“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” — Revelation 3:20, NIV
“Trick or Treat!”
(Before we get into it, I want to make a strong disclaimer that I am in no way equating Halloween with following Jesus!)
The time of year has come—Halloween. Every year, kids (of all ages, no judgment from me) put on their costumes and race around neighborhoods and fall festivals collecting buckets full of candy. And, of course, there’s always that one house handing out toothbrushes, raisins, or some sort of questionably “healthy” snack. (With all due respect, we came for chocolate and Sour Patch Kids!)
Honestly, the tradition is actually bizarre when you think about it. We dress up, walk up the steps of a complete stranger’s house, knock on the door (or we used to), shout, and stand there expecting a little gift simply because we showed up. No payment, no work, no application, and no proof we have been “good” that year (save that for Santa). We just stick out our buckets or grocery bags and receive whatever the person on the other side of the door has chosen to give us. It is a pretty rare occasion in life where we can just walk up to someone’s front door with our hands held out, expecting something we didn’t earn! (expecting something good…this southern girl knows some things that might greet her…)
In a funny way, I think we can use this imagery in our understanding of Jesus’ invitation to us. Except, in Revelation 3:20, Jesus is the one knocking on the door.
In Revelation 3, we read about the church in Laodicea, a group of believers who had become comfortable and self-sufficient. They considered themselves wealthy and pretty much in need of nothing. But God confronts them with the reality of their spiritual condition. Despite their apparent prosperity, they were totally neglecting their need for him.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.”
Jesus has just confronted them about their spiritual complacency, and yet he doesn’t simply abandon them or leave them to figure things out on their own. “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” (Revelation 3:19, NIV). He calls them to repentance and invites them back into fellowship with him. He even explains that his correction comes from love.
“If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
His promise is not a trick. He promises that when they open the door, he will come in and fellowship with them! In the ancient world, sharing a meal was an expression of friendship, hospitality, and fellowship. Jesus is inviting them into something deeply personal—a restored relationship with him. They just have to open the door.
On Halloween, we can dress up as pretty much anyone or anything we want. It’s honestly crazy how far some of us will go these days. We put on masks, wigs, makeup, and elaborately constructed outfits to become someone completely different for the night. Sometimes the costumes are actually very impressive, sometimes they are terrifying, and sometimes I am genuinely bamboozled by what someone is supposed to be.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good costume…I even get them for my dog! But the thought here is how often we keep wearing parts of our “costumes” in everyday life. Okay, maybe we don’t walk around dressed like Buddy the Elf or Superman (maybe you do; that’s your business).
But we put on different costumes and masks, don’t we? We conceal our weaknesses, hide our struggles, cover up our mistakes, and try to present the most pleasing version of ourselves to the people around us. We want to appear a certain way, and we pick and choose the costume pieces that help us do that.
Sometimes, we even try to wear those masks before God. We convince ourselves that we need to get our lives together before we can approach him. We hide behind religious activity, carefully worded prayers, or the appearance of having it all planned out. We hesitate to bring him our true failures, fears, insecurities, and what we’d rather no one else know.
Who do we think we are fooling?
Hebrews 4:13 reminds us that “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” (NIV). He already knows what is beneath the mask! He knows the thoughts we haven’t spoken, struggles we’ve concealed, and the places in our hearts that need his transforming work.
The God who already knows everything about us is the One inviting us into fellowship with Him.
“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8, NIV).
“Search me God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).
What freedom there is in these invitations—we don’t have to conceal what God already knows. We can open the door as we are and tell him the whole story at the dinner table. We don’t have to put on a costume or pretend to be someone we are not. We can invite him in as our truest, messiest selves, knowing he hasn’t come because we have finally made ourselves worthy of his presence. He comes in love, inviting us to repent, draw near, and enjoy the relationship we were created to have with him.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
The gift we receive from God is far better than any Snickers, Twix, Reese’s, or whatever candy gets dropped in the bucket on Halloween. (Even if your neighborhood gives out full-sized candy bars!)
And here is the best part: We cannot possibly earn, deserve, or purchase forgiveness, righteousness, or eternal life—We simply receive what God has graciously made available to us through Christ.
For those who already belong to him, Revelation 3:20 is a reminder not to become so comfortable, distracted, or self-reliant that we neglect our fellowship with the One who saved us.
Sometimes we become so consumed with all we are doing for Jesus that we forget to spend time with him. Yet Jesus continues to call us to hear the knock, open the door, and draw near to him. He desires genuine fellowship. He wants us to welcome him into our homes and show him every nook and messy corner. He wants to see the rooms that look like they were hit by a natural disaster, the dirty laundry, and the infamous “junk” drawer we all have somewhere.
We don’t have to stand on the other side of the door, frantically straightening up the house, hiding the mess, vacuuming, and searching for a better costume before we’re willing to answer. (Admit it, we all “clean” before someone comes over, even if everything is spick and span)
Jesus already knows what’s inside, and he simply invites us to open the door.
We can take off the masks, tights, fairy wings, or whatever else we have put on and stop pretending to have it all together. We can welcome him into the places where we most desperately need his grace.
He isn’t asking us to don a better costume or tidy up the house. He invites us into a genuine relationship with the One who knows us completely and still loves us. And unlike the house handing out toothbrushes, I can assure you that what Jesus offers is worth opening the door for.
bytaylormcgee
