"Jesus drew a stark line in the sand: "He who is not with Me is against Me." (Matthew 12:30). That statement, it appears, was mainly for the benefit of those in the multitude who were not fully committed disciples yet. They could not remain halfhearted and aloof while pretending to be His followers. By trying to sit on the fence between Jesus and the Pharisees, they were actually hardening their hearts against Christ. The proof that they were "against Him" would eventually be manifest in their own apostasy. Judas was the classic example of this. He had never once been overtly hostile to Jesus, until the day he betrayed Him for money. But that made it clear that Judas was never really 'with' Jesus to begin with (cf. 1 John 4:19). I'm convinced there are more people like that in evangelical churches than the typical Christian imagines, even today. They may identify with Jesus superficially and blend in well with true disciples, but they are not truly committed to Him and therefore they are against Him. Jesus' line in the sand was a challenge for such people to examine themselves honestly and commit themselves to Him in earnest."
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