I stand at the door and knock... (Jesus)
-- Revelation 3:20
At what door is Jesus standing? And knocking? Christians have long referenced this picture as Jesus knocking on the heart's door of the non-believer in an invitation to faith.
Though the balance of scripture supports the idea, that is not specifically what is happening here.*
Jesus has given John a message to deliver... to whom? To the churches of Asia Minor. Real churches, with real leaders and real people (real stumblers, if you'll allow). To cut right to it, Jesus says to the churches, "I am on the outside of what you are doing. I am on the outside of your worship and rituals. You are continuing in your religion and have missed my presence. You have missed the point. You have missed ME."
Jesus didn't come to simply bring religion. People can create religions. Incarnation is much more. The life and message of Jesus - his death and resurrection - transcends religion. Jesus was about redemption and relationship. He still is.
To one of these churches Jesus says, "You think you are rich, but you aren't. You've put your faith in things that fade. I stand at the door and knock..."
To another he says, "You have a reputation of life and vibrancy. But you are dead. I stand at the door and knock..." (By the way, reputation is what others think of you. It may or may not reflect reality.)
But there is good news... Jesus stands at the door and knocks. We, just as the first century believers to whom John wrote, need only listen and open the door. And when we do he enters and hangs out. He brings what doesn't fade. He brings life.
Paul McCartney had it right:
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Do me a favor
open the door
and let 'em in...
God, forgive me for sleeping while thinking I'm awake; for thinking I'm rich when I'm poor. Please come in.
For now...
D
*A basic principle of interpreting the Bible (Hermeneutics) states that our understanding of any particular verse or passage must be in line with scripture as a whole. This understanding counters some of the wild and misleading interpretations that pervade Christendom. In a nutshell, these are a few things to keep in mind when reading the Bible:
- Context, context, context.
- No verse/passage can be completely understood outside the entire panoply of scripture.
- No verse/passage can mean to us (in our day and time) what it did not mean to the original recipients.
(These understood, can even help us to understand why September 23 (my birthday) was not the apocalyptic end of the world - and did not parallel Revelation 12.)
