THROUGH CLOSED DOORS

THE LOCKED DOOR

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:19,20)

The first time the disciples, as a group, saw the Lord after he had risen from the dead, was in a room with doors closed and locked. In order for the Lord to get to them he had to come through those closed doors. It was only when he had penetrated the doors that he was able to liberate them from the prison of their own making. By coming to them through those closed doors Jesus brought to them the joy of his risen life.

At various stages in our lives we find ourselves in a room with doors closed and locked because of our fears. It is then that we crave the joy of the liberating presence of the risen Jesus.

There is the closed door of the fear of tomorrow. We fear what tomorrow might bring. We know that we have no control over the events of tomorrow. Sometimes we fear the worst, some catastrophe that may happen to ourselves or our loved ones. We fear accidents or natural disasters, financial reversals or sudden illness. Tomorrow can be a frightening place, like a nightmare waiting to happen. Then suddenly, light shines in the darkness, the sun rises over the horizon, a new day dawns, shadows flee, as the risen Jesus steps through the closed door into our lives to reassure us that he is the future, that he holds the keys to a bright tomorrow, that he is the Lord of eternity, and that we have nothing to fear if our future is in his hands. With Jesus tomorrow becomes an opportunity, a foretaste of what is to come in heaven.

There is the closed door of the fear of the past. We fear for our past mistakes, for the consequences of our sins, for the guilt of doing those things which we ought not to have done, and not doing those things which we ought to have done. We feel ashamed of ourselves. We are aware of our weaknesses. We fear being discovered for who we really are with all our shabby motives and cheap attitudes. We cringe at being found out in the final examination of our lives. We find that we cannot even forgive ourselves. Then, the risen Jesus walks through the closed door over to us and wraps his robe of righteousness around us. He covers us up with the canopy of his love. He washes us in the cleansing water of forgiveness. He pays our debt with the currency of the Cross, redeeming us through his own sacrifice. He replaces guilt with absolution and gives us the joy of pardon. Because he loves us, he freely gives us what we cannot deserve, or do for ourselves. This is grace.

There is the closed door of the fear of suffering and pain. We fear discomfort and distress. None of us wants to have to endure privation through illness or reversal of fortune. Yet we all recognize that suffering is part of life, and that when it is visited upon us we pray that we may have the grace and courage to bear it gallantly. Through the closed door of pain the suffering Savior comes to help us bear our burden. He gives us the strength to endure and to triumph, as he endured and triumphed through his passion of the Cross and emerged victorious in the resurrection. He is there for us in the bad times as well as the good, for nothing will separate us from the love of Christ. Lewis Smedes wrote, “You and I were created for joy, and if we miss it, we miss the reason for our existence. If our joy is honest joy, it must somehow be congruous with human tragedy. This is the test of joy’s integrity: is it compatible with pain? Only the heart that hurts has right to joy.” The hurting heart of Jesus brings joy through closed doors.

There is the closed door of the fear of loneliness. Each of us fears abandonment and rejection. We can become preoccupied with our own affairs, obsessed with our own concerns, centered on our own problems, and unable to reach out to others. We can become filled with self-pity and blame others for our predicament. We feel ourselves condemned to solitary confinement, when no one calls, and those whom we contact seem unconcerned and dismissive of our needs. We pay for counselors, we pamper ourselves with remedies, and yet we cannot escape this prison of our own making. Through the closed doors of our loneliness comes the friend of sinners. He offers to us his companionship. He invites us to share the joy of his Table, and the fellowship of his community. He breaks down the barriers which we have mistakenly erected to protect ourselves. He recruits us to establish relationships with others through giving us the opportunity to serve others in need. He breaks down our self-centeredness with the gift of compassion. He gives us the joy of being useful and productive in the service of his kingdom.

There is the closed door of the fear of failing. No matter how high we have risen, how accomplished we have become, how popular we are, we fear losing it all in one fell swoop. We fear that looking over the edge of the abyss we will become so dizzy that we will plummet to the bottom and be heard of no more. It is in that moment of terror that through the closed door comes the risen one who upholds us and will never let us go. He gives us the joy of knowing that nothing shall snatch us out of his hand, that underneath us are the everlasting arms of God, and that our lives are built upon the rock of God’s faithfulness if we follow Christ.

There is the closed door of the fear of death. Behind all our fears is the fear of extinction which breeds despair. We fear that this life is nothing but a product of chance encounters between molecules, and the process of natural selection, which will end in disintegration, decay and the extinguishing of the human spirit. Through the closed door strides the victor over death and despair. He embodies life because he is the Resurrection and the Life. “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” With belief in him comes the joy of knowing that there is more to life than meets the eye. He invites us to begin seeing with the eyes of faith, the eyes that can see beyond our fears and failings to the possibilities of eternal life. Instead of experiencing fear he offers joy, born of the victory over the grave.

Jesus comes through the closed doors that imprison us bringing the joy of his resurrection life. Doors that are closed and locked by our fears may seem impregnable to us. They may seem to be made of cast iron and reinforced concrete. Over the years those closed doors have psychologically rusted in place and become part of our personal landscape. We have learned to live with them. From time to time we have attempted to open them but have failed. But the good news of Easter is that nothing can prevent Jesus from coming through those closed doors. There is no barrier which any power can erect which can keep him out. Even the powers of death shall not prevail against him.

The experience of the disciples tells us that when Jesus comes through closed doors he brings joy and peace. “Peace be with you!” he said. That means wholeness, salvation, fulfillment, contentment. How do we find this peace? We let Jesus come to us through the closed doors of our lives. We invite him in. When we receive him, we will let him tell us what to do. He is the Lord of life and love. We let him be the one to speak, to guide. Our task is to listen, to be quiet, and to respond to what he has to say to us. Give him space in your daily life. If you do, you will find joy and peace in believing.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)