“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.” –Job 42:5-6.
Count how many friends you have across each of your social media platforms. Go ahead; I’ll wait. Now, of the total number of “friends” tallied, how many of those people do you know, relationally? How many do you regularly have coffee or dinner with, get together with to hang out, just because? Do you know their birthdays? Their kid’s birthdays? Their mom and dad’s name. Their favorite color or food? How many do you talk with regularly? Have you been in their home, and they in yours? Have you ever had to place the full weight of your trust in any of them? How did that turn out? By now, I’m sure you figured out where I’m going with this strange request for you to friend count?
Knowing, as in knowing someone, can mean vastly different things to us.
Yet the knowing Job was referring to in today’s scripture verse—is universally understood. How? All born-again believers in Jesus Christ know God—more are known by Him. Though our degrees of understanding, spending time with, surrendering to, and seeking after Himmay differ, our knowing Him is collective. If we are Blood bought believers, we know and are known by God. Scripture clarifies that when we accept Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” –Acts 2:38.
Nowhere in Scripture have I read where God gives more of His Spirit to one child than He does to another.
So, when we talk about knowing a person, what does that mean? What does it look like to you and me? I’m sure how we define “knowing a person” will vary widely depending upon our definitions of the term knowing. Yet our knowledge of a person is where I want us to focus today. Specifically, I want us to examine, dissect, really think about knowing Christ.
Do you know Jesus intimately? Is He “The Person without whom you cannot live? Do you communicate with Him throughout your day?” Or do you know Him like you know some of your “friends” on social media, in name only? Is Jesus on your radar at all?
So, we’re all on the same page as we move forward now; we’ll be using the following two Greek terms/definitions of “knowing, having knowledge of” as our cornerstone.
Oida. This Greek verb implies common/universal experiential knowledge: Examples: Oida denotes having basic knowledge of facts concerning a person, place, or thing. We see this word used some 318 times throughout Scripture. Examples of this common knowledge are: All humans are born infants. Water can be liquid, solid, or vaporous in form. 2+2 will always equal 4—dogs bark, cows moo, and pig’s squeal.
One example of this Oida knowledge, spoken of in Scripture, jumps to mind; it’s found in John’s Gospel, Chapter 6.
By miraculously multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus fed a great multitude, some five thousand men, not counting the women and children—and, there were leftovers. We’ll pick up the following day; this same crowd wakes to notice Jesus and His disciples are gone. So, they piled into borrowed boats and went across to Capernaum, searching for Him. But Jesus knew their hearts. He knew they came seeking more food—to witness another miracle. They hadn’t come because they wanted to be with Jesus—they were merely curious about Him. “Who is this guy? What is He all about?” They weren’t so much interested in getting to know Jesus, His heart, and ways, nor to understand what it is they might do for Him, no. These came in search of head knowledge—what they might witness, experience Jesus do in their midst—for them. We know this because Scripture states that soon after Jesus lays out for them the only way to have a genuine relationship with Him—to get to know Him, everyone, save His chosen twelve, abandoned Him. They went off looking for the next best thing—moving on to the next “friend.” They had only wanted Oida knowledge of Jesus. And once they got what they wanted, they were out. –John 6:22-66.
The second type of knowledge we’ll look at today is, Ginōskō. And though Oida and Ginōskō both imply, are translated “to know,” Ginōskō refers to having a more intimate knowledge of.
Now, going back to the beginning of this teaching, I asked some questions concerning friends across your social media platforms. How well do you know them—if at all?
Undoubtedly, most of us have “friends” that are family members. Others, family by choice, others still, brothers and sisters in Christ—family, one-in-all. And then there is your husband or wife. And it is within the context of this sacred relationship, we best witness the living definition of Ginōskō. Allow me to explain.
In Genesis 4:1-2, we read the following: “Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived, gave birth to Cain and said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.” The intimate knowledge spoken of here is Ginōskō knowing. It far surpasses even the parent-child, sibling, or life-long friend, knowledge of another. It is a profoundly personal, wholly transparent, intimately immersed in, sacred, set apart, exclusive oneness. In John 10:14-15, Jesus spoke of this same intimate knowing existing between Himself and His Bride, listen: “I am that good shepherd, and know mine, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep.” Underlining added for emphasis.
The disciples knew Jesus’—more Jesus knew His disciples. And it’s this level of knowing Job professed to gain in today’s Scripture verse. This outcry of, “then I knew of you, Lord, but now, I know You.” This sudden realization that the Sovereign God of the universe has singled him out—wants to be one with him. More is in him, and He wants to show Himself Mighty to Save. This intimate knowing Job has acquired of God has him on his face before His Lord. Genuine, heartfelt repentance is a beautiful thing.
Returning now, to John Six, to that moment when Jesus instructs the crowd that had crossed over on boats that to indeed find Him, for them to genuinely be His—One with Him, to Ginōskō Him, they must eat His Body and drink His Life-giving Blood. It’s within a few moments of Jesus’ saying this when everyone but His disciples bailed. The others weren’t ready to receive that kind of friend request. They wanted no part of what Jesus had just told them needed to happen.
But not Jesus’ disciples. They wanted so much more than mere Oida knowing; like Job, they wanted the Truth, they wanted a Ginōskō knowing. Listen to Peter’s response to Jesus’ question: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Did you catch that? The “and to know, Ginōskō, that you are the Holy One of God? Peter knew Jesus.
Yet, in Matthew’s Gospel, we witness the Apostle Peter’s awakening. That moment Peter went from Oida—experiential knowledge, into a deeper, more intimate Ginōskō understanding of his relationship with Christ—of just who Jesus was. Of their connection one to another. Again, it’s Scripture that makes this abundantly clear. “Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out” –Matthew 16:17-18 MSG.
Scripture informs us two paths lay before us—one leading to Life, the other to death. God has given us the free will to choose which we will take. Oida, the path laden with stony words and second-hand experiences. Littered with statements like “I know about Jesus, I’ve heard everything about Him,” made smooth only by other people’s experiences of Him—empty of any actual knowledge of your own. Or there’s the way of Ginōskō. The personal, living as One with God daily, path. The Him Living in you and you living for Him, path. The “all-in” way. “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster” –Deuteronomy 30:15.
Today, friend, the choice has been set before you. Which will you choose? And know, not choosing is a choice. It leads away from where Jesus is calling you—to know Him.
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” –Deuteronomy 30:19-20.
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