“Behold I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him) and he with Me.”
Revelation 3:20
The person speaking in this verse is Jesus. We know Jesus as our Savior, and we also know that He is a part of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son & Holy Spirit. This means that He has power and authority over all things.
One must ask why Jesus is saying that He’s knocking at a door. Jesus healed all manners of diseases, appeared in a room where the doors were barred (ref John 20:19), and resurrected after being dead for three days (ref Mark 9:31). Surely, He wouldn’t need to knock at any door, right? He could simply enter anywhere as He pleased. However, one thing about the Lord (Jesus) is that He will never force Himself (His ways, thoughts, etc.) upon anyone. Our Savior Jesus desires that all men would come to know Him and that they would freely follow Him (ref 1 Timothy 2:4). He’s letting us know what His intentions are for us if we would only heed His voice and allow Him into our lives. So, how do we open this door?
The word door thura in the Greek language means: a portal, entrance, or gate. [1] In the Hebrew Aleph Bet, the letter Dalet is also seen as a door or veil. The definition for the word veil is a thing that serves to cover, conceal or disguise. According to the Scripture, those who belong to the Lord must first hear the voice of their Father (ref John 10:27) then they must open the door and allow Jesus to have access inside. What is the door? In 2 Corinthians 3:15 Paul speaks of a people that have a veil over their hearts. He says that when a person turns to the Lord then the veil is taken away or removed. This must mean that this door or veil is a barrier that’s between the people and the Lord. The word turn in the Greek means to return to the love, wisdom, and righteousness of God. [2] When we’re learning God’s word properly, by seeing the Scriptures on a deeper level, we are learning the language of God. If someone understands the language of another person, then they’re able to perceive and identify the voice of that person when they’re speaking. When the language is learned and the voice is heard, then obedience to the Word can take place. When we are obedient to the Word of God then we are showing (through our actions) that we truly love Him (ref John 14:15).
In Ephesians 3, Paul speaks of this mystery (revelation) that was unveiled to Him by the power and working of the Holy Spirit that he might give it to the people, so that they would perceive the Word, in the way in which it was meant to be understood. Paul was one of the twelve disciples, and he was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He had access to the deeper meaning of Scripture. He was able to spiritually interpret the Scriptures and deliver this understanding to those that wanted to know the Word of God. Those that desired to have “eyes to see and ears to hear” what the Lord was truly saying to the Church. The Lord speaks through His Apostles and Prophets and the Church (God’s people) are built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets (ref Ephesians 2:19-20). The Lord is revealing mysteries and secrets to His servants that they might prepare the people (Church) for His return (ref Amos 3:7). So, this means that the veil is taken away or the door is opened when the Word is unveiled, or the hidden meaning of Scripture is unlocked or opened to us. If we seek the Lord with all our heart, then we will find Him (ref Deut. 4:29). When we seek Him, and we’re learning of Him and His ways, then we know when He’s speaking, and when He knocks our hearts will be open because there will no longer be a veil over our hearts.
The Lord loves us so much that He’s constantly pursuing us and trying to get our attention. When the Scripture says, “I continually knock…” it’s clearly speaking of someone who is diligent, and zealous for His people (ref Isaiah 26:11). He wants to have communion with His people. If you love someone then you are passionate about them, you want to know everything about them and you desire to spend intimate, quality time with them. Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart, will you open the door and let Him come in to abide with you?
References:
- Thayer Bible Dictionary
- Thayer Bible Dictionary