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.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
What Jesus says here is so fascinating.
Prophesying, casting out demons and many mighty works. That’s a pretty decent track record. You would have thought that this was enough doing the Father’s will to earn entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. After all Jesus is talking about doing and it doesn’t get more doing than getting rid of demons.
What’s Jesus’ problem?
The problem remains doing the will of the Father. The will of the Father has just been outlined in all that Jesus has taught. An identity rooted in humility and mercy. A practice of righteousness for an audience of one. A love for the enemy reflecting the character of the Father. From that emerges the fruit of peace that is pleasing to the Father.
That is the will of the Father.
Boasting in things done for the Lord misses the point of the will of the Father. Putting forward the claim that your efforts are good enough to enter the Kingdom is actually revealing of how little we know of the will of the Father. Humility and meekness would not give us the impudence to turn to our teacher and make a claim that what we did should be good enough to gain entry.
The teaching that Jesus outlines is that this is all about the right vertical connection enabling and informing a righteous horizontal relationship. The right vertical connection is full of mercy towards us. The right horizontal relationship lets that mercy flow out to establish peace with others however and wherever possible.
Nothing in that gives us room to boast. It gives us every desire to be thankful.
Perhaps then by doing His will, we can get entry.
(Photo by ALP STUDIO on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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