Knock, knock. Who's there?
I grew up with this verse, an image of Jesus knocking at a door, but it never really sank in with me. Until this morning.
I was reading my morning prayers which included a reference to this verse. And it struck me that this verse is stated in the present tense: not the past or future tense. The present tense.
Jesus is not saying "I stood", or "I will be standing". No. It's "I stand". It's active.
He stands at the door, continually, and knocks. He is persistent. He is tenacious - not aggressively so, but in an even and continuous way.
This changes the entire perception of this verse. The image of Jesus continuously knocking, trying to enter into a soul that has yet to let him in, is profound.
But also, the verse states that he knocks. Not pounds. Not bangs. He knocks. A knock on the door can easily be missed and unheard, and there are many who do not hear that gentle knocking.
There are many who, in their witness, bang on doors as a means to "save" a soul, which often backfires. But Jesus, in His gentle way, knocks to get our attention. Maybe we don't hear it at first, but eventually, we will. And either we'll open the door, or we will ignore it.
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