“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20
In the book of Revelation Jesus gives messages to seven different churches. Some scholars would say that these churches represent seven types of churches you can find or seven types of people you can find in the church today. One of the churches that received one of the strongest messages from him was the Laodicean church. In light of this church and the challenges this church had, what is the meaning of ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock’?
What does ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock’ mean?
Are there Laodicean spaces in your heart where you think you’re okay, but you’ve left Jesus out? Where you are neither hot nor cold so you are useless. If there are, the same invitation is extended to them as to this church. Behold, he stands at the door and knocks. Will you let him in? The difference between experiencing all of God’s best and settling for much less and much worse depends on whether he decides to open the door. We often use this verse to speak to unbelievers, but remember he was speaking to the church. Let us make sure that we always have the door of our hearts open to Jesus so that he can do everything that he wants to do in our lives.
Why did Jesus say ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock? ‘ to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3?
Jesus had nothing positive to say about this church. These are the strong words Jesus used to describe the church at Laodicea.
“I know your works, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! So since you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say: ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and need nothing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined in fire, so that you may become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and eye drops to put in your eyes, so that you can see.” – Revelation 3:15-18
Here are three characteristics of the church at Laodicea:
1. They were lukewarm. This was a church that was neither hot nor cold. Many people believe that this lukewarmness just means that they were straddling the fence between the world and the church. What it really means is that they were useless. They had no value to offer. Laodicea was situated near two other cities, Hieronymus, which was known for its hot springs that were good for healing, and Colossae, which was known for its cold waters that provided refreshment. Because Laodicea was lukewarm, the water they produced was not good for healing or cooling and therefore was of no use. As one scholar said, you can drink hot tea or cold tea, but hot tea is practically useless.
2. They were materialistic. This church was rich in material possessions that created a false sense of God’s blessing. This church is a reminder that you cannot compare God’s blessing to anything material, that is not a representation of spiritual maturity, or an indication that God is pleased with your life.
3. They were spiritually poor. The worst part about this church is that they were spiritually bankrupt and didn’t even realize it. If you had asked them, they would tell you that everything is fine, we are experiencing God’s blessing because he looks at everything we have. However, in the midst of physical riches, they lacked true spiritual blessings. Sadly, many in today’s churches are unaware of their own spiritual lack.
How does this relate to verse 20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock’?
Knowing what was happening in Laodicea helps you know the meaning of behold, I stand at the door and knock. Let me point you to some thoughts.
Jesus was outside the church.
It is not interesting that Jesus has to knock on the door. This means that he was not present in the church. Imagine there was a church named after him but where Jesus had to knock on the door to enter. They were having church and doing church, but they did not include Jesus in his church. They may have used his name in song and worship, but that’s where he stopped. If there is an example of a church on a superficial level, this is it. Remember that this was a church that praised his “blessings,” but what was missing was the blessor. They were a Christian church without Christ in it letting Jesus knock on the door to get in. this is a tragedy
Jesus was out of their hearts.
Jesus was not only outside the church in general, he was outside the hearts of individuals. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says this.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve God and money.”
It seems clear that the people of the church did not have Jesus at the center of their hearts. He was outside looking at the church and outside looking at his hearts. They were more interested in serving their material interests and you cannot serve God and money at the same time. They were foolishly leaving eternal riches on the table because they wanted temporal ones more. Jesus was knocking at the door of his heart in the hope that they would let him in so he could change his heart,
Jesus was desiring an intimate fellowship with them.
Probably the most important meaning of behold, I am at the door and I knock is the heart of Jesus who is desiring an intimate communion with you and me. This has been God’s heart from the beginning and it remains his heart to this day. Jesus was offering the opportunity to come in and dine. This screams personal intimacy in its highest form. There’s something I discovered a while ago, don’t sit at a table and eat with someone you just don’t like, because eating together is an intimate experience of fellowship. Just before Jesus said that he was knocking on the door, this is what he said:
“Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be serious and repent.” – Revelation 3:19
What I was saying is that I love you and my rebuke is not to hurt you but to help you because I want you to repent. The reason I want repentance is so I can sit down and commune with you. If you remain in your sin, then I will continue out of your church and out of your heart. However, if you heed my warning and actually let me in, I will come in and fellowship with you. Jesus knew that his heart was in the wrong place, but he also knew that if they let him in, he would fix it.
Now I could see it. Someone hears the knock and opens the door and Jesus sits down and dines with them. Through this process, I think Jesus would begin to point out the things that need to be changed, but more importantly He would help you change them. Jesus is the guest who would see you have dirty dishes and then offer to help clean them up. He didn’t just want to come in to tell them everything that was wrong, he wanted to help them make it right.
further reading
What did Jesus mean by ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock’?