David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 7:21-23

²¹ “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. ²² 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?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

It’s no real claim to fame, but I graduated from high school with Rush Limbaugh. Even more important to some is that Rush knows me. I actually called him one time on his show and not only got to speak with him, but identified myself to him. He replied, regarding my last name, “Bahn, that’s B-A-H-N, right?” He knew me and even remembered how to spell my last name. That’s no little thing: spelling my last name correctly.

But it is truly nothing compared to knowing and being known by Jesus. It’s one thing to glam on to someone special, important or famous. It’s quite another to be known by him or her. The same is true with Jesus: It’s one thing to say we know Jesus, but to say that Jesus knows us is quite another altogether to be known by him. It means that we not only know who Jesus is, but that we have opened our hearts to him and not withheld ourselves from his grace and love.

In fact we might even claim to have served him in great and powerful ways without really having a relationship with him. This is Jesus’ warning: don’t play religion with him. Don’t use Jesus as a rabbit’s foot in an attempt to find good luck or entertain others.

Jesus is Lord and Savior. That requires faith. That requires that we acknowledge our need for more than being able to drop Jesus’ name in front of people to impress them. It requires that we know Jesus deeply as our true Savior and Lord. The good news is that when Jesus knows us, he uses that knowledge to love us and bless us and shape us so that we can do his work in our world.

Does Jesus know you?