(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)
According to Matthew 24:36 the Lord Jesus confessed He did not know something: “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” One might ask, “The Bible claims that Jesus is the Son of God, God Himself. So He would know everything.” (See John 1:1, 14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8). Yes, the Bible rightly claims that Jesus is God! But He voluntarily restricted Himself concerning His Godly attributes (including omniscience, meaning all-knowing). As we are told in Philippians 2:7 and 8 (Good News Bible):
...of His own free will He gave up all He had, and
took the nature of a servant. He became like a hu-
man being and appeared in human likeness. He was
humble and walked the path of obedience all the way
to death — His death on the cross.
Because Jesus lived as a fully human being, it can be said of Him in Luke 1:52, “And Jesus increased in [grew up into] wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
But this does not bring us to our featured Scripture and the theme of this Gem! The Scripture is Matthew 25:12, part of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. In that parable, the ten were waiting for the bridegroom to return when they would go out and welcome him. But he was late, and didn’t return until midnight. Five of the virgins were wise, and took extra oil for their lamps. But five were foolish and brought no extra with them. By midnight the lamps of all ten were getting low on oil. The five had extra, but the others did not. They asked the first five to share, but there was not enough oil to spare. So the second five went off to see if they could get fuel for their lamps. In the meantime, the bridegroom showed up and, welcomed by the five with bright lamps, went into the wedding feast behind locked doors. Here is Matthew 25:11 and 12: “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ ” The parable is part of Jesus’ teaching about “…the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 25:1). And the point of it Jesus summed up in verse 13: “Watch therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
What has this to do with the title of this Gem, What Jesus Doesn’t Know!? It has to do with what He said to the five foolish virgins, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.” (Matthew 25:12). What did He mean when He said, “…I do not know you…”?
- Jesus did not mean that He didn’t know all about them! For it says in John 2:23 through 25:
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover,
during the feast, many believed in His name when
they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did
not commit Himself to them, because He knew all
men, and had no need that anyone should testify
of man, for He knew what was in man.
He knew this, as He walked upon this earth as a human being, because God taught Him by the leading and teaching of the Holy Spirit! (See Psalm 139:1-4). And also “…because God does not give the Spirit in limited measure to Him.” (John 3:34 – International Standard Version). We too are to be filled with, taught, and led by the Spirit. Jesus told His disciples in John 14:26, “…the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things….” The Apostle John in I John 2:27 (Good News Bible) wrote this:
But as for you, Christ has poured out His Spirit on
you. As long as His Spirit remains in you, you do not
need anyone to teach you. For His Spirit teaches you
about everything, and what He teaches is true, not
false.
- Jesus said to the five virgins, “I do not know you,” because…
✞ ...they were not His true followers!
✞ ...they were not born again! As Jesus said
in John 3:3 and 5, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, unless one is born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God...he cannot enter the king-
dom of God.”
✞ ...they were not God’s children! According
to John 1:12 and 13:
...as many as received [Jesus Christ]
...to them He gave the right to become
children of God, to those who believe
in His name; who were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God.
✞ ...they were not of the same family! The Lord
told the Pharisees in John 8:44, “You are of
your father the devil, and the desires of your
father you want to do.” If you are not born
into God’s family through faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, then what was told to the Phar-
isees applies to you!
✞ ...they did not have the Holy Spirit! It is
as Paul wrote in Romans 8:9, “Now if anyone
does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not
His.”
- This was not the only time people heard the words, “I do not know you.” In Luke 13:23 through 30 Jesus answered a question of one of His followers: “Lord, are there few who are saved? ” Here is part of His answer from verses 25 though 28:
When once the Master of the house has risen up
and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside
and knock...saying, “Lord, open for us,” and He
will answer...“I do not know you, where you are
from.” Then you will begin to say, “We ate and
drank in Your presence, and You taught in our
streets.” But He will say, “I tell you I do not
know you, where you are from. Depart from Me,
all you workers of iniquity.” There will be weep-
ing and gnashing of teeth....
What tragedy to hear those words from the Lord Jesus, “I do not know you….Depart from Me…you workers of iniquity….”! It means the one to whom those words are directed will forever be shut out of heaven and cast into hell! Yes, Jesus knows fully all the details of our lives. And knowing this, He gave Himself to be the all-sufficient sacrifice to cleanse us from our sin and to give us His own perfect standing before the Father. But it must be personally appropriated by each individual!
Make sure you are His and He is yours! That way you will never be what Jesus doesn’t know!