The Race to Intimacy

Something you must realize about Jesus: it doesn’t matter to Him if you do great things in His name if He doesn’t know you.

Matthew 7 is startling. You think you know where Jesus is headed–these people have done wonders in His name– but suddenly He’s making a hard turn. Instead of handing out awards, praising them for all the many things they’ve done for Him, He’s shutting the door on strangers. 

“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, ‘Depart from me, I never knew you” (vv.22-23).

I never knew you. Can you hear the grief in His voice as He says it? Busy for God, impressive for God and yet completely missing God.

Some consider this to be one of the scariest passages in the Bible, but what if it’s actually a needed and merciful shock for the reader? Entering God’s Kingdom is a life or death matter and Jesus is a straight shooter. He’s not being cruel. He is not saying you might lose your salvation. He is telling you what salvation is. He’s defining it. To enter into His Kingdom He must know you. 

But God is all-knowing, so doesn't He know everyone? The word in the original language is an intimate knowing. One that comes through mutual desire, lingering conversation, a pursuit of the heart. Jesus must know you in this way, and you must know Him. That’s true salvation, as He defines it. That’s the invitation to your own restoration, and the way is narrow and childlike, just like He said it would be.

So it’s fitting that leaders in the tech world are calling our current moment the "race to intimacy”. AI’s advancements have changed the playing field, and now tech companies need to win the “race to intimacy” as opposed to the former “race to engagement.” It’s not enough to simply capture your attention. To gain a competitive edge, they must win your attachment.

Aza Raskin phrased it like this, “Whichever agent gets to have the primary intimate relationship in your life wins.”

What a clever proxy for an ancient spiritual battle. The battle over what or who has your heart, your attachment. We are designed this way, and advanced technology knows it. Even demons do. They study us and present an offer, usually guised as “helpful”.

This is why Jesus is so emphatic about knowing you, and about you knowing Him. He must become your primary intimate relationship, your core attachment. This is how He saves you. It’s not just an experience for the precious few, it's not optional. In a world vying for primary intimacy in your life, attachment to God is survival.

In John 15 Jesus uses language like vine and branches, abiding, remaining (in Him). Apart from Him we can do nothing, detached from Him we die. He is very clear that He must be close and that He offers love and life we're urged to remain in. His presence wakes up places in us we thought were buried dead, leans in closer to the parts of us still crying out for help. We're in a race to intimacy and Jesus says over and over again, "Remain in Me."

To enter into His Kingdom He must know you. And the way is narrow and childlike, just like He said it would be.

"O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise...

You discern my going out and my lying down, you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely...Search me and know my heart."

-King David (Psalm 139:1-4 & 23)

"Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God,

and Jesus Messiah, whom you have sent." -John 17:3

Verses referenced: Matthew 18:3 (little child), Matthew 7:13-14 (narrow way)

Raskin's quote sourced from: Center for Humane Technology: The A.I. Dilemma

Photo taken in the Shepherd's Cave. Bethlehem, Israel