Neutrality

March Madness…Can I admit that I don’t care one bit which team wins the NCAA men’s basketball championship? I can mindlessly fill out a bracket without any attachment to it whatsoever. The games can be on television, and I’ll even watch a little. But I really don’t care about the outcome. This year, my daughter was keeping track of the tournament for the first time. She had me fill out her bracket while she was away for the weekend, so I paid a bit more attention than usual. I like basketball and find it interesting, especially when it’s a good game. But it still doesn’t matter one bit which way the game goes. I am entirely neutral. 

Neutrality toward Jesus, though…we can’t afford to be indifferent.

The Sanhedrin in Jerusalem during Jesus’ day was not neutral toward Him. They arrested Jesus and handed Him over to Pontius Pilate, expecting him to charge Jesus with treason. Pilate did not see Jesus as a threat but didn’t want to create an uproar with the people that seemed to be calling for Jesus’ death. He was stuck. His choice was to punish an innocent man to appease the crowd or set the man free and risk a rebellion from the Jews. No one seemed to be fighting for Jesus, so he chose the route that wouldn’t risk his job as governor. Matthew 27:24 explains how Pilate symbolically tried to stay neutral. “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’” Two verses later, he handed Jesus over to be crucified.

Pilate washed his hands of Jesus’ death because he wanted to show that he had nothing to do with it. He tried to claim neutrality, but he couldn’t. He made his choice.

Being apathetic about Jesus doesn’t make us innocent, either. You can’t be neutral when it comes to Christianity.

When speaking to a group of Pharisees, Jesus was clear. He said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters (Matthew 12:30).”

In Revelation 3:15, Jesus speaks to the church, saying, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” He is saying here again that we are either for or against Him. If we sit on the fence, He will reject us as His people (Matthew 10:33).

It’s our choice. We can select life and salvation or decide to stay neutral and face God’s judgment.

The Israelites were given a choice to be for God or against Him many times in the Old Testament. In Exodus 32, the Israelites had grown tired of waiting for Moses to come down from Mt Sinai. In the meantime, they formed a golden calf and began to worship it. When Moses realized what was happening, he stood before the assembly offering them a choice to be for the Lord or against Him (v. 26). There was no in-between. Those against God faced judgment (v. 27, 34, 35). On the other hand, when Moses spoke to those who chose to stand with God, he said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day (v.29).”

A generation later, the Israelites were presented with the decision once more. Joshua lays the choice to them before reaffirming their covenant with God. “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).”

We have the same choice. 

God will not force anyone into a relationship with Him. We can serve the false gods of our day: self-reliance, power, fame, and greed. We can sit on the fence and stay where we think it’s safe, trusting in ourselves, creating our own version of the truth, and not believing in the salvation of Jesus. But that choice leads to judgment from the Lord.

Or we can choose to get off the fence. We can stop watching the game without caring how it ends. We can move past thinking that the lessons contained in Scripture are simply interesting. We can choose to serve God, love Him, and walk in His ways. We can embrace salvation and eternal life by standing with Jesus.

Salvation is not a game in which the results don’t matter. Our choice is life or death. 

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).”