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William Holman Hunt was an English painter from the late 19th century. He was a very religious man and spent much of his talent for painting directed toward religious subjects. In 1854, he completed another religious work. The painting was titled “Light of the World.” The title for the painting comes from the statement Jesus made in John 8:14. However, it is the scene of Revelation 3:20 that inspired the painting. It was a painting of Jesus knocking at a door and waiting to go inside.
As the story goes, he completed this particular painting and then invited a close friend to be the first to view the work. The friend, a fellow artist, looked closely at the painting for several minutes. After Hunt couldn’t stand it any longer, he asked, “Well, what do you think?” The friend responded, “It’s certainly beautiful, but I think you’ve forgotten something.” “Forgotten something?” Hunt responded, “Forgotten what?” “Well,” his friend continued, “I see the man at the door who is obviously calling on this particular person, however, there is no latch or knob on the door. He couldn’t open the door even if he wanted to.”
Hunt told his friend that he had missed the whole point of the painting. He went on to explain that the man was Jesus and that the door was the door to each individual’s heart. He explained that the latch was on the inside, and that unless the one on the inside opens the door then Jesus could never come in.
Jesus knocks on the door and invites us to allow Him into our lives in an intimate sense. He wants to be part of every aspect of our lives. He wants fellowship and communion with us. He doesn’t want to stop by for a short visit for a couple of hours a week, but He wants to come in and constantly reside with us (Rom. 8:10; 2 Cor. 13:5; Col. 1:27).
I remember when I was a kid, there was a particular boy in my neighborhood that nobody really wanted to play with. He would come and knock on my door from time to time, and I’d just open it a little, just enough to poke my head out, really. The boy, who was short of friends because of his awkwardness, would always ask, “Can I come in?” I had two choices; I could either make up some sort of excuse, or I could let him in. I’m embarrassed to tell you what I did most often. I’m more embarrassed to tell you that sometimes I treat Jesus’ call at my door like that nerdy kid who wanted to come in and play. I make some sort of excuse to neglect time with the Lord in Bible study, prayer, or service. I essentially poke my head out from behind the door and say, “No, you can’t come in right now, Jesus, but I’ll see you Sunday.”
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20).
Joe Williams
Pulaski Street church of Christ
Lawrenceburg, TN