What the Bible Doesn't Say: Matthew

I am going to start with Matthew 12.  Matthew 1-11 is the journal of Jesus' physical journey, miracles, and the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7).

Verses 46:50

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

 ⁴⁶While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."  ⁴⁸He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" ⁴⁹Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."  


It does not say:  Whoever asks Jesus into their hearts is my brother and sister and mother.

Matthew 16:16

Peter's Confession of Christ

 ¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"  ¹⁴They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
 ¹⁵"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
 ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
 ¹⁷Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

It does not say, you know this because you've asked Me into your heart. 


Next, recall the parable of the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19?  Matthew 19:16-26

The Rich Young Man

 ¹⁶Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"  ¹⁷"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
 ¹⁸"Which ones?" the man inquired.
   Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, ¹⁹honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
 ²⁰"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
 ²¹Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
 ²²When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
 ²³Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
 ²⁵When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
 ²⁶Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

In verse 21, it does not say, you need to ask me into your heart.   Jesus is pointing out the young man's idolatry.  Even more informative in verse 26, Jesus is informing them it's impossible for man to "save" himself by works.

Skipping ahead to verses 28 and 29:

 ²⁸Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

It does not say:  And everyone who has asked me into their hearts will inherit eternal life.

I am going to make one final point about the book of Matthew (25:1-13) by looking at the Parable of the Ten Virgins.  To sum it up, there were five wise virgins and five foolish virgins.  The five wise virgins were ready for the bridegroom because they had faith.  Not because they asked Jesus into their hearts.