“But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.”
After Peter’s miraculous escape from Herod’s prison with the help of an angel of God, his first stop was Mary’s house, where “many people had gathered and were praying” (Acts 12.12). Peter knocked at Mary’s door but was unable to make an entrance. Apparently his presence created a major stir…
- Servant girl Rhoda was so overjoyed she forgot to open the door!
- The praying crowd accused Rhoda of being crazy: “You’re out of your mind.”
- The saints argued about the possibilities while Peter "kept on knocking!"
I wonder how often I am guilty of debating the peripheral issues while ignoring the most important task at hand… opening the door! How many good people stand outside looking in, just waiting for insiders to ‘get their act together’ and extend an invitation? Am I waiting to perfect my theology of the Bible or practice of ministry before I open my doors to those in need? Could I and other good church-goers be too busy debating politics or theology and sitting in endless strategic committee meetings to bother with the needs of those outside our community of faith? Open the door and let them in!
Jesus commanded His followers to “go into all the world.” Gatherings of Christians can become so internally focused they forget to reach out to the lost. When the believers at Mary’s house stopped bantering over meaningless issues about who was knocking (“It must be his angel”) and actually “opened the door... they were astonished.” I would be as well.
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The picture of the door knocker at the top of this entry was taken by photographer Andra Ilea and used by permission. You can view her excellent work at http://flickr.com/photos/85267140@N00/.
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