What does Revelation 3:20 Mean?

Revelation 3:20 is a popular verse to quote, but it's easy to misunderstand. Many people hear these words as an invitation to salvation. Certainly, the Gospel is all about Jesus inviting people to follow Him. But this verse is not really about an invitation to salvation.

The words were addressed to the the church at Laodicea. The believers in Laodicea had fooled themselves. They believed they did not need anything. Jesus warned that they were useless and in need of repentance.

So, in this passage, Jesus is not knocking on the heart of unbelievers. He's knocking on the doors of a church that no longer felt it needed him. He's asking for believers to let him in. The image is harrowing.

The doors of the church are shut with Jesus on the outside. Thankfully, Jesus is not so easily driven away. He stands at the door. . . knocking. Hoping that someone might hear his voice.

If we miss the sound of his knuckles on the door, we may still hear him calling to us. If we open the door, he promises fellowship. He wants to eat a meal with us. In many ways, the whole book builds towards a massive feast in Revelation 19:16-19. As Christians, we get to enjoy a small foretaste of that feast when we take communion together.

In those sacred moments, we feast with Jesus in the anticipation of the final day and that final meal. May the church open the door today and enjoy every meal we can with Jesus.

Bibliography:

Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 113.