The Principle of Knocking

Let us press on to know the Lord (Hosea 6:3). An important of part of making ourselves ready for Jesus’ return is to pursue him now, to know him now. I’m sharing an excerpt from my book Uncommon: Lessons from the Parable of the Ten Virgins. This section gives a brief picture of the how the Lord pursues us and awakens our pursuit of him.

The Principle of Knocking

Behold, I stand at the door and knock is a familiar verse and often recited as an invitation for people to come to know Jesus. In context, this verse is part of a letter to the church of Laodicea found in Revelation 3. In this letter, Jesus is calling the church out of complacency and calling them into relationship. Here is how the letter begins.

Revelation 3:14-18

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot…so, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

After identifying the issue, lukewarm and unaware of their need, Jesus counsels them with the solution. Take note of the action, the pursuit.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. [emphasis mine]

The pursuit laid before them is to buy three things from Jesus: gold refined by fire, white garments, and salve to anoint their eyes. The return on their purchase is wealth (or excess), covering, and sight.

Jesus closes the letter with another picture of pursuit. This time it is him pursuing by knocking on our door with promises in hand.

Revelation 3:19-22

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Take a minute and consider this invitation. Be zealous—get interested. I’m knocking on your door! Get up. Let me in. We will eat together, conquer together, abide together.

There are other places in scripture where knocking is used to demonstrate invitation and desire. Jesus uses it in another parable to describe a ready, watching servant. When the master returns home and knocks on the door, the servant opens it to him at once (Luke 12:35-48). Knocking also appears in the Song of Solomon. In a prophetic picture of Jesus as the bridegroom and the church as his bride, a man stands at the door and knocks, calling out to the bride. In this part of the story, the bride isn’t ready. She argues with herself about getting up and opening the door. By the time she decides to, the groom is gone. As the bride realizes her affection for her groom, she starts to search for him, waking up others to help her.

As with the letter to the church of Laodicea, pursuit is happening by both parties in the Song of Solomon. The groom’s pursuit awakens the pursuit of the bride. Sometimes it’s the Lord or depictions of him pursuing us, and at other times it’s us going after him. If we love because Jesus first loved us (1 John 4:19), then, perhaps, the same principle can apply to pursuit. We pursue him because he first pursued us.

Let’s look at one more verse.

Both Matthew and Luke record Jesus teaching his disciples to ask, seek, knock. Take note of the emphasis or treasure Jesus acknowledges again, like in Revelation 3, about knocking.

Matthew 7:7-11

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Jesus knows about knocking. He knows what it is like to be after something, what it feels like to long for what’s on the other side of the door. He knows that knocking is an interested, zealous step. Knocking is pursuit. And when we knock on Jesus’ door, we are following him in two ways. One, we are following after him because we want, long for him. Two, we are following in his ways—Jesus teaches us how to knock.

The principle of knocking is important to this study because being ready involves us pursuing Jesus—buying oil—so that we are attentive to his coming and have the readied willingness to open the door when he returns.