an apology, and repentance will not be required from them this, since it seemed to them that they were being tempted for a sufficient reason. But if they, seeing that He performed miracles, nevertheless slandered and blasphemed the Holy Spirit, saying that this was a demonic work, then how can they admit that this sin will be forgiven them if they do not repent?

So, know that whoever reviles the Son of Man, seeing that He lives like a man, and calling Him a friend of fornicators, a food drinker and a wine drinker because Christ did this, such a person, if he does not repent, will not give an answer: he deserves an apology because he did not think that God was hidden in Jesus Christ. But whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit or the spiritual works of Christ and calls them demonic, unless he repents, will not be forgiven, for he did not have sufficient reason for slander, like the one who slandered Christ, seeing Him among the fornicators and tax collectors. So, he will not be forgiven either here or there, but he will be punished both here and there. For many are punished here, but not there at all, like poor Lazarus; others both here and there, like the Sodomites and those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit; the third is neither here nor there, like the apostles and the Forerunner. They apparently suffered punishment when they were persecuted, yet it was not punishment for sins, but trials and crowns.

Matthew 12:33. Or recognize the tree as good and its fruit as good; or recognize the tree as bad and its fruit as bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Since the Jews could not slander miracles as evil deeds, but Christ, who performed them, was blasphemed as like demons, the Lord says: either recognize Me as a good tree, and then My miracles, which are the fruit, will be beautiful, or if If you recognize Me as a bad tree, then the fruit or My miracles will obviously be bad. But miracles, that is, fruits, you call good; therefore, I am a good tree. For a tree is known by its fruit, just as I am known by My miracles.

Matthew 12:34. Spawn of vipers! how can you say good things when you are evil?

You, he says, being bad trees, bear bad fruit when you revile Me; so, if I were bad, I would bear bad fruit, and not such great miracles. He calls them brood of vipers, since they boasted about Abraham. The Lord shows that they do not come from Abraham, but from ancestors worthy of their malice.
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:35. A good man brings forth good things from a good treasure; and an evil man brings forth evil from an evil treasure.

When you see someone blaspheming, then know that in his heart he does not mean what he says, but much more. For what comes out comes only from excess, and the one who hides a treasure within himself reveals only a certain part of it. Likewise, the one who speaks good things carries much more in his heart.

Matthew 12:36. I tell you that for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment:
Matthew 12:37. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Here the Lord frightens us that we too will give an answer for every empty word, that is, false, slanderous or tactless and mocking. Then he brings evidence from Scripture, so that they would not think that He is saying something of His own: from your words, he says, you will receive justification, and from your words you will be condemned.

In contact with

One of the most famous catchphrases, which escaped becoming a quotation and became a literal slogan, actually has an ancient history. At rallies and in all kinds of rhetorical debates one can hear the fiery appeal: “Whoever is not with us is against us!”, and we are so accustomed to hearing this phrase that we literally regard it as folk art. However, it has nothing to do with proverbs and sayings. The history of this expression is more venerable and in some ways refined.

Biblical origin of the phrase

People with an inquisitive mind may be interested in who said this phrase and why it has spread so widely around the world. There are semantic analogues of this expression in many languages, so we can talk about global popularity. Initially, this statement sounded different, and although both versions have reached us - both the basic and the interpreted - this one is more used: “He who is not with us is against us.” The author meant only himself personally, without extending the meaning of what was said to a certain community.

You can read the original version in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12, verse 30. Jesus said: “Whoever is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” Does this mean that he meant that all people who instantly disbelieve are his enemies?

Explanations from the author of the catchphrase

Of course, it is impossible to interview Jesus and find out exactly what he meant. Usually the phrase “who is not with us is against us” means “it’s impossible to sit on the sidelines, neutrality does not exist, you think you are neutral, but you are already our enemies.” If you carefully study the biblical story to which the phrase uttered by Jesus refers, you can also find his words addressed to his disciples: “Do not forbid him; he who is not against you is for you.” How can this duality be interpreted, since it seems as if the author of the expression is clearly contradicting himself?

Perhaps Jesus had strict specifics in mind and really believed that the attitude towards God and the attitude towards his disciples are different things, and many roads lead to God. Consequently, the original meaning of the expression was not as radical as after a more modern interpretation.

Using the Bible in Propaganda Rhetoric

Why does this phrase have such an influence? It’s not for nothing that many radical movements so readily quote the phrase “those who are not with us are against us”? The Bible is by default considered an authoritative source of truth, this is how European thinking has historically developed. The unquestioned authority to which the speaker appeals in his speech gives weight to his arguments.

Since the triumphal march of Christianity across Europe, the Bible has been used as a source of justification for almost anything. Faith is indeed a powerful weapon, and it was very difficult to find people who would dare to argue with the words of a book inspired by God himself. However, this does not mean that the speaker himself must be a believer.

Vladimir Lenin or Max Stirner?

This expression is most often attributed to Vladimir Ulyanov, better known as Lenin, the ideological leader of the October Revolution that took place in the Russian Empire at the beginning of the last century. The addressee was the Social Democratic Party, which did not support the idea of ​​a revolutionary seizure of power. It is not surprising that the phrase was quoted and literally crammed by heart. Why does the phrase “those who are not with us are against us” sound so much more impressive in Latin? Qui non est nobiscum, adversus nos est...

Perhaps Lenin devoted a lot of time to studying the works of the philosopher and anarchist Max Stirner. It is he who is credited with the authorship of this interpretation of the biblical passage. It remains to be seen who said this first, but everything is very simple: Stirner died in 1856, and Lenin was born only in 1870.

Spontaneous spread of expression

A biting and succinct phrase that clearly places emphasis and forces listeners to take the “right” side. Perhaps this was enough to turn the expression “who is not with us is against us” into a real Bolshevik slogan. The slogans took root well in the fertile soil of mass illiteracy of the proletariat, but the speakers preferred not to talk about the biblical origin of the expression. Although, most likely, they simply did not know the Bible in such detail to draw any parallels.

The temptation to use a successful expression, supported by a rich history, awakens from time to time among different speakers, but it sounds quite radical. It is not surprising that these days the phrase is regarded as aggressive and unapologetic.

The appropriateness of using phrases with different emotional connotations

What does a person look like who, in the heat of a heartfelt speech, utters the phrase “those who are not with us are against us”? Now this expression can only hopelessly spoil the impression, and instead of the allies that a politician expects to gain in this manner, he will receive a barrage of criticism.

Modern European society tries to adhere to a policy of tolerance, providing people with a fairly wide range of rights and freedoms. So such a sharp contrast between unequivocal Good and indisputable Evil evokes, at best, a sarcastic reaction. Nevertheless, we have to admit that radical statements find their fans, and then the political situation begins to heat up.

Often in a conversation this phrase is mentioned with distinct mocking intonations - when someone begins to too ardently defend their rightness, contrasting different groups of people and expressing value judgments. Indeed, as soon as the overheated speaker realizes that he is going too far and is becoming like Lenin, broadcasting from an armored car about the need for a world revolution, the tension subsides. applies only to adequate people who are able to correctly assess the mood of the audience and adjust the direction of statements.

Nowadays, a speech decorated with such radical slogans is unlikely to be taken seriously, so speechwriters try to compose balanced texts that do not allow erroneous or ambiguous interpretations and (if possible) avoid radical rhetoric and categorical appeals.

St. John Chrysostom

Art. 30-32 He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven to men; if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the next

Here is the fourth refutation. What is My intention? says Christ. Bring people to God, teach them virtue, proclaim the kingdom to them. What do the devil and demons want? The opposite of this. So, how will he who does not gather with Me and who is not for Me help Me? And what am I saying - help? On the contrary, he still tries to waste Mine. How, therefore, can one who not only does not help Me, but also wastes Mine, have such agreement with Me that he begins to cast out demons together with Me? He spoke this, it seems, not only about the devil, but also about Himself, since He himself opposes the devil and squanders what belongs to him. Why does He say: whoever is not with Me is against Me? Because he does not gather together with Him. If this is true, then this must be exactly who is against Him? If he who does not cooperate with Christ is called an enemy, then even more so is he who arms himself against Him an enemy. Yet this, He says, is in order to show His great and irreconcilable enmity with the devil. Tell me, do you mind someone who doesn't want to help when you have to fight someone? If He says in another place: what you have, what you have(Luke IX, 50), then this does not contradict what was said here. Here He indicated who their adversary is, and there He shows who their accomplice is, because it is said: In your name they cast out demons(Matt. VII, 22) ? It seems to me that here Christ also hints at the Jews, placing them together with the devil. And they were against Him, and they wasted what He had collected. And that He is hinting at them here too is proven by the following words of the Savior: For this reason I tell you that all sin and blasphemy will be forgiven by man(v. 31) Thus, having destroyed their slander, resolved their objection and shown their reckless stubbornness, He finally frightens them, since in the matter of advice and correction it is not unimportant to not only answer all questions and convince, but also to threaten, which is often does the one who gives laws and advice.

Although the words of Jesus Christ seem very unclear, if we look closely, we will easily understand them. So, first let's listen carefully to these words: Every sin and blasphemy, He says, will be forgiven by man: but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven by them. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; and whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the next (vv. 31, 32). What do these words mean? You said a lot about Me, that I am a deceiver, that I am an adversary of God. I will forgive you this and will not demand your punishment if you repent; but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven even to those who repent. How is this possible? After all, this guilt was also forgiven by those who repented. Many of those who spewed blasphemy against the Spirit subsequently believed, and everything was forgiven to them. What do these words mean? That sin against the Holy Spirit is predominantly unforgivable. Why? Because they did not know who He was; and we have already received sufficient knowledge about the Spirit. So, whatever the prophets said, they spoke according to the inspiration of the Spirit, and in the Old Testament everyone had a very clear concept of Him. So, the words of Christ have this meaning: let you be offended by Me according to the flesh in which I have put on; but can you say about the Spirit that we do not know Him? That is why your blasphemy will be unforgivable, and here and there you will suffer punishment for it. Although many were only punished here, such as the fornicator who unworthily shared the mysteries of the Corinthians, you are both here and there. So, I forgive you everything with which you slandered Me before the cross, even the fact that you want to crucify Me on the cross, and your very unbelief will not be held against you. Those who believed before the cross did not have full faith, therefore He everywhere forbids announcing Himself to anyone before suffering, and on the cross itself He prayed that the Jews would be forgiven their sin. But what you said about the Spirit will not be forgiven you. And that Christ points to the blasphemy that the Jews spoke against Him before the cross, this can be seen from the following: Whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; and whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be released. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is known to you, and you are not ashamed to reject the obvious truth. If you already say that you don’t know Me, then you undoubtedly know that casting out demons and performing healings is the work of the Holy Spirit. So, you do not only blaspheme Me, but also the Holy Spirit. Therefore, your punishment, both here and there, is inevitable. Some are punished both here and there; others are only here; others only there; and others are neither here nor there. Both here and there, for example. these same blasphemers of the Holy Spirit. They suffered punishment here too, when they were subject to terrible disasters, after the capture of their city, and there they will suffer the most severe, like the inhabitants of Sodom and many others. There only, - as for example. a rich man scorched by flames who did not have even one drop of water. Here, - for example. fornicator of Corinth. Neither here nor there - like the apostles, like the prophets, like blessed Job: and their suffering was not a consequence of punishment, but of exploits and struggle.

Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew.

St. Chromatius of Aquileia

And rightly He added, saying: He who is not with Me is against Me; And to show that His work is one thing, and the devil’s work is completely different. After all, the devil is the enemy of human salvation. The devil tends to scatter for the sake of destruction, but Christ tends to gather for salvation. Therefore, it is shown that one who is against the Lord cannot be with the Lord. Having said this, the Lord seemed to convict the Pharisees, who did not want to unite with Christ and became enemies and adversaries of the Lord, but also spoke about all heretics and schismatics, who, either by perverted teaching or by the persistence of schism, convened wicked meetings against the Church, or rather against Lord, and are trying to divide and desecrate the intact body of the Church and the unity of the world and faith. They do not remember the words of Solomon: Anyone who chops wood may be at risk from it.(Eccl. 10:9), which show that those who sow schism in the Church are in danger of eternal death.

Treatise on the Gospel of Matthew.

St. Luka Krymsky

And once again the Lord said a great and profound word about the same thing: He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.

O Lord, You command us not to collect earthly blessings, You command us to collect together with You and not to waste. What does it mean to be with You? What does it mean not to scatter, but to gather with You?

To be with You means to be close to You, to be among those whom You called Your friends, it means to think the way You thought, to want what You wanted and taught us to want.

You wanted us to collect, not waste. When do we waste? When we act like this crazy rich man, who directed all the strength of his soul, his whole life, towards collecting as many earthly blessings as possible.

Why, why?!

So that his soul would be taken away that same night, and who knows who would get what he had collected.

When a person collects wealth, often in unclean ways, does he not waste it?

He squanders what is most precious, which constitutes the only true treasure of the soul, he squanders all the good that was in his soul. For when a person devotes himself entirely to worries about wealth, about ample food, about living in luxury and bliss, then he falls asleep, and not only falls asleep, but all deep, spiritual, pure aspirations completely disappear in his soul, for they are crowded out by base aspirations.

Sermons on evangelical themes. Week 26. Parable of the Crazy Rich Man.

To the words: He who does not gather with Me scatters (Matt. 12:30, OK. 11:23).

He who does not gather with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. We must understand these words of Christ, for their significance is great. It is necessary that we all be with Christ, that we gather everything together with Him and not waste it.

What does it mean to be with Christ? To be with Christ means to be one with Him, to be His friend, to be close to Him, it means to acquire the mind of Christ, it means to want and strive only for what the Lord Jesus Christ commanded. It is necessary that all our thoughts, all our desires be directed towards what the Lord teaches, it is necessary that all our thoughts are focused not on earthly things, but on eternal life, it is necessary that all our actions correspond to what the Lord Jesus Christ says in His saints commandments.

It is necessary that our entire spiritual structure be as the Lord desires. And the Lord speaks about this spiritual dispensation in His nine beatitudes. We need to be humble, poor in spirit, weeping, to be meek, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, to be merciful, pure in heart, to be peacemakers, to be persecuted for the name of Christ, if this happiness befalls our lot, to be always ready without any embarrassment, even joyfully accept all reproaches, all blasphemy, all mockery for His name.

If this is the structure of our mind, our will, our entire understanding, if we accumulate all this in our heart, we can then say that we are with Him, with Christ, then we will gather together with Him and will not scatter.

What does it mean to collect, what does it mean to squander? To gather with Him means to gather what pleases Him. If we collect all the blessings of life, the wealth available to us, for ourselves - to spend on ourselves and our family, to live well and luxuriously and to create an inheritance for our children; If we live like this, it will be a waste.

For he who does not grow rich in God, who does not gather with God, only wastes, and at the Last Judgment, in eternal life, he will find himself poor, having nothing, having wasted everything and collected nothing for Christ.

To collect for Christ means to collect for those in whose person the Lord Jesus Christ stands, asking for our mercy, for when we show mercy to one of the least of His brethren, from those burdened with grief and need, we show mercy to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We then collect wealth not for ourselves, we do not become rich in ourselves, we collect so that these sacrifices will precede us when we pass away, so that the holy angels will carry on golden platters all our good deeds, good motives, good thoughts and words ahead of us to Throne of God. These treasures, collected in His name, for Him, will open the way for us, the bright path to eternal life, and will give us great joy. This is what it means to gather with Christ. I have so far talked about material goods, but there are people who spend their whole lives collecting not these goods, who spend their whole lives collecting knowledge, busy searching for scientific truth. What can we say about them? Do they gather with Christ?

No, they go about their business completely without Christ, without calling on His holy name for help in their work, for such people do not believe in Him, they place their trust in their own wisdom, in their own strength, in their own will. They think to find the truth without Christ. They work a lot, collect extremely much knowledge, but they do not collect it with Christ, but the Lord said: whoever does not collect it with Him, scatters it.

What does such a person waste? The precious treasures of your soul: that which is the only thing needed, everything that pleases God. It does not deepen faith, does not increase hope, does not acquire love, because there is no source of love in scientific knowledge. He who is preoccupied with himself, who relies on himself, does not have true hope in its highest form, hope in God. He who is busy with the aspirations of his life without Christ wastes everything he could have. He who is not with Christ is against Him. Terrible words: “To be against Christ is to be His enemy.” And what could be more disastrous and terrible for a person than to become one of the enemies of Christ?

There are only two paths: one to the right, the other to the left. To the right is the path indicated by the Lord, the path to the left is the path leading away from Him. And He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and if we do not follow Him to the right, along the path that He showed us, then we are moving away from Him. The opposite of Christ is Antichrist. Going to the left, we follow the Antichrist. There is no middle way. We must choose one path: we must go to the right, follow the Lord Jesus Christ, and be with Him. We must gather up great spiritual treasures with Christ, with His gracious help. Those who follow a different path waste all these treasures, increase their conceit, their arrogance, their pride, and pride is the main property of the devil. Whoever does not follow Christ inevitably, although people do not understand this, follows the devil.

Fear this, fear not to become an enemy of Christ, fear not to waste spiritual treasures, which may our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be Glory and Power, with His Beginning Father and His Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, help you to collect.

Hurry to follow Christ. To the words: “He who does not gather with Me scatters.”

St. Seraphim of Sarov

He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters

Please note, father, that only for the sake of Christ does a good deed bring us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Still, what is done not for the sake of Christ, although good, does not represent a reward for us in the life of the next century, and in this life it does not give us the grace of God either. This is why the Lord Jesus Christ said: “ Everyone who does not gather with Me scatters" A good deed cannot be called otherwise than gathering, for although it is not done for the sake of Christ, it is nevertheless good.

Conversation with Motovilov about the purpose of Christian life.

St. Justin (Popovich)

He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters

He who does not gather with Me scatters. Collecting oneself, one’s personality - by Christ, that is, combining with Christ into one flesh, into one likeness, into one essence, entering into His Self - into Me: with Me a person can come into himself, find himself, gather himself, scattered outside of Christ, without Christ. He who does not become a member of the Body of Christ, the Church, remains outside, wastes himself, does not have the totality of perfection - love; for only the New Testament unites with blood, unites what was separated by the old life - by man before, if not against, Christ. Outside of Christ man divided(see Matthew 12:25-26); he is always a kingdom divided in itself. The Holy Spirit is the gatherer of personality: from here in the verse, the only way to gather oneself, to return to a holistic image, is not to commit sin and not allow blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, not to isolate oneself from Him.

Ascetic and theological chapters.

Right John of Kronstadt

He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters

Who does not gather with Me, says the Lord, he wastes. We must move forward in spiritual life, ascend higher and higher; increase more and more the stock of good deeds; if we stand at one point of moral perfection, at one step on the ladder of Christian ascent, then it’s the same as going backwards; If we don’t collect, it’s as if we’re wasting.

My life in Christ.

The words of our Savior Jesus Christ are true: “Whoever is not with Me is against Me”. Catholics, Lutherans and Reformed people have fallen away from the Church of Christ - they are not of the same mind with us, they are at enmity against us, they strongly persecute us to death, oppress us in every possible way for our faith, ridicule it and us and cause us all sorts of troubles, especially in the main places of their population, they clearly go against Christ and His Church, do not venerate the life-giving Cross, holy icons, holy relics, do not respect fasting, and transform the dogmas of faith into saving ones. They are not with us, against us and against Christ. Turn them, Lord, to Thy true Church and save them!

Symphony based on the works of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt.

Sschmch. Onuphry (Gagalyuk)

He who is not with me is against me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters

Here you can see an indication of the servants of God’s Church - passive ones, who are indifferent to the evil that surrounds them, unbelief, schism, debauchery, deception, and so on. A disciple of Christ is called upon to actively fight unbelief, the perversion of Christ’s faith and life, and to instill Christian truth everywhere and by the example of a pure life, without, of course, resorting to any deception and violence (2 Tim. 2, etc.). Otherwise, the tares will bear fruit in the field of Christ and, instead of winning the children of God, indifferent shepherds will cut them up. The silence of the ministers of the Church speaks of their dislike for God and people and exposes the lack of faith and the effective help of God to all workers of the word of God (Ps. 84:12-13).

Letters and articles. Above the Word of God (Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures).

Blzh. Hieronymus of Stridonsky

Art. 30-31 He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven (spiritus autem, blasphemiae non remittetur) people

Let no one think that this word refers to heretics and schismatics (although, of course, it may be understood that way); based on the connection between speech and further words, it must be attributed to the devil, because the actions of the Savior cannot be compared with the actions of Beelzebub: he wants to keep the souls of people in captivity, and the Lord wants to free them; he preaches idols, and the Lord preaches the knowledge of one God; he attracts to vices, but the Lord calls to virtues. Therefore, how can there be agreement between those who are divided in their deeds [or: different]?

Blzh. Theophylact of Bulgaria

He who is not with me is against me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters

How, he says, will Beelzebub help Me if he opposes Me more than anyone else? I teach virtue, he teaches evil. How is he with Me? I gather people for salvation, but he scatters. He also points to the Pharisees, because when He taught and brought benefit to many, they scattered the people so that they would not come to Him. So, the Lord shows that they are indeed like demons.

Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew.

Evfimy Zigaben

Whatever is not with Me is upon Me: and whatever gathers not with Me, scatters

And with another consideration he asserts that the prince of demons is rather His greatest enemy. That he is not with Christ and that he does not gather with Him is obvious from the deeds of both. Christ teaches all good, and loving people, heals the sick, but Christ, on the contrary, teaches all evil, and hating people, harms the healthy. That's why. if he is not with Christ, i.e. He does not agree with Him in anything, as shown, and does not gather with Him to faith - then, of course, he is against Him and, as far as he can, scatters those whom Christ gathers. Saying: what is not with Me is on Me, - in order not to seem incomprehensible, he explained the speech by adding: and those who do not gather with Me scatter. He joined the devil with the Jews, who were against Him and, as far as they could, scattered what He collected.

Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew.

Ep. Mikhail (Luzin)

He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters

Who is not with Me etc.: the fourth refutation, the meaning of which is as follows: “My intention is to lead people to God, teach them virtue, proclaim the kingdom to them - but what do the devil and demons want? The opposite of this. So, how will he who does not gather with Me and who is not for Me help Me? (Zlat., cf. Theophilus.) - This can be applied in the present case to both the Pharisees and all people hostile to Christ. Whoever of those who know and hear His teaching does not take His side is His enemy, even if he did nothing hostile to Him, an enemy because he does not act in His favor; much more so is the enemy who opposes Him in any way. - Collects - squanders: the meaning is the same; the image is borrowed from the harvest (cf. Matt. 3:12, Matt. 6:26, John 4:36).

The Explanatory Gospel.

Lopukhin A.P.

He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters

(Luke 11:23 - literally). This verse has also been the subject of much debate. John Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euthymius Zigaben, Jerome and others attributed him to the devil; others - to the Jewish exorcists mentioned above. Still others understood the words of Christ in the sense of a general proverb and meant “whoever it may be.” Finally, some thought that this depicts a complete and complete separation of the two kingdoms - the Kingdom of Satan and God. This late opinion is better than others. There can be no middle ground between the two kingdoms. Wed. Rome. 8:7. There are no exceptions to the application of the principle given by Christ. A neutral attitude towards Him is impossible. He who is not with Him is against Him... The reason is this: in the moral field, a person must be either right or wrong. There is no middle position... Christ is always absolutely right... This speech of the Savior is expressed negatively in Mark. 9:40 : “For whoever is not against you is for you”.

In συνάγων there is a hint of the idea of ​​​​gathering a harvest. See 3:12; 6:26; 13:30; In. 4:36, etc. Σκορπίζει = scatters, scatters (cf. John 10:12; 16:32; 2 Cor. 9:9). Thus, gathering without Christ does not bring any benefit to the gatherer; it even equals waste, scattering, and can only bring loss and anxiety to the one who collects.

Explanatory Bible.

Mystery. Just like the phrase itself

He who is not with us is against us (original source: he who is not with me is against me) - the words of Jesus as retold by the apostles Matthew (12:30) and Luke (11:23)

24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the demons.”
25 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate; and every city or house divided against itself cannot stand.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided with himself: how can his kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has certainly come upon you.
29 Or how can anyone enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? and then he will plunder his house.
30

; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.
31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men;
32 If anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the future. (Gospel of Matthew)

15 And some of them said: He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the demons.
16 And others, tempting, demanded of Him a sign from heaven.
17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against itself will fall;
18 But if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? and you say that by the power of Beelzebub I cast out demons;
19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, then, of course, the kingdom of God has come to you.
21 When a strong man guards his house with weapons, then his property is safe;
22 When his strongest attacks him and defeats him, then he will take all his weapons in which he trusted and divide what was stolen from him.
23; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. (Gospel of Luke)

Interpretation of the phrase “He who is not with Me is against Me...”

“The Lord says: “Whoever is not of the same spirit with Me, whoever does not live in unity with Me, is against Me.” It turns out that in order to become an opponent of Christ, you do not need to destroy churches and cut down icons. It’s enough to just be indifferent: “It doesn’t concern me, it doesn’t matter to me, so what, what was it? It doesn’t bother me at all.” It turns out that such non-interference in one’s own life is resistance to Christ.(Priest Anatoly Kulikov)

And in secular life the explanation is clear: there should be no neutral position in any dispute. Or or.
Is it correct? For a tolerant Western society, where different opinions are customary, no; for the more conservative, calloused, striving for black and white simplicity - yes. Which one we belong to is a rhetorical question.

Moreover, the Gospel of Mark says
38 At this John said: Teacher! We have seen a man who casts out demons in Your name, and does not follow us; and they forbade him because he did not follow us.
39 Jesus said, Do not forbid him, for no one who has done a miracle in My name can quickly speak evil of Me.
40

The use of phraseological units in literature
— “You want to be a citizen of the universe, you want to be an angel in heaven - but no, they’re pulling your legs: !”(Alexander Solzhenitsyn “In the First Circle”)
— “We came from a country where the truths formulated by Gorky are revered as eternal: “If the enemy does not surrender, he is destroyed” and “ He who is not with us is against us» (Evgeny Rubin “Pan or Vanish. Biography”)
— “It’s so simple,” he laughed condescendingly, “ whoever is not with us is against us, A?"(Bulat Okudzhava “Abolished Theater”)
— “You, bastard, have been in the West for nine years and could bring to the attention of newcomers that not all the principles of socialist realism are in circulation here, and, in particular, “ whoever is not with us is against us“It’s valued only among mafiosi, in their environment, in the mafia, you know, in the mafia, this is the law, but in a normal society it’s bullshit.”(Vasily Aksenov “Island of Crimea”)
— “In a word, the defendant’s guilt does not require any proof, he himself does not deny it, he himself is ready to sentence himself to death; but, strictly speaking, it’s not about this person; the fact is that the Republic is in danger; her enemies are gathering strength; that is why the defendant deserves capital punishment; there is no doubt about this and there cannot be; whoever is not with us is against us« (V. A. Kaverin “Nine-tenths of Fate”)

Mk. 9:40 “For whoever is not against you is for you” does not contradict Matt. 12:30 “Whoever is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters”?

The texts you mentioned are “For whoever is not against you is for you” (Mark 9:40) and “Whoever is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (Matthew 12:30), of course, do not contradict each other. They talk about different, albeit related things.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord tells man about his relationship with Himself. The main thing He wants to convey to listeners (and readers) is that it is impossible to remain neutral towards God. The will of God for the salvation of the world was that Christ should be revealed to all of us, and the attitude towards Him becomes the cardinal choice of human life. There are wonderful words in Deuteronomy: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today: I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life..." (Deuteronomy 30:19). So our attitude towards Jesus Christ is the choice between life and death. It is clear that if a person does not choose life and does not live, then he chooses death - as they say, there is no third option. But this is the relationship between God and man.

Instructing the apostles, the Lord Jesus speaks about relationships between people. The main message of the New Testament here is to always seek peace, to the extent possible. The Lord says in the Sermon on the Mount: make peace with your opponent while you are still on the way to the judge. The Apostle Paul writes in one of his letters: do not owe anyone anything except mutual love... do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” By saying to the apostles “whoever is not against you is for you,” the Lord says that if another person is not directly hostile towards us, then he cannot be an enemy to us. In fact, the radically new commandment of Christ speaks of love also for enemies - especially since a disciple of Christ cannot allow hostility and division on his own initiative. Christ repeatedly warned his disciples that their faith would become the reason for people’s hostility against them: “the time is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God by doing so...”. But students should not respond in kind.

In practical life, this means that if you do not feed from the only Source of life - Christ, then you do not feed from anything at all, because there is simply no other source of life. At the same time, if with one of the people there is an opportunity to build “human”, friendly relationships without sacrificing communication with Christ, then the student should not neglect it. And the Lord calls on the one who is “against you” to also love: to pray for him and, if possible, to do good to him too.