Big Buts of the Bible

An Excerpt from Chapter 12.

Read Matthew 12:30

Jesus rarely spoke in shades of gray.

After healing the demon-possessed man and confronting the Pharisees’ accusations, He made a startling statement:

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

Those words leave very little room for neutrality.

The Pharisees certainly weren’t neutral. They had watched Jesus restore broken lives, heal the sick, and set people free. Yet instead of celebrating what God was doing, they worked tirelessly to discredit Him. Every accusation, every criticism, every attempt to trap Jesus in His words wasn’t simply opposition to a teacher—it was pushing people away from the very One who had come to save them.

They weren’t gathering. They were scattering.

Before we’re too hard on the Pharisees, though, perhaps Jesus’ words invite us to ask a more personal question.

When people encounter my life… Am I gathering them toward Jesus? Or am I making Him harder to see?

Most of us have met someone who wanted nothing to do with Christianity because of a Christian who misrepresented Christ. Maybe it was harshness disguised as holiness. Pride masquerading as conviction. Judgment without mercy. Rules without relationship.

Those experiences leave wounds.

Thankfully, Jesus never tells us to gather people to ourselves. He invites us to gather them to Him. That’s an important distinction.

We’re imperfect people following a perfect Savior. Others don’t need to see flawless Christians. They need to see genuine followers whose lives consistently point beyond themselves to Jesus.

Our words matter. Our attitudes matter. Our actions matter.

Not because we’re trying to earn God’s approval, but because someone else may be deciding what they think about Jesus based on what they see in us.

Every day, in countless ordinary moments, we’re doing one of two things. We’re gathering. Or we’re scattering.

May our lives make it easier—not harder—for people to discover the grace, truth, and compassion of Christ.