Strive to enter in at the strait gate:
for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in,
and shall not be able. Luke 13:24
I am still trying to completely understand
how people can be so surprised when Jesus says to them:
“Depart from Me” and “I never knew you”
I have been studying the gospels
The most interesting part to me is
how Jesus related to His disciples
He knew them and they knew Him
They listened to Him,
learned from Him,
followed Him,
obeyed Him,
marveled at the miracles He performed
Jesus taught them
and had mercy and compassion on them
such as when Peter tried to walk on the water and started to sink:
But when he saw the wind boisterous,
he was afraid; and beginning to sink,
he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Matthew 14:30
They knew their Lord
Most importantly, they knew He was God
The exception was Judas Iscariot
Judas never knew Jesus
even though he walked with Him and talked with Him
He never understood the Lord’s heart or who Jesus was
Judas Iscariot was in the same mindset
as the teachers of the law who despised Jesus
They listened to Jesus,
yet never grasped who He was
or what He was saying
They thought they were right
When He did miracles,
by God’s power because He was God in the flesh,
that made them want to kill Him
The thing that made them most furious,
I noticed, was when He said He was God’s son,
they really hated that:
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him,
because he not only had broken the sabbath,
but said also that God was his Father,
making himself equal with God. John 5:18
That is exactly who Jesus is, God:
I and My Father are one. John 10:30
No difference
That was the same rage
the leaders of the law became enraged
and stormed Stephen to stone him when he said:
…Behold, I see the heavens opened,
and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
It is so important to keep focused on Jesus,
not to get led astray,
not to follow any man
or let Jesus get covered up by doctrine
It is very important to know the scriptures
it is even more important
to be taught the scriptures from Jesus Himself
and let the Holy Spirit open them up to you
In the scriptures, we can see the dividing line,
the separation between those who know Jesus
and those who don’t
We can understand
We can see more clearly
how important it is to be close to Jesus
and learn all we can about Him and His ways
That way, we will be known of Him and He of us
I in them, and thou in me,
that they may be made perfect in one;
and that the world may know that thou hast sent me,
and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
John 17:23
Scriptural References:
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened,
and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Acts 7:56
When once the master of the house is risen up,
and hath shut to the door,
and ye begin to stand without,
and to knock at the door, saying,
Lord, Lord, open unto us;
and he shall answer and say unto you,
I know you not whence ye are:
Then shall ye begin to say,
We have eaten and drunk in thy presence,
and thou hast taught in our streets.
But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are;
depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. Luke 13:25-27