Matthew 25:12
“But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’”
What does Matthew 25:12 mean?
These words come from Jesus's parable about ten young women waiting for a bridegroom. Five of them prepared carefully and brought extra oil for their lamps, while five didn't prepare and ran out of light. When the bridegroom finally arrived in the middle of the night, the unprepared women were left behind and locked out, pleading to get in. Jesus isn't saying the unprepared women are unknown to God in some distant way. Rather, he's describing what happens when we neglect our spiritual lives or ignore repeated invitations to draw close to him. The parable challenges us to take our relationship with God seriously now, while there's time, rather than assuming we can defer it or make it up later. It's a tender but urgent reminder that genuine connection with God requires our actual attention and choice, not just wishful thinking when circumstances get urgent.