Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). Commenting on this text, Matthew Henry says, “Christ is graciously pleased by his word and Spirit to come to the door of the heart of sinners.” But is Henry’s interpretation, although the popular one, the proper view of the text? Perhaps not.

First, Jesus Christ is concluding His remarks in seven letters to seven churches. The letters are addressed specifically to the angels of the respective churches. Angels are messengers. Jesus calls John an angel (Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27, Greek New Testament). These angels are likely the pastors of the churches. Christ delivers His message to His churches through His pastors. These pastors are also shepherds of the local flocks. All of this has significance for our interpretation.

Second, Scripture never likens the heart to a door the sinner must open. If it is a door, Christ must open it. An example is the work of Christ when He opened Lydia’s heart. While Paul was preaching in Philippi, “a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:14).

Third, the language of the text does not carry with it the force of entering into the human heart. Jesus says, “I will come in to him.” The verb used in the text is properly translated “come in.” The pronoun used indicates movement toward. The versions consistently translate the text, “I will come in to him.” The reference is to entering a room to dine with someone. The text does not say, “I will come into him.” The original language does not bear this meaning.

To what does the door refer? The door is an entrance. Christ is outside the door. The door in our text symbolizes entrance to the church. Symbolically, Christ is outside the church. Jesus uses similar imagery in John 10:1–4:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

The faithful church of Jesus Christ is a sheepfold. The good Shepherd comes by way of the door. Undershepherds are the doorkeepers. As indicated above in Acts 16:14, entrance into the fold is by the Word of God proclaimed by the undershepherd. He opens the door in his faithful teaching and preaching.

Pastors and elders bear great responsibility before God in this matter. Elders should be desirous of hearing the Word of God taught. They should be anxious that their pastors teach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26–27). The people should expectantly attend the public worship of God. They should listen to the Word of God with anticipation.

We should gather to draw near to God and to meet with Christ. We should gather for worship with Jesus Christ in our midst. If He is not in our midst, He is outside knocking. Christ should not be outside seeking entrance to His church.

Dennis J. Prutow | reformedvoice.com/rptsprof