The old saying that you are either for us or against us is frequently a false dichotomy. Often there are other options like neutrality. In cases where there are genuinely only two options, it is not a false dilemma but a truism. In eternity, there will be no neutral choice between good and evil, no loving both forever. That’s why Jesus could say, he that is not against us is for us in Luke 9:50, but when George Bush said, you’re either with us or against us in 2001, emotionally it was powerful, but logically it was a false dichotomy.
With that thought in mind, perhaps we can better understand Jesus’ condemnation of a whole city. Jerusalem had harbored those who murdered the prophets, without punishing them, and would soon condone the crucifixion of the Son of God. Jerusalem’s corporate failure to respond to God would be the cause of her punishment. “You were not willing.” That’s what Jesus said.
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