Revelation 3:20 20Behold, I have been standing at the door and I am knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
The opportunity to repent comes through the Jesus’ conviction who stands knowing at the door. This well-known verse envisions Jesus standing at a door, knocking to come in. The image is clear enough but needs some unpacking. First, the verb tenses are significant. Have been standing (estēka) is in the perfect tense, indicating that this was not a new situation. Jesus had been standing there for some time, waiting for the Laodiceans. The verse builds on the concept of grace implied in verse 19. Jesus had come to them in different ways, beginning with the first person or persons who preached the gospel in that city. Over time, a church was formed from those who heard and accepted this message. Now, however, a time of temptation had come, and the enticements of their city were blurring their commitment.
Knocking (krouō) is present tense, emphasizing the urgency of the moment. Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). When we hear the invitation to believe, we must respond before our hearing of the knocking is overpowered by the blare of the world. Jesus comes to us in our sin and temptation and offers us the way out of the trap in which we find ourselves. The knocking is an invitation because people lock the door of their hearts and minds and push Jesus out, ignoring his loving plea for them to change. We can also push Jesus outside because of our sin. Jesus will not give up knocking, but there may come a time that we no longer hear the knocking.
The invitation is for anyone.” It is not a closed invitation for an elect few or predestined chosen. This verse is a timeless truth for all situations and all people. It is stated as a condition. The protasis (“if”) requires two actions. Hearing implies an openness to listen to the message. Opening implies the response of faith and the obedience to which faith leads. Hearing and believing are the key human responses to God’s grace. The whole Bible calls humanity to these crucial actions. The apodosis (“then”) gives the divine response in the form of another image. The idea of eating as a fellowship is an important idea in the Bible and in most cultures today. Eating provides an opportunity for deeper fellowship through talking and getting to know the other person better. Jesus issued this invitation to each individual in the church. Together, they would thrive. Individually, they need a deeper faith.