To be known by You, Jesus
By Philip Robinson
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Consider this for yourself: the Lord sees and knows all (Psalm 139:4, Hebrews 4:13). Before He formed you in the womb, He knew you (Jeremiah 1:5). He formed your inward parts and knitted you together fearfully and wonderfully in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-14) and even knows the number of hairs on your head (Matt 10:30). How then could there be a scenario where His knowledge of you fades and fails? How could He never know you?
The Greek word for “to know” used in Matthew 7 is the infinitive form of ginōskō (γινώσκω), which means knowledge gained through direct, personal experience and relationship rather than mere intellectual information. It is more than being known by name, appearance or reputation. To truly “know” a person, and to be known, requires a deep, experiential, heart-reaching relationship, which includes testing and approval. Jesus is literally saying to the one who says ‘Lord, Lord’, “you don’t really know me and I don’t know you. We never spent time together. All that you’ve done has been done on your own, self-directed, lawless accord. You never partnered or sought partnership with me. We never had a relationship or experienced life together. I never knew you.”
Does this raise concerns for you as you read Jesus’ words? What if you or I could be one in that number standing before the Lord, saying ‘Lord, Lord’, only to be dismissed and hear, “I never knew you?” It would feel like all the effort and commitment to attending, perhaps even planning Christian events, church services, prayer and worship sessions would be wasted. You might feel like you are a good person, doing well-regarded service in your family, workplace and community. You speak well and are spoken well of. After all, faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). How do we posture, orient and position ourselves to be known by Jesus?
To be known is to be in relationship. Jesus wants to be in relationship with us. What a wonder that the Lord God, through whom everything was made, who is, who was and is to come, wants to know me and wants to experience relationship with me. He wants relationship with you. He desires relationship with us, His church and His people. He wants to know us. He waits for us, he pursues us and he searches our hearts. He tests us, convicts us, disciplines us, redeems us, call us by name and call us his own (Isaiah 43:1). He loves us. This is what it means to be known.
In Matthew 19:16-22, there is an account of a young man coming to Jesus to ask about the work he must do to guarantee and obtain eternal life. Jesus’s reply was, “keep my Father’s commandments.” Jesus did not take the credit for being good and did not seek equality with the God the Father in this moment. He chose to demonstrate humility in honouring the only One who is good, his Father. The young man presented his track record of keeping all the commandments Jesus listed –– he was not a murderer, an adulterer, a thief, a liar, a dishonourable son or a nightmare neighbour. Jesus then told him (commanded him) to sell all he had and give to the poor. It is noted that he was a wealthy man and turned away in sorrow, in response to Jesus’ words. We do not know what he did thereafter, but Jesus went on to emphasise the immense difficulty for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Does this mean that Jesus will never know or welcome the rich into the kingdom? Or are there further criteria for being in relationship with Him and being known by Him? Certainly riches and the nature of our relationship with money plays a role in how we build relationship with Jesus – we cannot be simultaneously devoted to money and to Him (Matthew 6:24). Selfishness, greed and the absence of generosity create hearts that are cold and closed. Hearts that have ears but do not hear. They ignore the gentle voice and knock of Jesus wanting to reach us. Jesus cannot know the contents of the heart that has not responded to his call. He wants to see the will of His Father in our words, our ways and in our work.
1 Corinthians 8:3 (ESV): "But if anyone loves God, he is known by God." To be known by God is to love Him. To love Him is to seek Him and to seek Him is to listen for His voice and follow where He leads. We only come to know God because He comes to know us.
Galatians 4:9 (ESV): "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?"
To be known by Him is to be freed by Him. Let’s not allow our hearts and minds to be bound by lawless motives, thoughts and ambitions. Let’s stop striving through words, works and ways to know Jesus and allow ourselves to be known by Him. May we open our hearts through confession, humility, generosity, devotion, prayer and worship, presenting ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). May we be forever known by Him. Amen.
Refrences
Psalm 139:1-4 (ESV): "O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways."
Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV): "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
Isaiah 43:1 (ESV): "...Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."
Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV): "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you..."
John 10:14-15 (ESV): "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."
2 Timothy 2:19 (ESV): "...The Lord knows those who are his..."
1 Corinthians 8:3 (ESV): "But if anyone loves God, he is known by God."
Galatians 4:9 (ESV): "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God..."
1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV): "...now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
Matthew 10:29-30 (ESV): "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered."
