I DO NOT KNOW YOU
In the parable of the ten virgins, when the foolish virgins plead to open the door for them, the bridegroom will reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you’ (Mt 25:12).
“I do not know you” is a declaration of rejection from the kingdom of God. The Hebrew idiom, “I do not know you” means, “I do not recognize your claim”, whether as bridesmaids or as guests in the banquet hall. So, the words “I do not know you” are implicit of Jesus’ disapproval of his disobedient disciples.
Jesus told his disciples to enter the Kingdom of God through the narrow door. “After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where [you] are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’” (Lk 13:24-27) Hence, those who miss the entry after the closing of the door are not strangers to Jesus. They are the unfaithful Christians.
Doing the will of the Father is a requirement for entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers’” (Mt 7:21-23).
Paul wrote, “God’s solid foundation stands, bearing this inscription, ‘The Lord knows those who are his’; and, ‘Let everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord avoid evil’” (2 Tim 2:19).