Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Revelation 3:20 NIV
My apologies for the late arrival of today’s devotional. I had one of my infrequent migraine headaches that kept me from completing the write-up yesterday, and a resend of a previously published devotional didn’t happen.
Today we’re looking at the last chapter of the Christian Bible again; Revelation. In this chapter, Jesus is (through the Apostle John) addressing the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, and in today’s verse He is specifically targeting the latter church. As you may recall, Jesus has messages for “the seven churches of Asia,” lauding some of them for their faith and evangelistic zeal, chastising others for following the world’s ways rather than Him.
Laodicea is the focus of today’s verse, which Jesus describes as a “lukewarm” church. What is a lukewarm Christian? David Guzik of Enduring Word says “The lukewarm Christian has enough of Jesus to satisfy a craving for religion, but not enough for eternal life” and “Deep down, there is no one more miserable than the lukewarm Christian is. They have too much of the world to be happy in Jesus, but too much of Jesus to be happy in the world.”
Jesus has just told the Laodiceans that He rebukes and disciplines those He loves, and pleads with them to “be earnest and repent”. He follows that plea with today’s verse, what is known as The Great Invitation. He is knocking at their door, desiring to enter, dine with them, and share warmth, intimacy, and love. But we must make the decision to answer His knock.
The imagery here is devastating. The church at Philadelphia had been welcoming, but Laodicea is (in Guzik’s words “The Church of the Excluded Jesus”. Guzik goes on:
iii. I stand at the door and knock... If anyone hears My voice and opens the door: This statement of Jesus expressed a profound mystery. Why did Jesus stand outside the door? Why did He knock? Why did He wait until someone opens the door? He had every right to break down the door, or enter some other way on His own accord, but He didn’t. The sovereign, omnipotent Jesus lowered Himself to work out His eternal plan by wooing the cooperation of the human heart.
Henry Morris, cited in the same Guzik devotional, noted:
iv. “The occupant must open the door. That is, he must repent of his pride and self-sufficiency, his human wisdom, and his cowardly neutrality.” (H. Morris)
What do we need to do to respond to Jesus by opening the door to Him? The first step is to hear His voice. In our time, hearing Jesus can happen in any number of ways: opening our hearts and minds to His Word in Scripture, repenting of sin and turning to Him, truly paying attention to a sermon, engaging in fellowship with other Christians.
Accepting the invitation of Jesus has a tangible benefit: “I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” This meal wasn’t just a quick snack; the Greek word used here is δειπνέω (deipneō), a long, relaxed supper. Barclay is cited in Enduring Word as saying:
ii. “Supper (deipnon) was the main meal of the day. This was the meal at which a man sat and talked for long, for now there was time, for work was ended... it is not a mere courtesy visit, paid in the passing, which Jesus Christ offers to us. He desires to come in and to sit long with us, and to wait as long as we wish him to wait.” (Barclay)
Charles H. Spurgeon makes a good point (cited in Enduring Word) here, that this invitation isn’t just to the church of Laodicea, but to everyone:
“We must not talk about setting the church right, we must pray for grace each one for himself, for the text does not say, ‘If the church will open the door,’ but ‘If any man hear my voice and open the door.’ It must be done by individuals: the church will only get right by each man getting right.” (Spurgeon)
Jesus is always eager to “sit long with us” and fill our hearts with His love. We need only listen for the knock, and open the door wide to Him.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, thank You for standing at the door and knocking. Help me to open my heart to You. I invite Your presence into my life, allowing You to transform me. May Your love and guidance fill the empty spaces within me, leading me to a deeper relationship with You. AMEN.