Known by Jesus

Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 can be frightening:

“I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” — Matthew 7:23 (ESV)

If Jesus is truly human and we cannot sit with him as his first disciples did, how can he know us personally? Must we hear him answer before we can know that we belong to him?

The warning deserves its full force. It does not, however, name the absence of a private conversation as the reason Jesus rejects these people. Nor does Jesus’ humanity establish that communication with the risen Lord is impossible. Scripture describes a real relationship with him while leaving some questions about how he receives appeals unanswered.

What Matthew 7 Actually Warns About

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

“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.’

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

— Matthew 7:15-27 (ESV)

Matthew 7:15–20 first warns against false prophets and says their fruit reveals them. Jesus then says that calling him Lord does not, by itself, mean entering the kingdom of heaven; he contrasts it with doing the will of his Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21). In verse 22, the people facing rejection claim to have prophesied, cast out demons, and done mighty works in Jesus’ name.

Jesus’ called them "workers or lawlessness". This is not failure to hear an audible voice from him.

He closes the teaching with two builders (Matthew 7:24–27):

  1. One builder build his house on a solid foundation
  2. The other builder on an unreliable foundation.

The foundations are obedience to the words of Jesus. To understand which words Jesus are referring we need to read Matthew chapters 5-7 about the Kingdom of God, His laws and the standards Jesus applies which were all part of the same sermon.

Note

Matthew did not wrote a lookup rule book. When Matthew originally wrote the book there were no chapter, title or verse divisions. There were added later by Bible translators for convenience.

Defining "Knew"

The Greek verb γινώσκω can mean to learn, know, understand, or become acquainted with someone. The Aramaic יְדַע also means “know”.

Scripture uses know in distinct ways. Jesus speaks of understanding when he says, “if you had known what this means” (Matthew 12:7, ESV). The LORD speaks of a particular relationship with Israel: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2, ESV). The Lord describes mutual recognition between shepherd and sheep: “I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14). In Amos, that relationship does not excuse wrongdoing.

Jesus does not say “I never knew you” because he lacks information (Matthew 7:23), but because he does not recognize them as followers who do his Father’s will (Matthew 7:21).

Note

This does not set a number of good deeds by which someone earns recognition. Ephesians 2:8–10 holds together salvation by grace through faith, not by works, and a life made for good works. Obedience matters, but it is not a payment that forces Jesus to accept us. Nor does every failure mean that Jesus’ rejects that person. 1 John warns against claiming to be without sin and points those who sin to confession and to Jesus Christ as advocate with the Father (1 John 1:8–2:2).

Knowing and Being Known by Jesus

Jesus describes more than knowledge about an absent teacher. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27, ESV). He says that his own know him, that he gives his sheep eternal life, and that the Father has given them to him (John 10:14, 27–29). Their relationship with Jesus is real and mutual, under the Father’s authority.

People questioning Jesus heard him speak in person, yet he said they did not believe (John 10:24–26). In the description of his sheep, hearing, being known, and following belong together. The point is not that the sound of his voice, by itself, makes someone his follower.

Jesus anticipated people who would believe in him through his disciples’ word (John 17:20). Those later believers would not need to repeat the first disciples’ face-to-face experience for their faith to be genuine. Peter likewise addresses believers who love Jesus though they have not seen him (1 Peter 1:8–9). Apostolic testimony brings us Jesus’ words, by trusting him, loving him, and responding to those words are not merely collecting facts about a dead teacher. 1 John 2:3–6 also tests claims to know him against keeping his commandments and walking as Jesus walked. None of these passages makes a privately heard voice the certificate of belonging.

Can a Human Jesus Hear Us?

There are examples of people who spoke to the resurrected Jesus for example Stephen (Acts 7:55–60) and Paul, but they did so while seeing visions and responded to what they physically saw.

No passages explains if and how the risen human Jesus receives requests. His resurrection and exaltation by the Father do not automatically make him independently omniscient or present in every place. Equally, an unexplained mechanism is not evidence that speaking to him is impossible. Addressing Jesus and hearing him answer aloud are different matters.

Faithfulness without a Performance Quota

Matthew 7 calls for doing the Father’s will and putting Jesus’ words into practice. It does not set a number of good deeds by which someone earns recognition. Ephesians 2:8–10 holds together salvation by grace through faith, not by works, and a life made for good works. Obedience matters; it is not a payment that forces Jesus to accept us.

Nor does every failure mean that Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 are addressed to that person. First John warns against claiming to be without sin and points those who sin to confession and to Jesus Christ as advocate with the Father (1 John 1:8–2:2). This is not permission to dismiss lawlessness. It is a reason not to confuse repentance with sinless performance.

Fear itself cannot certify that someone belongs to Jesus, and an absence of an audible answer cannot certify rejection. The question Matthew 7 presses is whether a claim to follow Jesus is joined to receiving and doing his teaching, rather than resting on a title or impressive claims. For the broader question of salvation, see Salvation.

Conclusion

Matthew’s warning concerns lawlessness despite a claim to serve Jesus, not failure to secure a private conversation. Jesus’ account of his sheep joins being known to hearing and following him, including among later believers reached through apostolic witness. Appeals to the risen Jesus challenge the claim that his humanity makes communication impossible, without revealing how every request is received or promising an audible answer. Grace and obedience belong together: neither claimed achievements nor anxious efforts to be perfect earn his recognition. See the concerns overview for related questions.