Lenten Reflection: An Open Door, Which No One Is Able to Shut

The following is the seventh in a series of reflections on the letters to the seven churches in Revelation.

For more reflections on these letters, check out the hub page for the series.

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.

Comments are always welcomed.

If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

An Open Door, Which No One Is Able to Shut

A Reflection on the Letter to the Church in Philadelphia

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of the holy one, the true one,

who has the key of David,

who opens and no one will shut,

who shuts and no one opens:

I know your works.  Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.  I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying - I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.  Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.  I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.  If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it.  I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Revelation 3:7-13 (NRSV)

I've seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn't ever end

Even when the sky is falling

I've seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That's what faith can do

From "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless

Christ acknowledges that the Christians in Philadelphia have remained faithful to Him, despite their relative powerlessness, and that they have remained rock-steady in the face of persecution.  He encourages them to remain strong in their faith, promising that they will become "a pillar in the temple of my God" if they do so.  A pillar is a support structure, meaning that it must be reliable in order to do its job.

In this letter, Christ is described as "the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens."  Once, at God's command, the prophet Isaiah denounced a corrupt official named Shebna and informed him that he would soon be replaced by a servant of God named Eliakim.  Eliakim would be given the "key of the house of David" that would enable him to open doors that nobody would be able to shut and to shut doors that nobody would be able to open.¹  This "key" represents royal authority.²

Christ tells the Christians in Philadelphia that He has set in front of them "an open door, which no one is able to shut."  An open door typically represents an opportunity of some sort.  In other words, Christ is calling the Christians in Philadelphia to take some sort of action they have yet to take.

Speaking personally, I typically don't handle adversity well.  When something goes wrong, I'm quick to "lose my religion" and wonder why God has forsaken me.  When I regain my composure, I almost always find that there is a way around the obstacle I face.

There is a simple lesson to be gleaned from the letter to the church in Philadelphia.  If Christ opens a door for us, then nobody or nothing can slam it shut on us.  If Christ calls us to do something, then nothing can stop us from doing it.  As our Quaker brothers and sisters like to say, a "way will open."  We only need to have the faith and the courage to walk through the door in front of us.

Though the Christians in Philadelphia have remained steadfast in their faith amid persecution, they have apparently been hesitant to take the next step by seizing the opportunity before them.  Perhaps, like the church in Smyrna, they too have been the subject of accusations by another religious community in the area, which is identified once again as "the synagogue of Satan."  Perhaps they fear increased harassment.³  According to N.T. Wright, "The qualifications are all in place.  [The Philadelphia Christians] have some power; not very much, but with the backing of Jesus they have all they need...  They must take courage and go through the door.  They must grasp the opportunity they have while it's still there."⁴

There is help available to the fearful.  William Barclay points out that one door that is always open to us is prayer.  Prayer, Barclay writes, "is a door which no [person] can ever shut and it is one which which Jesus opened when he assured [people] of the seeking love of God the Father."⁵  I've found that, when I'm nervous about something I have to do, the knowledge that people are praying for me gives me strength.

If you believe that Christ has set an open door in front of you, may you have the courage and the faith to walk through it.  May you trust that you are fully capable of doing what Christ has called you to do; and may you avail yourself of the help Christ offers you.

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Questions for reflection:

• Do you sense that there might be an "open door" in front of you?
• Is there anything keeping you from walking through it?
• What kind of help might you need?

Notes:

1. Isaiah 22:15-23 (NRSV)
2. N.T. Wright.  Revelation for Everyone.  2011, Westminster John Knox Press.  p. 34
3. ibid.
4. ibid.
5. William Barclay.  The Revelation of John, Volume 1, Revised Edition.  1976, The Westminster Press.  p. 129

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