Matthew 25:12

Matthew 25:12, in plain English

The bridegroom's answer is devastating: 'I don't know you.' He's not saying he doesn't recognize them. He's saying there's no real relationship between them. And that's what made all the difference.

Why it's here

This is the heart of the whole parable. It's not about rules or rituals. It's about relationship. Do you actually know Jesus, or do you just know about Him?

Who's speaking

The bridegroom speaks the final word, and it reveals what this parable is really about: genuine relationship.

Where it sits in the story

These might be the most sobering words Jesus ever spoke in a parable. Being in the crowd isn't the same as being in the relationship. The question is: does He know you?

The scholarly reading

The bridegroom's response — 'I do not know you' (ouk oida hymas) — is devastating. The verb oida means relational knowledge, not mere awareness. He is saying, 'I have no relationship with you.' This echoes the judgment of 7:23: 'I never knew you.'

Language and setting

The word 'know' (oida) in biblical usage implies intimate, covenantal relationship. The bridegroom's denial is not factual ignorance but relational exclusion — they never cultivated a genuine relationship with him.

Voice

The bridegroom speaks the final, irrevocable word of exclusion, denying relational knowledge of the foolish virgins.

Significance

The most terrifying words in the parable: 'I don't know you.' They thought they knew him. They expected entry. But a relationship that was never cultivated cannot be claimed at the last moment.

10But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

11Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’

12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

13Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

14For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.

Read all of Matthew 25 — Ten bridesmaids, three servants, and a flock of sheep and goats. Jesus paints the final judgment in vivid, unsettling detail.