The imagery of Revelation 3:20 captures the imagination, Jesus standing and knocking at the door of the sinner’s heart. Many have used this as an image of conversion, taking this passage as a teaching verse for non-Christians.
The only way to do that is to ignore the context. This letter isn’t going out to the unconverted. This is an appeal to the Christian who has fallen away. In Letters From The Lamb I wrote:
Jesus is speaking to a group of people who already profess to be his followers. They need to recognize that they have reached the point where Jesus is no longer in their lives, no longer in their hearts, and they need to find the way to let him back in… Christians can reach the point where Jesus vomits them out of his mouth, they can travel to the place where Jesus is no longer in their lives. That’s when we stop, repent, and open the door to let him back in. Or we will have our name blotted out of the Book of Life.
(Letters From The Lamb, pp. 154-55)
I hope you’ve enjoyed these excerpts from the book. Starting next week, we’ll move on to another topic.
I’ve enjoyed them very much! If we were to start a list of Scriptures taken out of context to make a point, we could come up with a LONG list!
What and awesome image! What better place to reach pew-warming couch potatoes! They’re happily watching the game, and along comes a knock on their door.
Whatever it is, they are not buying, and they certainly can’t even imagine a Jesus who wants to come into their life and enjoy it with them; a Jesus who who would want to kick off his sandals, lean back in a Lazy Boy and cheer for the Cowboys, because that is where we are, and he loves us where we are. We are convinced that Jesus Christ wouldn’t kick back like this, but we follow him and do it. So, we don’t answer the knock.
Sadly, if they recognize the passage, they know that it is connected with conversion, so it doesn’t speak to them. If they don’t recognize it, it just becomes a joke and the sign waver becomes a caricature. The commentators don’t even have to say anything to get a chuckle.
The sign waver, oblivious to the miscommunication, feels blessed because he is evangelizing.