A Revelation Invitation

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: …
“‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 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 3:14a,19-20 ESV)

What is happening that Jesus is standing outside knocking on the door to his own church?! He is outside looking in! Why has he been shut out? In their self-sufficiency, did the church in Laodicea have no place in their fellowship and in their hearts for Jesus? He had just exposed their inflated estimation of themselves in the previous verses. His assessment that they were wretched and pitiable should have warranted some humility. Did Jesus’ frank evaluation offend them? The truth can hurt, but his speaking the truth was an act of love.

Jesus once told a parable about a master who had set his servant over his household (Matthew 24:45-51). The question Jesus posed was whether that servant would act faithfully while his master was away or take advantage of his master’s absence for his own gain and pleasure. When the master returned, what would he find? If he found his servant abusing his fellow servants and partying with his friends, the consequences would be dire. Similarly, the church in Laodicea heard their master knocking at the door. Because of the wretched and pitiable condition Jesus exposed, they were stunned to realize that they were indeed unprepared for his return. Jesus had hoped to find his servants watchful and faithfully attending to their duties so that they could all celebrate his return.

In Song of Solomon 5:2, we read of the bride hearing her beloved standing at the door knocking.

I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is knocking.
“Open to me, my sister, my love,
my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
my locks with the drops of the night.” (ESV)

This young man wanted nothing in the world more than to be welcomed and embraced by his beloved. He couldn’t wait for the morning; he came to her in the night. She was his perfect one—a dove, his lover. He begged her to open the door to him. She was his heart’s desire. This is a picture of Christ and his church. Did the church in Laodicea realize the longing that Christ had for them when he stood at the door knocking? Jesus had traveled a lonely road to the cross so that he could present his bride as his perfect one. The church in Laodicea seemed to have lost sight of this. Jesus offered to clothe their nakedness. He was eager to put salve on their eyes so that they could see him in his grandeur. He wanted to enrich them with gold refined in the fire. If only the church would awaken to her lover’s knock at the door and welcome him in.

This knocking at the door is not Jesus’ inviting an unbeliever to become a Christian as this verse is so often misapplied. Rather it’s the master’s anticipation of his servants’ welcoming embrace. He wants to celebrate his reunion with his servants, share news and feast with them. The knocking on the door is also the groom longing for his bride. In his eyes she is beautiful. He wants nothing more than to be welcomed into her arms.

Lord Jesus, I am your servant. I accept your loving rebuke. Find me serving you faithfully in your absence. I long for the day when we will be reunited. I hear your voice. It is the voice of a lover and a friend. Please come into my life. With joy and anticipation, I long for your return. Amen.