Another one from G-pa.
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” (Luke 11:23)
The teaching method that Jesus used included many parables, examples taken from the everyday life of His time. He gave people something to think about by using things they were familiar with when He told His stories. Jesus was also very knowledgeable of the Scriptures and often quoted them.
In Luke 11, when Jesus stated that “whoever does not gather…scatters,” He may have been referring to Ecclesiastes 3:5 which tells us there is “a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together.” If you read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, you will see that life is full of opposites, and God has set an appointed time for each one. For example, there is a time in every life to be born, to laugh, to dance, to plant and build up, a time for love and for peace. On the other hand, we all experience a time to die, to weep, to mourn, to uproot and tear down, a time for hate and for war.
We are all familiar with these things, both good and bad. When Jesus asks if we will gather or scatter, He is asking us to choose the good. He is asking if we are on His side or not, if we will learn from His parables or not, if we will do the will of God or not. Jesus gathered. Crowds formed around Him because of all the good things they saw and heard. He healed the sick and cast out demons. He taught them about the love of God and the path to eternal life. Those who gathered around Him heard the Word of God and witnessed miracles, but those who could not believe scattered.
It is up to each of us to choose whether we will gather or scatter. We are gatherers when we do the will of God, when we reach out to our neighbor, when we are faithful to the teachings of the Church, when we are kind, patient, and loving. We scatter when we bring unrest, division, discord and unforgiveness to our home or our parish, to our workplace or neighborhood. Every day we face situations that call for a decision, and even the little things we say or do can build someone up or knock them down and leave a lasting impression. Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters” (Luke 11:23). If we are not with Jesus, we are against Him. There is no neutral ground. What kind of choices will we make today? Will we gather or scatter?
KEEP READING
- Restoration after Exile. Jeremiah 23:1-3
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
- I didn’t include a song this time because you are probably already humming “Turn, Turn, Turn.” (Written in 1959 by Pete Seeger and a big hit in 1966 by The Byrds)
- The words gather and scatter appear in Scripture over 500 times. When you have some time, check out these examples from the Good News Translation:
Mark 13:27 He will send the angels out to the four corners of the earth to gather God’s chosen people from one end of the world to the other.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place.
Joshua 24:1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers of Israel, and they came into the presence of God.
Psalm 126:5 Let those who wept as they planted their crops, gather the harvest with joy!
Ezekiel 11:17 “So tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. I will gather them out of the countries where I scattered them, and will give the land of Israel back to them.
John 8:2 Early the next morning he went back to the Temple. All the people gathered around him, and he sat down and began to teach them.
Ezekiel 34:12 in the same way as shepherds take care of their sheep that were scattered and are brought together again. I will bring them back from all the places where they were scattered on that dark, disastrous day.
John 16:32 The time is coming, and is already here, when all of you will be scattered, each of you to your own home, and I will be left all alone. But I am not really alone, because the Father is with me.
Acts 8:4 The believers who were scattered went everywhere, preaching the message.
