Does He Know Me?

The setting: A time yet future. 

The King has descended and having subdued the kingdoms of this world, now sits on His throne in the Holy City, peoples from every nation and tongue making their way to appear before Him.

A middle aged man, dressed in His best pinstripe, confidently enters through the throne room doors, approaches and kneels before the King. 

The conversation begins thus:

The King: Do I know you?

Man: "Well yes, of course you know me Lord. I've been an active member of the Church You built since my youth."

The King: "I have no reason to doubt you. But I just don't recognize you. You must understand that merely sitting among my people does not make you one of them. Tell me a little more about how I might know you."

Man: "Well, maybe you recall me from my efforts to share the gospel.  For years I have placed church literature in waiting rooms, answered phone calls for booklets and worked to get our churches telecast on our local television station. Not to mention the two times that I witnessed to some co-workers in my office."

The King: "Well, those are admirable. It certainly seems like I should know who you are. But there are many who have preached My name for their own reasons; some with motives which were noble and others selfish. Tell Me more. How else might I know you?"

Man: "Well, let's see. Certainly you must know of the many financial sacrifices I have made to further Your work   I've faithfully tithed of all I possess so that your Gospel might be preached to this world prior to your coming. I gave a great deal toward that effort."

The King: "Well, certainly My work must have been furthered because of it. Thank you. But there are weightier matters than these that would have made you known to Me. Simply sacrificing through the giving of money, for some, can be a convenient excuse for not to sacrificing of themselves. I'm still not clear how I know you."

Man, exasperated: "But Lord, I spent hours on my knees in prayer before Your throne. Do you not remember them?" 

The King: "The prayers of many have ascended to my throne throughout time. Some motivated by fear. Some motivated by desire for gain. Some uttered in grief or desperation. Although I hear them all, I listen to the prayers of the ones I know, who beseech Me with a pure heart." 

Man, pointing to the Book that lay open before the throne: "This Book Lord; I've studied to understand all of Your Words. The pages of my own Bible are worn, tattered, with margins overflowing with countless insights learned from Your teachers and my own studies."

The King: "In this you have done well. My Word is truth and it is right that you should seek so diligently to rightly divide it. But knowing and comprehending all that I've said through My servants isn't the same as knowing Me. Understanding words does not build a relationship or change a heart. The demons know the same things of Me but they are far from really knowing Me".

Man, voice now growing strident: "But I spent endless hours in the study of prophecies foretelling your coming and the events at the end of the age! I felt I had been given a special understanding that only Your people had been given!"

The King: "It's true much of My Word is filled with revelations of the future. And in deed I commanded My people that they should watch. Unfortunately some gave so much of their energy to understanding what lay ahead that little was left to focus on the work I had for them now. My Kingdom is now here and all the mysteries they had pondered have been fulfilled. If that was the primary focus of their effort, what now have they left to show for their work?  Though you might very well understand all mysteries and all knowledge contained in My Word, it profits you nothing if you don't have love. I am love and most certainly I would be more likely to know you by the love in your heart than by your understanding of the writings of my prophet Isaiah." 

Man: "I observed Your Sabbaths which reveal Your plan for mankind and the hope of this Kingdom which you have now established. I came out of this world's pagan practices and religious idolatry."

The King: "My people Israel observed My Sabbaths as well but I despised their acts of worship because their heart was far from Me. Sadly, it's all too easy for man to go through the motions of worship without truly knowing the One they worship. I'm beginning to sense that may be true of you."

The man, feeling frustrated and defiant: "Lord, Lord...how can you not know me!? If these things I've mentioned so far have not jogged your memory of me, I don't see what else there is that could!"

The King: "Well, let's see. From where have you journeyed to my Holy City?"

The man, confused with why this was relevant: "From the North American state of Minnesota, in a small community in the northern Minneapolis suburbs, 342 Wooddale Drive. What significance does that have Lord?" 

The King: "I know there to be a homeless shelter not more than five miles from your house. Maybe I met you there at some point? Did you ever volunteer to serve meals in the kitchen?"

Man: Well, no. You see I commuted a long way each day to work and didn't have much time to spend in my community. I thought about it more than once but just never found a way to make it happen." 

The King: "Hmm, there was an elderly woman who lived a few doors down from you. She lost her husband six years ago and has never recovered from her grief.  She suffers from loneliness and depression and sometimes skips meals in order to use the money to pay her other bills. But of course you must know her situation well since you live so close to her. Perhaps we met during one of your visits?"

Man: "Well, I know I often saw her from a distance, usually Sabbath morning, sitting on her porch, while heading out the door with my family to go to church. I always made a point to wave but we were usually running late. Most of our weekends were so full of fellowship and participating in various church activities with the other brethren that I just didn't have much time to get to know my neighbors. I figured most of them thought we were some kind of religious nuts anyway, you know, because of our keeping the Sabbath and all, so our family preferred to keep most of our friendships in the church. It was just less complicated that way."

The King: If you desired so much to know Me why did you not spend any time looking for Me in the places I could be found; serving in your community, ministering to the poor, visiting the widows or fatherless? 

Man, becoming defensive: "Well, Lord. I guess I thought that, because this is Satan's world, the poor would always be with us. Anyway, a portion of my taxes went toward programs to serve the poor and needy so I knew they were being cared for. I put my effort into studying to learn about You and Your Kingdom, helping spread the message of Your coming and striving to overcome my sin so that I could be worthy to rule with You at Your return. I figured that once Your Kingdom was set up You would take care of all the suffering that was in the world, which you have.  So I guess I didn't put much thought into doing anything back then."

The King: "O foolish, man Do you not see the vacancy that is in your heart? Did you not know that all of these things you've done you've done for your own reward? Even your attempts to obey me, as determined as you were in them, have been motivated by self-benefit. Your acts of obedience were rightly done, but you left so much that is of greater importance undone."

"The places I would have met you would have been places where you sacrificed yourself for others. I was in these places but you never were."

"If you knew me you would have known that My heart is set to provide food to the hungry, to give freedom to the prisoner, to open the eyes of the blind, to raise up those who are bowed down, to watch over the strangers and to relieve the fatherless and widow." (Psalm 146:7-9)

"If you had known Me you would know that I am a refuge to the oppressed." (Psalm 9:9)

"If you would have known Me you would know that My ears continually hear the cry of the poor and needy and he that has no helper." (Psalm 72:13)

"If you had a heart that truly knows Me, you know that I have compassion on those who are weary and scattered, having no Shepherd." (Matt. 9:36)

"If you truly knew Me You would have set your heart of these things also. You would have loved as I loved. You would have given even an ounce more of your time to minister to and serve the least of these My brethren....whether they were those I had already called to dwell safely within the body of My Church, or those still in bondage, yet to be called at a time appointed for them."

"Wicked man. Would that you truly knew Me and your only error simply one of understanding...a misapplication of My Law, a misguided conviction concerning how or when to worship Me or a weakness to which you were blinded. These I would graciously forgive, knowing that once you understood your error, your heart would convict you to fall to your knees, saying 'Yes, Lord'."

"But you have come to me having spent your life mastering the form of worship and every minutia of religious obedience, yet possessing a heart that cannot see beyond its own desire for self-preservation. Therefore, all of these works you have done in My Name are as lawlessness before Me."

The King, saddened by the lack of repentance He sensed in the man's heart: "Though it pains Me deeply to confirm it, it cannot be denied. I simply do not know you. Depart from Me."

The man, teeth now clenched in anger and bitterness swelling in his heart, turned and made his way across the throne room, back to where he had entered so confidently just a few moments before. As he walked, another man, plainly dressed, head down and trembling noticeably, made his way past Him for his turn to appear before the throne.  He seemed vaguely familiar.  He thought he had seen this man once or twice before, sitting on the porch next to the widowed neighbor lady that the Lord had asked him about. Or, no, maybe he was one of the people who, each fall, he'd seen raking leaves and painting the weathered houses of other elderly people on His block. He thought he recognized him but he couldn't be sure.

As the doors closed behind the man, He heard the now distant sound of the Kings voice as He warmly reached out to embrace his new visitor: "My dear Jonathan! How good to finally meet you face to face..."  That was the last the man heard, as the door had completely closed shut behind him. 

Matthew 25:31 - 46 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” 

Matthew 7:21 - 23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’"