“This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.
-Matthew 12:30 (MSG)
I’ve always loved this verse, but never read it in The Message, which gives it a lot of reinforced meaning. Before, to me, it was a statement simply directed at those who oppose Christ (then and now), which I think is still true.
However, here Jesus paints a different picture of who exactly those who oppose him are. He says directly that you can’t stand in the middle. You can’t sit on the sidelines. And if you are one of those people, if you aren’t 100% committed to him, if you aren’t working for him, then ultimately you are the enemy.
Ouch.
I’ve never thought that I might actually be the enemy of Jesus before. I know there are times where I was happy being neutral — not regressing but certainly not progressing either. Going through the motions was enough for me.
In sports you hear commentators mention teams “playing not to lose” instead of “playing to win.” I wonder how many Christians that describes. Believers who are content with their play-it-safe faith. Those who never really pick a side and commit to the cause, and by doing so are just making things worse and working for the enemy.
But Jesus makes it clear that neutrality cannot exist because this is war. The battle is between good and evil, and middle ground is not an option.
Christ, please help me. I can’t be Switzerland.
