Knowing God

Do you really know God? Or do you just know about God? There is a difference, and it matters.

When Jesus walked this Earth, people “knew” who He was. They had heard about Him, seen Him, and heard Him teach. Some of those were even called to follow Him and walk as his closest disciples. Others were family, friends, and acquaintances.

But how well did they really know Him? The Hebrew word for “know” is ya’da. It represents an intimate knowing of one person or another, just as Adam knew Eve and later bore their son Cain. Intimacy doesn’t necessarily mean in a sexual way, even though it can. Intimacy also means to know someone deeply, to their core. In Greek, the same word for know is ginosko. Again, it connotates knowing someone on an intimate level. In John 17, Jesus prayed for His followers to have this kind of “knowing”, or “oneness” with God. (John 17:25-26)

When the disciples were with Jesus on the night He was betrayed, He told them that one of them would betray Him. These were hard words to hear, because they loved Him. John questioned Jesus as to who the betrayer would be, and Jesus told him it would be the one who He offered the bread. Jesus then went to one of the disciples, dipped the bread in the wine and offered it to Judas. Interestingly enough, the scriptures tell us that Satan entered Judas at that moment, right when Jesus offered the bread and wine, that represented his soon-to-be broken body and spilled blood. (John 13:21-27) His upcoming crucifixion and death would assume the sinfulness of all mankind, from the fall of Adam to every generation thereafter.

Judas had been called by Jesus to be one of His disciples, early in His ministry. For three years, Judas walked with Him, talked with Him, learned from Him, and broke bread with Him. However, Judas did not know Jesus intimately. Judas was a tax collector, and his life’s work revolved around money. When he joined the group of disciples, he assumed the role of treasurer. He even stole from it at times. Judas’s god was money. Not Jesus. He never was able to fully release to Jesus the thing that kept him in bondage, and ultimately led to the betrayal of his friend.

Once Judas was approached to hand Jesus over to the authorities for thirty pieces of silver, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse, because he never allowed Jesus to be his Lord. He never knew Jesus intimately.

Do you know Jesus intimately? Have you ever offered your life as a living sacrifice to the One who became sin for us? If you have not submitted yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, then you do not really know Him intimately. Knowing Jesus means allowing Him to have access to your deepest wounds, your strongholds, and your brokenness so that He can come in and cleanse all of your unrighteousness. Accept Jesus and allow Him to be the Lord of all of your life. Seek the heart of your Father in heaven today and ask Him to take all of your sins and grant Him access to every area of your life. Then, Jesus can reign and be King and Lord of your life.

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