The Gathering
The following declaration of Jesus is recorded in Luke 11:23:
“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
The first part of this declaration is pretty familiar to Christians, as it points to the primacy of the decision for or against the Christ. But what about the second part? What does it mean to “gather?” Does it refer to the work of the harvest - i.e. bringing the lost sheep of Israel and beyond into the sheepfold? Is this its exclusive meaning? Or can it also be applied to a form of “gathering” within the body of Christ - i.e. fostering spiritual unity, daily personal interaction, shared material possessions, and/or some other collective enterprise?
And, perhaps most importantly, what do we make of the fact that Jesus says that those who are not actively and intentionally engaged in the good of “gathering” are in some way equivalent to those who actively and intentionally perform the evil of “scattering?” Is that convicting to anyone - especially in light of the fact that He makes this second declaration in the same breath as the first? Might it prompt us to modify our personal spiritual agendas in some tangible way? What would those ways be?
“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
The first part of this declaration is pretty familiar to Christians, as it points to the primacy of the decision for or against the Christ. But what about the second part? What does it mean to “gather?” Does it refer to the work of the harvest - i.e. bringing the lost sheep of Israel and beyond into the sheepfold? Is this its exclusive meaning? Or can it also be applied to a form of “gathering” within the body of Christ - i.e. fostering spiritual unity, daily personal interaction, shared material possessions, and/or some other collective enterprise?
And, perhaps most importantly, what do we make of the fact that Jesus says that those who are not actively and intentionally engaged in the good of “gathering” are in some way equivalent to those who actively and intentionally perform the evil of “scattering?” Is that convicting to anyone - especially in light of the fact that He makes this second declaration in the same breath as the first? Might it prompt us to modify our personal spiritual agendas in some tangible way? What would those ways be?