Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV)
“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.’”
While He walked on this earth, Jesus said many wonderful and comforting things. But He also said some very difficult and unsettling things as revealed in today’s passage. I cannot even imagine the horror of what it means to be certain that you are worthy of the Kingdom of God only for the doors to be forcefully shut before you. The people in this passage plead while appealing to all the good works that they had done in the name of Jesus – prophesying, casting out demons, mighty works. Only for Jesus to declare to them that they were workers of lawlessness (iniquity), and He never knew them. Meaning that they had never been in an intimate relationship with Him ever.
This calls for self-introspection lest it becomes our fate. The question that one must therefore ask is, “How can I then be sure that I have eternal life, that I will enter the Kingdom of God?” Jesus hints to us in this passage when He says it is those who do the will of the Father in heaven that will enter. Could it be that these individuals did these things but not because they desired to do the will of God? Also, in 1 Corinthians 8:3, the Bible says, “But if anyone loves God, he is known by God”. Therefore, if we love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and demonstrate this through the love of our neighbour, then we are known by God. Lastly, and even more sadly, the individuals in this passage seemed entitled to enter God’s Kingdom based on what they did – didn’t we do this, didn’t we do that, etc. Unfortunately, there is only one way that any of us will enter – through Jesus, the Christ. Thus, we do well to ponder on His exchange with the crowd in John 6:28-29:
_Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, *that you believe in him whom he has sent*.”_
Reflections
1. What are some other hard sayings of Jesus that you find in the Gospels?
2. What do you make of the people in today’s passage? Do they in some way reflect the man or woman you see in the mirror?
3. How are you going to rethink and reorder your Christian walk based on today’s devotion? (Check 2 Corinthians 13:5)
