“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

There were multiple questions given for this reading.

Timing

Does this verse apply to the time of conversion or to everyday life?

This verse is part of the letter to the church in Laodicia, who professed to being converted believers, but whom Jesus accused of having become lukewarm in their faith, as they had been distracted and blinded by their wealth. Jesus’ judgement of them was that he would vomit them out of his mouth (16), and they needed to repent (19), and were in need of white covering from Jesus to cover their naked shame (18).
Because of this drastic judgment and the image of the closed door to Jesus, the verse is popularly applied as a plea to the non-believer to let Jesus enter their life. But it was addressed to church-going Christians like you and me, who no doubt considered their salvation as being secure, but who were fooling themselves about the nature of their faith.

This is an ongoing appeal to all of us.

How do you experience him knocking on the door?

My experience of Jesus knocking relates to verse 19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.”
It’s not only a distant tapping, but the reverberations and disturbance that echoes throughout this world. It shows in the emptiness and frustration of worldly idols or pursuits that can never satisfy, and in the strife and hostility of relations with people where Jesus is not present. But it’s also heard in a positive way in the contrasting sounds of harmony, in harmonious relationships of Christian marriages, of fellowship between Christians, and within Christians themselves who show a contentment and a caring outreach that can only come from being truly fulfilled in Christ.

How do you hear his voice?

In many ways:
o Through the people God brings into our lives, as the holy spirit speaks through them;
o As we read the bible, or as verses we remember suddenly take on a new meaning;
o As we come to know his presence, both in quiet times and amidst the noise and strife, as He answers our prayer to know him and his will for us.

How do you open the door?

By stopping the resistance and rebellion, recognizing my dependence upon him, turning to him in obedience, and accepting his presence and his rule.

How does he come into you?

I read it is through His Holy Spirit who lives in me. This is not a boastful claim, but a humble confession that the things I do that others might regard as good and Christian are not natural to me, all glory for those must go to Jesus. His presence and guidance is something I become aware of in retrospect, and it is confirmed and explained by His promise of the Holy Spirit.

How does he dine with you? What do you eat?

I saw two aspects to this:
o To eat at someone’s table is to enjoy a personal and intimate relationship with him, to be part of the inner family, and so we are welcomed into a deep personal relationship with Jesus.
o But the bible also talks of feeding upon Jesus himself. John 6:35, Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
If we eat bread made from wheat from the ground, it keeps us going for a short time, but we can remain in despair about who we are and how we live. But to believe in Jesus, and rely completely upon him, is to receive true inspiration as God breathes new life into us and gives us a new heart, for a life in him that never ends.

How do you dine with him? What does he eat?

Of that same fellowship. He so loved us that he suffered the punishment of death for our sin, he has prepared a place for us to dwell with him, and promised to never leave us: Matthew 28:20, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”.

Why does it start with the word behold?

Behold means to hold in view, it’s both to see and take hold of, so it implies an obligation to action, or of being beholden.