Teks -- Revelation 3:20 (NET)

3:20 Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Rev 3:20 - I stand at the door

I stand at the door ( hestēka epi tēn thuran ).

Perfect active of histēmi (intransitive). Picture of the Lord’ s advent as in Mat 24:33; Jam 5:9, but true also of the individual response to Christ’ s call (Luk 12:36) as shown in Holman Hunt’ s great picture. Some see a use also of So Jam 5:2.

Robertson: Rev 3:20 - If any man hear - and open

If any man hear - and open ( ean tis akousēi kai anoixēi ).

Condition of third class with ean and first aorist (ingressive) active subjunctive of akouō and anoigō . See Joh 10:3; Joh 18:37. See the picture reversed (Swete) in Luk 13:25; Mat 25:10.

Robertson: Rev 3:20 - I will come in to him

I will come in to him ( eiseleusomai ).

Future middle of eiserchomai . See Mar 15:43; Act 11:3 for eiserchomai pros , to go into a man’ s house. Cf. Joh 14:23.

Robertson: Rev 3:20 - Will sup

Will sup ( deipnēsō ).

Future active of deipneō , old verb, from deipnon (supper), as in Luk 17:8. Fellowship in the Messianic kingdom (Luk 22:30; Mar 14:25; Mat 26:29). Purely metaphorical, as is plain from 1Co 6:13.

Vincent: Rev 3:20 - I stand at the door and knock

I stand at the door and knock

Compare Son 5:2, Κρούω I knock was regarded as a less classical word than κόπτω . Κρούω is to knock with the knuckles , to rap ; κόπτω , with a heavy blow ; ψοφεῖν of the knocking of some one within the door, warning one without to withdraw when the door is opened. Compare Jam 5:9. " He at whose door we ought to stand (for He is the Door, who, as such, has bidden us to knock), is content that the whole relation between Him and us should be reversed, and, instead of our standing at His door, condescends Himself to stand at ours" (Trench). The Greeks had a word θυραυλεῖν for a lover waiting at the door of his beloved. Trench cites a passage from Nicolaus Cabasilas, a Greek divine of the fourteenth century: " Love for men emptied God (Phi 2:7). For He doth not abide in His place and summon to Himself the servant whom He loved; but goes Himself and seeks him; and He who is rich comes to the dwelling of the poor, and discloses His love, and seeks an equal return; nor does He withdraw from him who repels Him, nor is He disgusted at his insolence; but, pursuing him, remains sitting at his doors, and that He may show him the one who loves him, He does all things, and sorrowing, bears and dies."

Vincent: Rev 3:20 - My voice

My voice

Christ not only knocks but speaks. " The voice very often will interpret and make intelligible the purpose of the knock" (Trench).

Vincent: Rev 3:20 - Hear - open the door

Hear - open the door

No irresistible grace.

Vincent: Rev 3:20 - Will sup

Will sup ( δειπνήσω )

See on Luk 14:12. For the image, compare Son 5:2-6; Son 4:16; Son 2:3. Christ is the Bread of Life, and invites to the great feast. See Mat 8:11; Mat 25:1 sqq. The consummation will be at the marriage-supper of the Lamb (Mar 14:25; Rev 19:7-9).

Vincent: Rev 3:20 - He with me

He with me

It is characteristic of John to note the sayings of Christ which express the reciprocal relations of Himself and His followers. See Joh 6:56; Joh 10:38; Joh 14:20; Joh 15:4, Joh 15:5; Joh 17:21, Joh 17:26. Compare Joh 14:23.

Wesley: Rev 3:20 - I stand at the door, and knock

Even at this instant; while he is speaking this word.

Wesley: Rev 3:20 - If any man open

Willingly receive me.

Wesley: Rev 3:20 - I will sup with him

Refreshing him with my graces and gifts, and delighting myself in what I have given.

Wesley: Rev 3:20 - And he with me

In life everlasting.

JFB: Rev 3:20 - stand

Waiting in wonderful condescension and long-suffering.

JFB: Rev 3:20 - knock

(Son 5:2). This is a further manifestation of His loving desire for the sinner's salvation. He who is Himself "the Door," and who bids us "knock" that it may be "opened unto" us, is first Himself to knock at the door of our hearts. If He did not knock first, we should never come to knock at His door. Compare Son 5:4-6, which is plainly alluded to here; the Spirit thus in Revelation sealing the canonicity of that mystical book. The spiritual state of the bride there, between waking and sleeping, slow to open the door to her divine lover, answers to that of the lukewarm Laodicea here. "Love in regard to men emptied (humbled) God; for He does not remain in His place and call to Himself the servant whom He loved, but He comes down Himself to seek him, and He who is all-rich arrives at the lodging of the pauper, and with His own voice intimates His yearning love, and seeks a similar return, and withdraws not when disowned, and is not impatient at insult, and when persecuted still waits at the doors" [NICOLAUS CABASILAS in TRENCH].

JFB: Rev 3:20 - my voice

He appeals to the sinner not only with His hand (His providences) knocking, but with His voice (His word read or heard; or rather, His Spirit inwardly applying to man's spirit the lessons to be drawn from His providence and His word). If we refuse to answer to His knocking at our door now, He will refuse to hear our knocking at His door hereafter. In respect to His second coming also, He is even now at the door, and we know not how soon He may knock: therefore we should always be ready to open to Him immediately.

JFB: Rev 3:20 - if any man hear

For man is not compelled by irresistible force: Christ knocks, but does not break open the door, though the violent take heaven by the force of prayer (Mat 11:12): whosoever does hear, does so not of himself, but by the drawings of God's grace (Joh 6:44): repentance is Christ's gift (Act 5:31). He draws, not drags. The Sun of righteousness, like the natural sun, the moment that the door is opened, pours in His light, which could not previously find an entrance. Compare HILARY on Psa 118:19.

JFB: Rev 3:20 - I will come in to him

As I did to Zaccheus.

JFB: Rev 3:20 - sup with him, and he with me

Delightful reciprocity! Compare "dwelleth in me, and I in Him," Joh 6:56. Whereas, ordinarily, the admitted guest sups with the admitter, here the divine guest becomes Himself the host, for He is the bread of life, and the Giver of the marriage feast. Here again He alludes to the imagery of Son 4:16, where the Bride invites Him to eat pleasant fruits, even as He had first prepared a feast for her, "His fruit was sweet to my taste." Compare the same interchange, Joh 21:9-13, the feast being made up of the viands that Jesus brought, and those which the disciples brought. The consummation of this blessed intercommunion shall be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, of which the Lord's Supper is the earnest and foretaste.

Clarke: Rev 3:20 - Behold, I stand at the door and knock

Behold, I stand at the door and knock - There are many sayings of this kind among the ancient rabbins; thus in Shir Hashirim Rabba, fol. 25, 1: "God said to the Israelites, My children, open to me one door of repentance, even so wide as the eye of a needle, and I will open to you doors through which calves and horned cattle may pass.

In Sohar Levit, fol. 8, col. 32, it is said: "If a man conceal his sin, and do not open it before the holy King, although he ask mercy, yet the door of repentance shall not be opened to him. But if he open it before the holy blessed God, God spares him, and mercy prevails over wrath; and when he laments, although all the doors were shut, yet they shall be opened to him, and his prayer shall be heard.

Christ stands - waits long, at the door of the sinner’ s heart; he knocks - uses judgments, mercies, reproofs, exhortations, etc., to induce sinners to repent and turn to him; he lifts up his voice - calls loudly by his word, ministers, and Spirit

Clarke: Rev 3:20 - If any man hear

If any man hear - If the sinner will seriously consider his state, and attend to the voice of his Lord

Clarke: Rev 3:20 - And open the door

And open the door - This must be his own act, receiving power for this purpose from his offended Lord, who will not break open the door; he will make no forcible entry

Clarke: Rev 3:20 - I will come in to him

I will come in to him - I will manifest myself to him, heal all his backslidings, pardon all his iniquities, and love him freely

Clarke: Rev 3:20 - Will sup with him

Will sup with him - Hold communion with him, feed him with the bread of life

Clarke: Rev 3:20 - And he with me

And he with me - I will bring him at last to dwell with me in everlasting glory.

Defender: Rev 3:20 - at the door

When we see the signs of His imminent coming all around us, including many neutralist Laodicean-type churches, we know that He is at the door, soon to sit down with all His saints at the great marriage supper of the Lamb (compare Mat 24:33; Rev 19:9).

Defender: Rev 3:20 - come in to him

Although it is often used as such, this verse is not a gospel verse, appealing to the unsaved to accept Christ. It does not contain gospel essentials such as reporting Christ's sacrificial death for sinners or discussing believing on Him for salvation. It is addressed directly to the neutralist, self-satisfied Laodicean church, calling them to repentance. In context then, the Lord is calling worldly, compromising believers to allow Him back into their lives."

TSK: Rev 3:20 - I stand // I will // will sup

I stand : Son 5:2-4; Luk 12:36

I will : Joh 14:21-23

will sup : Rev 19:9; Luk 12:37, Luk 17:8

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Rev 3:20 - I stand at the door // And knock // If any man hear my voice, and open the door // I will come in to him // And will sup with him, and he with me

There is a double interpretation of this text, each of them claiming under very valuable interpreters; some making it a declaration of Christ’ s readiness to come in to souls, and to give them a spiritual fellowship and communion with himself; others interpreting it of Christ’ s readiness to come to the last judgment, and to take his saints into an eternal joyful fellowship and communion with himself: hence there is a different interpretation of every sentence in the text.

I stand at the door either, in my gospel dispensations, I stand at the door of sinners’ hearts; or, I am ready to come to judge the world.

And knock by the inward monitions and impressions of my Spirit, or my ministers more externally; or, I am about to knock, that is, I am ready to have the last trump sounded.

If any man hear my voice, and open the door that is, if any man will hearken to the counsels and exhortations of my ministers, and to the monitions of my Spirit, and not resist my Holy Spirit; or, if any man hath heard my voice, and opened his heart to me.

I will come in to him I will come in by my Spirit, and all the saving influences of my grace; or, I will come to him as a Judge to acquit him.

And will sup with him, and he with me and I will have a communion with him in this life, he shall eat my flesh, and drink my blood; or, I will have an eternal fellowship and communion with him in my glory. The phrase seems rather to favour the first sense; the so frequent mention before of Christ’ s coming to judgment, and the reward of another life, as arguments to persuade the angels of the churches to their duty, favours the latter sense.

PBC: Rev 3:20

Here is a clear-cut passage which presents Christ as one who is asking entrance. It is also one of the most misrepresented passages we hear being often presented in preaching. We need to apply this in a proper contextual application. It is coupled with the message of Re 3:19, " As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:..." We often hear it explained as if Christ is knocking at the door of the dead sinner seeking his consent in eternal salvation. One who has not already been born of the Spirit of God cannot hear because of being in a dead state of sin. Reason teaches us that only those ears which are spiritually alive can hear this One who is asking entrance. " He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

Here is a church which is capable of hearing because it is spoken of as once being lively. Its members are admonished to repent. I believe that a man has an option to act only within the scope of his position. The Apostle Paul writes concerning the sins of the children of Israel committed in the wilderness. " Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." {1Co 10:11} The children of Israel had an option of will. They chose the wrong option and did not enter the land of promise. Jesus is on the outside knocking to one occupying the room inside who is capable of hearing. The church at Loadicea had a choice to make. They could open and again sup with Him; or, they could ignore the knocking and perish from hunger. Not only is the summon " if any man hear my voice, " but also " if any man hear my voice, and open the door."

We hear much said about " freedom of the will." Let us turn to God’s word and recognize that freedom in the exercise of the will belongs to God’s people. But God requires His people to act with caution. This was the case with Ananias and Saphira when they covertly agreed to lie concerning the value of the gift they were going to present to the apostles. " Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." {Ac 5:4} Because they exercised free will in offering only a part of their gift, along with lying deceit, their lives were taken. We find another clear-cut example in the Old Testament. " Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken." {Jer 6:16-17} Because of their obstinacy they were placed in captivity, and they suffered because they heard and would not open to the bidding of God. The option is not just hearing- it is also if they open. There is a great danger in wrongly exercising freedom of will. O what a joy it is when we are in the company of our Saviour while eating.— Eld. Charles Taylor

Haydock: Rev 3:14-22 - The beginning of the creation // Thou art neither cold nor hot // I would thou wert

The seventh and last letter is to the Angel of the Church of Laodicia. Christ here takes the title of the Amen, [3] as if he said, I am the Truth. ---

The beginning of the creation, or of the creatures of God, to which is added, in the first chapter, the beginning and the end. ---

Thou art neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. A dreadful reprehension, whatever exposition we follow. According to the common interpretation, by the cold are meant those who are guilty of great sins; by the hot, such as are zealous and fervent in piety and the service of God; by the lukewarm or tepid, they who are slothful, negligent, indolent, as to what regards Christian perfection, the practice of virtue, and an exact observance of what regards the service of God. On this account they are many times guilty in the sight of God of great sins, they forfeit the favour and grace of God, fancying themselves good enough and safe, because they live as others commonly do, and are not guilty of many scandalous and shameful crimes, to which they see others addicted. ---

I would thou wert either cold or hot . This is not an absolute wish, because the condition of the cold is certainly worse in itself; but it is to be taken with the regard to the different consequences, which oftentimes attend these two states, and to signify to us that the lukewarm may be farther from a true conversion, inasmuch as they are less sensible of the dangers to which they remain exposed, than such as commit greater sins. Their careless indevotion becomes habitual to them, they live and die with a heart divided betwixt God and the world; whereas greater and more shameful sinners are not without an abhorrence of such vices which they commit; a fear of punishment, of hell and damnation, strikes them by the mercies of God offered even to sinners, and makes them enter into themselves like the prodigal son; they detest their past lives, and by the assistance of God's graces become both fervent and constant in the duties of a Christian life. (Witham) ---

Tepidity in a Christian life, and in the service of God, is oftentimes more dangerous than absolute wickedness. The open sinner is easily made sensible of his danger; he experiences the stings and reproaches of conscience, whilst the tepid Christian lives without remorse, fear, or apprehension, and listens not to those who wish to shew him the danger of his situation. I dare venture to affirm, says St. Augustine, that to fall into some public and manifest sin would be of advantage to the proud, that so those who by their self-complacency had so often fallen before, may now become displeased with themselves and humble. (Calmet) ---

To the lukewarm it is said, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth; i.e. if thou continue in that state, I will permit thee to run on and be lost in thy sins. Thou blindly sayest within thyself, I am rich, &c. A false conscience generally attends a lukewarm soul and those who serve God by halves; they flatter themselves that all goes well even with them, when they see they are not so vicious, as many others: but here the spirit of God, who penetrates the secret folds and windings of slothful souls, admonisheth them of their dangerous mistakes, that they are wretched, poor, blind, and naked, when God, by his grace, does not inhabit their souls, though they may have millions of gold and silver in this world. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, the love of God purified by trials and troubles in this life, to recover thy lost innocence, to be clothed with the habit of grace, to anoint thy eyes with eye-salve , by a serious reflection on what regards thy eternal salvation. ---

I chastise those whom I love. He concludes all the former admonitions by telling them: first, that to be under trials and troubles, is a mark of God's favour and his paternal care; secondly, to hearken to the voice of God, when he knocks at the door of their heart; and thirdly, he promises them the reward of eternal happiness ---

he that overcomes, shall sit with me on my throne : though this does not imply an equality of happiness, not even to all the saints, much less with God himself, but only that the elect shall be in the throne as it were of heaven, and partakers of heavenly happiness according to their past good works. ---

I should not here mention the wild and ridiculous fancies of one Mr. Brightman, when he pretends to expound to all men these letters to the seven bishops of Asia [Asia Minor], were it not to shew how the obscure predictions of St. John's revelation have been turned and abused by the loose interpretations of some of the late reformers, as may be seen more at large, when we mention their arbitrary fancies about the whore of Babylon and the popish antichrist. I shall here with Dr. Hammond, give the reader a taste of such licentious expositions of the divine oracles. The Calvinists, Mr. Brightman, pretended he had his expositions by divine inspirations, and so gave his commentary the title of Revelation of the Revelation. I shall his words out of Dr. Hammond. "Mr. Brightman assures his readers, that by the churches of Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicia, were meant Germany, France, and Britain. He says a most heavy trial was now suddenly to invade the Christian world....that the three said churches were most favourably admonished of this tempest by the epistles written to them by name, nomination.... that he found and understood this to be so by divine inspiration, from the inscriptions of these letters, and so should be guilty of a sin against the Divine Majesty, if he concealed them." Not to tire the reader with his fancies about Ephesus and Pergamus, which may be seen in Dr. Hammond. Rev. ii. 13. "on those words, in those days was Antipas, &c. Mr. Brightman has this wanton fancy on the name Antipas, that it doth denote that the martyrs of his time (which was after Luther) should be antipapæ, or antipopes;" i.e. adversaries to the popes and popery. Dr. Hammond (p. 928) gives us Mr. Brightman's conceit on the name Thyatria, which must be taken for the same as Thygatheira, signifying a young daughter, and so denotes the growth of piety in the Church from the year 1300, from Wycliffe's time to 1520, that is, till it came to perfection in Luther's days. Page 932. note a, " Sardis, according to Mr. Brightman," says Dr. Hammond, "is the first reformed church in the antitype, to wit, that of Germany, which began at Wittenburg, by Luther, in the year 1517. And the proof is, that Sardis is more to the south than Thyatria, and so must have more of the truth in it; or, because there is no mention made of Balaam and Jezabel, which he resolved must signify the doctrines of Christian Rome, the absence of which must signify a breaking off from the Romish communion; or, that she (the German Church) had a name to be living, but was dead, by the doctrine of consubstantiation among the Lutherans, even after the reformation. This," says Dr. Hammond, "were a strange way of interpreting dreams, which no oneirocritic would allow, but a much stranger of explaining prophecies." Page 933, " Philadelphia, says Mr. Brightman, must needs be the Helvetian, Swedish, Genevan, French, Dutch, and Scotch reformed Churches. No reason again for it, but that the city of Philadelphia was yet farther south than Sardis, and so must needs signify more increase of reformation; 2. that the name of Jezabel was not to any but this pattern of all piety (to which Mr. Brightman had so much kindness) the Church of Helvetia and Geneva. And the reformed Church of England must be that of Laodicia, ....because episcopacy was here retained, and so a mixture of cold with that of heat, and consequently is the lukewarm Church that is found fault with." O the profound interpretations and bright inventions of Mr. Brightman! (Witham)

Gill: Rev 3:20 - Behold, I stand at the door and knock // if any man hear my voice // and open the door // I will come unto him, and sup with him, and he with me

Behold, I stand at the door and knock,.... The phrase of standing at the door may be expressive of the near approach, or sudden coming of Christ to judgment, see Jam 5:9; and his knocking may signify the notice that will be given of it, by some of the immediate forerunners and signs of his coming; which yet will be observed but by a few, such a general sleepiness will have seized all professors of religion; and particularly may intend the midnight cry, which will, in its issue, rouse them all:

if any man hear my voice; in the appearances of things and providences in the world:

and open the door; or show a readiness for the coming of Christ, look and wait for it, and be like such that will receive him with a welcome:

I will come unto him, and sup with him, and he with me; to and among these will Christ appear when he comes in person; and these being like wise virgins, ready, having his grace in their hearts, and his righteousness upon them, he will take them at once into the marriage chamber, and shut the door upon the rest; when they shall enjoy a thousand years communion with him in person here on earth; when the Lamb on the throne will feed them with the fruit of the tree of life, and lead them to fountains of living water, and his tabernacle shall be among them.