“Depart from me!”

At the end of his sermon, Jesus claimed absolute authority for his words. If we ignore them, we risk rejection by him – Matthew 7:21-28.

“I never knew you! Depart from me!” These are the most frightening words we might ever hear from Jesus. His warning demonstrates that Christ’s teachings are not optional. The commandments of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ teach us how we are to live as faithful citizens of the Kingdom of God.

The teachings of Jesus are not something we can ignore or dismiss as irrelevant. His stern words at the end of the sermon demonstrate this. Continuing disobedience will result in catastrophe. Our attempts to circumvent or dilute his words will end in our rejection.

Jesus came “to fulfill the Law and the Prophets,” to provide the correct interpretation of the Law, and to demonstrate how his followers become the children of God. Only the Son of God is qualified to interpret the Father, and only he has the words of life - (Matthew 5:17-20, John 1:18, 14:10).

[Church on Mountain - Photo by yash banerjee on Unsplash]

On the last day, many men and women who ministered in his name will be driven from the presence of Jesus:

• “Not every man who calls me Lord will enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, but only he who does the will of my Father. <…> Many will say, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name did many works of power? Then I will confess to them, I never knew you! Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness!” - (Matthew 7:21-23).

• “Then he will say also to those on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels” - (Matthew 25:41).

• “Wherefore, we make it our goal to be well-pleasing to him, for we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ…” - (2 Corinthians 5:9-10).

Jesus did not classify the men he rejected as pagans or agents of immorality. They even called him “Lord.” They prophesied and did many other mighty deeds in Christ’s name.

In the passage from the Book of Matthew, the emphasis is on the term ‘many’ - the numerous and great things that these men did in Christ’s name. The warning is not only applicable to obstinate believers, but to each of us. And Jesus did not call the impressive miracles performed by these men and women counterfeits or fakes.

Not only did the Nazarene not acknowledge these men, but he also called them “workers of lawlessness.” On the day when Jesus judges his people, he will command such men and women to remove themselves from his presence forever.

Jesus explained how someone becomes a practitioner of lawlessness rather than a disciple and citizen of his Kingdom:

• “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the streams came, and the wind blew, and rushed against that house, and it did not fall, for it had been built upon the rock. And everyone who hears my words and does not do them will be compared to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the streams came, and the wind blew and lashed against that house, and it fell. And its fall was terrible!” - (Matthew 7:24-27).

The Greek word translated as “wise” in this passage, or ‘phronimos’, indicates someone who is thoughtful, intelligent, and astute. In contrast, the man who fails to heed and follow the instructions of Jesus is like a foolish man, and the Greek term for “foolish” is ‘môros’. It denotes someone who is dull, witless, and heedless.

The question that determines if we enter the Kingdom is whether we hear and do the words of Jesus.

THE WORDS OF CHRIST

And so, which ‘words’ does Jesus mean that we must obey? In this literary context, this term can only refer to the contents of Christ’s ‘Sermon on the Mount’. This means all his words and sayings without exception.

The followers of Jesus Christ must be characterized by humility, hunger for righteousness, mercy, a pure heart, peacemaking, honest communications, and a willingness to endure unjust suffering - (Matthew 5:3-12).

We must become lights that shine in a dark world. Not only are we forbidden to kill, but we must not hold anger towards another human being. Reconciliation is our priority - (Matthew 5:13-26).

We must not lust after someone who is not our spouse. We should strive to remain true to our lifelong commitments to others. Rather than swear oaths, we are commanded to speak plainly: “Let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay!” - (Matthew 5:27-37).

To inherit the Kingdom, we must not resort to retaliation or violence. The disciples of Christ are called to love their enemies. By showing mercy to our foes and critics, we become “complete” just as our “Father in Heaven is complete” - (Matthew 5:44-48).

If we seek or create loopholes in the words of Jesus, we do not have the mind of a disciple, and we risk rejection by the Son of God. If we love Jesus and follow his teachings, we will not do works of righteousness to be seen by others. Hypocrisy and duplicity are incompatible with following the Lamb of God.

The disciple of Jesus must focus his or her life on the Kingdom of God and “amass treasures in heaven” rather than on the Earth. Our allegiance to Christ must be absolute. “You cannot serve two masters!” - (Matthew 6:1-24, 7:1-6, 7:7-20).

Much is at stake in how we respond to the words of the Nazarene. If we do not obey his teachings, we will be rejected, at least if we continue in our folly. It is dangerous to ignore and twist the sayings of Jesus.

The words of Jesus tell us how we must live, and his ways are contrary to the values and expectations of our sinful culture. Sadly, many church leaders work diligently to tame and even pervert the more challenging sayings of Christ.

By declaring that “only he who hears my words and does them” will enter the Kingdom of God, Jesus claims absolute authority for his teachings. Considering that God vindicated everything Jesus said and did when He resurrected him from the dead, we put ourselves in great jeopardy if we ignore or refuse to obey Christ’s warnings.

• “Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him. And we will come to him, and make our residence with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my word, but the word of the Father who sent me” – (John 14:23-24).

• “Seeing it is God, that said, Light will shine out of darkness, who illuminated our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” – (2 Corinthians 4:6. Note the verbal allusion to Genesis 1:3).

[NOTE: Text printed in small capital letters represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament]

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SEE ALSO:

• The Greater Lawgiver - (Jesus is the Greater Moses who interprets the Law and the Prophets and brings the promises to fulfillment)

• Overflowing Righteousness - (Mercy and love are the defining characteristics of the followers of Jesus, and they reflect the nature of his Father – Matthew 5:43-48)

• The Law and Prophets - (Jesus came to fulfill all the things that were promised and foreshadowed in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Law and the Prophets)

• “Retirez-vous de moi!” - (À la fin de son sermon, Jésus a revendiqué une autorité absolue pour ses paroles. Si nous les ignorons, nous risquons d'être rejetés par lui - Matthieu 7:21-28)