What Does Jesus Mean by "I Never Knew You"?
Not only will there be false prophets
that come into the community,
but there will also be some false disciples
that are part of the community itself:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 7:21-23,
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to Me on that day when I judge them,
'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name,
and driven out demons in Your name,
and done many miracles in Your name?'
And then I will declare to them publicly,
'I never knew you; depart from Me,
you are banished from My presence,
you who act wickedly disregarding My commands.'"
Someone who has made the confession that Jesus is Lord,
but Jesus is aware that this person has not truly repented
as required to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Lord is the title that is regularly used by people
who approach Jesus in search of divine aid,
including his disciples when they need divine assistance.
Matthew 14:30.
But when he saw the effects ofthe wind, he was frightened,
and he began to sink, and he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
As Jesus' ministry unfolds, his disciples use the title
with increasing deference, for he is turning out to be
more than they had originally comprehended him to be.
He is connected with God's power
and has a relationship with God as the Son
that can only be addressed with a title
typically reserved for God, "Lord".
Matthew 14:28
Peter replied to Him, "Lord, if it is really You,
command me to come to You on the water."
Matthew 16:25,
For whoever wishes to save his life in this world
will eventually lose it through death,
but whoever loses his life in this world for My sake
will find it that is, life with Me for all eternity.
Matthew 17:4,
Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus,
"Lord, it is good and delightful and auspicious
that we are here;
if You wish, I will put up three sacred tents here,
one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
This is especially significant when they witness
his miraculous deeds, call on him as Lord,
and then worship him, an activity reserved solely for deity.
Matthew 14:33,
Then those in the boat worshiped Him
with awe-inspired reverence, saying,
"Truly You are the Son of God!"
Lord is also one of the titles, like Son of Man,
that Jesus uses to refer to himself in a way
that increasingly reveals his divine identity.
As the one who has authority to banish false prophets
to eternal judgment,
Jesus is indeed more than any mere respected master.
Matthew 7:22-23,
"Many will say to Me on that day when I judge them,
'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name,
and driven out demons in Your name,
and done many miracles in Your name?'
And then I will declare to them publicly,
'I never knew you; depart from Me,
you are banished from My presence,
you who act wickedly disregarding My commands.'"
So this false disciple who calls on Jesus as "Lord, Lord"
has said more than he knows, but those reading the account
in Matthew's community will catch the full significance.
A heart that is not contrite can be covered up
by an outward confession of Jesus as Lord;
therefore, Jesus says that entrance
into the kingdom of heaven is reserved for those
who do "the will of my Father who is in heaven."
The same basic phrase occurs later
to indicate the qualification for entrance
to Jesus' family community.
Matthew 12:50,
"For whoever does the will of My Father
who is in heaven by believing in Me,
and following Me is My brother and sister and mother."
This does not imply just to obey the Old Testament law
as God's will.
The will of the Father implies obedience to the call
to the kingdom of heaven
that will result in true righteousness.
Because Jesus is the one
who brings the Old Testament to completion,
he is the most perfect illustration
of how to obey the will of the Father.
Matthew 5:17,
"Do not think that I came to do away with
or undo the Law of Moses or the writings of the Prophets;
I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."
Matthew 26:42,
He went away a second time and prayed, saying,
"My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it,
Your will be done."
To follow his model in discipleship and become like him
will help his disciples to do God's will on a daily basis.
These false disciples make the claim
that they possess prophetic status
and point to their charismatic activity
as evidence that they are followers of Jesus.
"Did we not prophesy in your name,
and in your name drive out demons
and perform many miracles?" they ask.
Exorcism and performance of miracles regularly accompany
the gospel proclamation of Jesus and the Twelve;
such activities confirm the authenticity of the message.
Matthew 4:24,
So the news about Him spread throughout all Syria;
and they brought to Him all who were sick,
those suffering with various diseases and pains,
those under the power of demons, and epileptics, paralytics;
and He healed them.
Matthew 8:3,
Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying,
"I am willing; be cleansed."
Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Matthew 8:16,
When evening came, they brought to Him many
who were under the power of demons;
and He cast out the evil spirits with a word,
and restored to health all who were sick
exhibiting His authority as Messiah.
False disciples are able to gain power "in Jesus' name,"
but their activities are pointless
for their own eternal destiny.
They do not come to Jesus as the true gate to the kingdom
and so do not engage in these activities
according to Father's will .
Matthew 7:21,
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of My Father
who is in heaven."
Jesus never places an emphasis on the outside
as being the most important indicator of authenticity.
He requires that we pledge our inner allegiance
to the will of God, which will result
in the fruit of a transformed life.
God may use a person, even many people,
who professes the name of Jesus
in order to accomplish his goals,
even if that person has deceived themselves.
This is because God is able to use anyone
to accomplish his goals.
At the time of judgment, however,
the genuineness of a person's life
will be exposed to the world to its fullest extent.
So Jesus evokes a scene of eternal judgment
and dismisses them from him.
"Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.
Away from me, you evildoers!'"
This is a stark, unambiguous rejection of a person
who does not have a genuine relationship with Jesus
as his disciple.
For Jesus to place himself as the One who has the authority
to determine who enters the kingdom
and who is banished to eternal punishment
is to accrue to himself the highest claim.
Jeremiah 1:5,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you
and approved of you as My chosen instrument,
And before you were born I consecrated you
to Myself as My own;
I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Hosea 13:5,
"I knew and regarded you and cared for you
in the wilderness, in the land of drought."
Amos 3:2,
"I have known chosen, cared for, and loved
only you of all the families of the earth;
therefore I shall punish you for all your wickedness."
Throughout the Old Testament God is said to "know" those
whom he has chosen to be his people,
a theme reiterated throughout the New Testament
to speak of a saving relationship found with God
through Jesus Christ.
Galatians 4:8-9,
But at that time, when you did not know the true God
and were unacquainted with Him,
you Gentiles were slaves to those pagan things
which by their very nature were not
and could not be gods at all.
Now, however, since you have come to know the true God
through personal experience, or rather to be known by God,
how is it that you are turning back again
to the weak and worthless elemental principles
of religions and philosophies,
to which you want to be enslaved all over again?
2 Timothy 2:19,
Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God which He has laid
stands sure and unshaken despite attacks, bearing this seal:
"The Lord knows those who are His,"
and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord
stand apart from wickedness and withdraw from wrongdoing."
Here Jesus claims that divine prerogative
to know the inner recesses of a person's heart.