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I Never Knew You. Jesus uses the phrase again in the illustration about those who seek to gain Jesus’ favor by telling Him all of the things they did for Him in this life. The impression left is that these people thought they were good righteous people or good Christians.
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Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last." (NASB) Luke 13:26-30 |
But Jesus says that He never knew them and then He says, the "last who will be first and some are first who will be last." Both passages make it clear that a person does not gain heaven by who we are or what we have done in this life. It is God's decision. The vineyard owner decides.
Conclusion: Every time it occurs in scripture it refers to those who are saved. One time it is used in an illustration to show that it does not matter when you come to salvation or how hard you worked compared to someone else. The next time Jesus uses the phrase, the message is the same. It does not matter who we are in this world or what we have done for Him. Eternal life is for those who seek Him, who commit themselves to Him and who truly know Him. Too often we miss the meaning of the words "believe in Jesus." The Greek word for "believe" literally means "to trust" or "to have faith" or "to depend." It is sometimes translated as "to obey." So when Jesus says we are to believe. He is also saying "to trust or depend" on Him. This is commitment. It is more than intellectual knowledge about Him. |
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