Standing At the Door
and Knocking
By Jonathan Mitchell

Our Lord said this to the called-out, covenant congregation in Laodicea, in the first century AD. So, let us read this message, in Rev. 3:20,

"Consider! I have stood, and continue standing, upon (= at) the door (entrance), and I am constantly knocking; if ever anyone may (or: can) hear My voice (or: sound) and would open the door, I will proceed entering (coming or going in) toward him, and then I will continue eating the evening meal with him, and he with Me." [cf Song 5:2; Isa. 1:18; Lu. 12:37; Jn. 14:23]

What did He mean by this? Well, first of all, it means that He had come to Laodicea, but was outside of the place where they were meeting. He was seeking entrance, for fellowship with them. Notice that He did not simply "appear in their midst," this time. But He was letting them know that He was there, and that He was available to them. This reminds us of how He had repeatedly told His disciples, and others, that "the Kingdom of God is at hand, i.e., close enough to touch; is accessible" to them.

Throughout the letters to those seven congregations, in Asia Minor (note: there were more than seven churches in that region, but these letters are in a book of symbolic numbers - these seven represent all of the called-out folks within that geographical area, and continued speaking to all of His followers, throughout the following centuries, to this day), He repeatedly said to them,

"Let the one having an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the called-out covenant communities (plural)."

The messages to the seven were to all of them, just as Paul's letters to specific towns and regions were to be shared with everyone else. So here, in Laodicea, He is knocking - signifying that He seeks entrance - and is calling to them to open their door (figuratively, the point of access to their presence). If they CAN hear Him (implying that they should be able to hear Him), and if they then open the door, He promised to enter in to, and for, the person opening the door so that He could eat the evening meal with him (a figure of the table fellowship of believing bodies). Now observe the condition of this seventh "church":

15.I have seen, and thus know (am aware of) your [singular] works (acts), that you are (continue being) neither cold nor boiling hot (or: zealous): O that you were being [either] cold, or boiling hot (zealous)!

16.Thus, because you continue being lukewarm (tepid), and are neither boiling hot nor cold, I am about to vomit you out of My mouth.

17.Because you are habitually saying, "I am rich and have acquired wealth and continuously have need of nothing," and yet you have not seen so as to know (or: are not aware) that you continue being wretched (or: miserable; in hardship) and pitiful and poor and blind and naked, [cf Hos. 12:8; 1 Cor. 4:8]

18.I continue advising you [singular] to buy from Me gold having been refined (set ablaze) forth from out of fire, to the end that you may become rich; and white garments, to the end that you may clothe yourself and the shame (disgrace) of your nakedness may not be manifested (brought to light; caused to appear); and eye-salve to anoint (rub in) your eyes, to the end that you may be continuously observing (or: progressively seeing).'[cf Isa. 55:1; Mat. 13:44; 25:9; 2 Cor. 5:3]

Verses 15-17 describe a very "unspiritual" condition of this representative of the body of Christ, but look at the comforting admonition to them by their Paraclete, in vs. 18. And now, even though He will "educate and put them to the proof (vs. 19), we find Him at their door (vs. 20). This is the Good Shepherd going after His lost sheep.

What are we to make of this promise that He would,

"vomit you out of My mouth"? Just as we are to "drink His blood (figure of His Life and soul - 'the soul in in the blood' - Lev. 17:11),"

as He said in Jn. 6:54-56, it appears that He drinks of our soul-life and spirit, in His union with us (cf 1 Cor. 6:17). If we are not palatable to His taste, He will not imbibe in our "wine."

We must see that this is symbolic language. Recall that the psalmist enjoined us to

"taste and see, that Yahweh is good…" (Ps. 34:8a).

Christ does not want a half-hearted relationship with us. He wants us to live with zest and zeal - even if we are not close to the Fire, and have grown cold.

What did He mean by suggesting that they should buy gold from Him? Perhaps He was alluding to the gold used in the furniture of the Tabernacle and Temple. Recall that Paul said that only gold, silver and precious stones were to be used in constructing the Temple of God (1 Cor. 3:12-17). Perhaps Jesus was saying to them that since they were spiritually poor, they probably only had "wood, hay and stubble," and so they needed to purchase the gold from Him. The "buying" may be something like what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called, "the cost of discipleship." At the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, perhaps in seeing the hard and dangerous times that lay ahead for His disciples, He advised them to,

"sell your cloak and buy a sword" (Lu. 22:36).

A battle would come, in AD 66-70. This was most likely a figurative admonition to: "Prepare for persecutions and ordeals."

Verse 17, above, may be an allusion to Hos. 12:8,

"Ephraim indeed said, ‘But I am rich, I have found a rest for myself.' [But] because of the iniquities which he has committed, none of his labors shall turn to account"

(The Septuagint Bible, LXX, Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress of the USA). Paul may have been using sarcasm, in 1 Cor. 4:8a,

"You folks already continuously exist being ones having become completely satiated, with the result that you are now fully satisfied. You are already suddenly rich. You people suddenly reign as kings (or: attained sovereignty) - apart from us!"

The Lord's admonition to buy "white garments, to the end that you may clothe yourself and the shame (disgrace) of your nakedness," may be an allusion to Adam and Eve, in the Garden. Had those of Laodicea been eating from the wrong tree, and now needed the garments of Christ's righteousness to cover them, and "eye-salve," to heal their way of seeing? When the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened, all that they could see was their nakedness, i.e., their sin (they have become Law conscious, instead of Grace conscious). Many in Christianity can only see their sin because they are unaware that:

"the blood of, from, and which is, Jesus, His Son, keeps continually or repeatedly cleansing us (or: is progressively rendering us pure) from every sin (or: from all error, failure, deviation, mistake, and from every shot that is off target [when it occurs])." [cf Rev. 1:5]

Perhaps these folks had been infected by the Judaizers. Recall how Jesus had characterized the Judean leadership as being "blind leaders of the blind" (Mat. 15:14).

So, what insight can we gain from the risen Christ's message to Laodicea? Was this situation recorded so that we could recognize how easy it is for us - as it has been throughout the history of Christianity - to slip, or fall, into the same errors as did those early Christians in Asia Minor?

But let us keep in mind the Grace and Mercy (Rom. 11:32) with which He came to them, and asked to be received again, for table fellowship.

We must remember that this letter to Laodicea is composed of symbolic language in the midst of an apocalypse - a Jewish literary genre. Yet it speaks of a reality, and when we understand the symbolism and metaphors, it can speak to us individually - not as a "doctrine," but as an example of God coming to us, as it were, to our home and wanting some fellowship with us in a special way. A survey of the OT will reveal God often coming to people and speaking with them. We should listen for His "knock;" we should respond to His Voice, within. Christ was pictured as being outside of the community, because the community was not acting like the body of Christ. It was in a wretched state. Like with Ephesus, in chapter 2, He had probably already removed their lampstand, for they did not represent the Light of the world. They had felt that they "had need of nothing" (vs. 17) - not even Christ Himself. They were like branches that were no longer "attached to, and abiding in, the Vine."

Now God is the same as the father who welcomed back his prodigal son, with no condemnation (Lu. 15:11-32; 2 Cor. 5:19). When the son returned, there was a feast and celebration. Jesus seeks intimacy with us. We must abide in the Vine and constantly stay connected to Him - and His joy will remain in us, and our joy will be full (Jn. 15:1-11).

A closing thought, about Jesus "standing at the door, and constantly knocking." In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,

"You see, everyone habitually requesting is repeatedly receiving. He who keeps on seeking and searching is constantly finding. And to (in; for) the person repeatedly knocking it will be opened up" (Mat. 7:8).

So, what do you think?

Jonathan

Return To Jonathan Mitchell's Page