Opening Doors

                            John 4: 39, Luke 5: 17 John 14; 12-14

         

 

          Thank you sir! How many times have I heard that over the course of my life, and all because I was taught at an early age that a gentleman opens the door for a lady.  It doesn’t matter what kind of door it is. It can be a car door or a door to your house. A gentleman gets there first, opens the door and holds it for the lady. I was taught that that is the southern way, but I think it’s more good manners than southern.

          Opening doors. It’s a simple way that we can provide for someone else to enter. And in that way, opening doors becomes a metaphor for the activity that we Christians call witness, or testimony. We open doors for others. We don’t make the doors. We don’t provide the experience that awaits on the other side of those doors. But sometimes, we get to open them. Such is the case in many places in Scripture. Today, we look at several of those passages.

          In the fourth chapter of John’s gospel we can read about Jesus’ encounter with the Woman of Samaria. Jesus was on the road. He had been in Judea and he was being followed by those who wanted to do him in. He decided to leave for a time and headed north back to Galilee where it was safer. The most direct route was through Samaria, a region of half-breeds who were not acceptable to the Jews. The Jews weren’t very acceptable to the Samaritans either. So Jesus arrives in Sychar, the town where Jacob had frequented so long ago. Jesus seeks a drink of water from Jacob’s well, and there he meets the woman.

          You are familiar with this story. Jesus talks to the woman, an act that in itself is out of line. He is a Jew; she is Samaritan. Unacceptable. He is a man; she is a woman, apparently a married woman. Improper. Nevertheless, Jesus breaks the ice,  asking her to draw him some water from the well, using it as a way to talk about living water. As they talk, and as Jesus shows her that he knows everything about her and her life, her spiritual eyes are opened. She leaves her water jar; that is, she completely abandons what it is that she came to do, and she goes to the center of town. This is what she said to all who would listen: “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

          My daughter Emily called from Africa the other day. She knew I was about to take a big test and she wanted me to know she was praying for me. It wasn’t a long conversation. She just wanted me to know her prayers were with me. She was lifting me up to God. She couldn’t take the test for me. She couldn’t do the studying for me. But she could pray for me and she wanted me to know that she was doing that. Emily was trying to open a door for me.

          In the fifth chapter of the gospel of Luke, Jesus is in Galilee in one of the cities there, and he is teaching. Apparently he is teaching in someone’s house. The house is crammed full of Pharisees and teachers of the law and townspeople. There is no way get inside. But that doesn’t stop some very determined fellows who are friends of a paralytic. They have brought him to town and they are going to get him in the presence of Jesus or bust. Houses in those days had outside stairs that led to the roofs, which were usually tiled. So these guys carry their friend up the stairs to the roof, where they remove enough tiles to lower him on his bed down through the roof to where he is right in front of Jesus. You will remember that the man was healed by Jesus. Jesus first says, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” A moment later he says: “rise, take up your bed and go home.” And that’s’ exactly what this formerly paralyzed man did. He stood up, picked up his bed, and went home. In the narrative given by Luke, he tells us that that Jesus acted “when he saw their faith.”

          Another of my daughters, Ellie, called late the same night that Emily had called earlier. It was after midnight. Her voice was quivering. Her first sentence was “I need you to pray for someone.” She related a story about how her friends and neighbors, a Coast Guard couple named Matthew and Amy, had gotten a babysitter for their two young children so they could go out on a date. They went into San Juan to enjoy the celebration of San Sebastian. The night ended early and in tragedy. Matthew was shot in the stomach by a random celebrator. No fight, no argument. He was just in the line of fire. When Ellie called, Matthew was still in surgery. As I write this, I do not know the outcome. I do know that my daughter was shaken. He own husband was at sea, and she was there alone with her two young children. So Ellie did what she could. She prayed, and she called those whom she trusted and asked for more prayer for her friend. She was trying to open a door for him.

          In the fourteenth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus is giving final instructions to the disciples who will carry on his ministry. They don’t know it at the time, but the Son of God is giving marching orders to a faithful few who will evangelize the known world for the sake of the gospel. One of the things he tells them is this:

               “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me

               will also do the works that I do; and greater works

               than these I do, because I am going to the Father.

               Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that

               the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask

               me anything in my name, I will do it.”

 

          A woman who has spent her life in an out of bad relationships has an encounter with Jesus and her life is forever changed. And she testifies. And other lives are changed. That woman from Samaria opened the door for her fellow villagers to experience God, and a village gave Christ a chance because of her testimony. Christ did the rest. A man, a cripple, paralyzed for life, is saved and healed, not because of his own faith, but because of the faith of his friends. Those unnamed friends opened the door for that man to experience God. Christ did the rest.

          In one day, I had the privilege to hear from two daughters. One of them was appealing to God, interceding in prayer for me. The other was also appealing to God for her friend. In that appeal, she reached out to enlarge that circle of prayer, trying to intercede for him.

          Why do we do such things? Why do we call upon each other to pray? James, the brother of Jesus, reminds us in his epistle. “Is anyone among you suffering? Sick? Let him pray…The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

          It’s just opening a door. Sometimes, the ones for whom we pray won’t come through that door. But sometimes they will. Jesus will handle their response. We just need to help get that door open. Jesus said we can do great things in his name. He said the things we can accomplish in faith can be even greater works than what he did.       

          We need to claim that promise. We all know that just opening the door is not enough. Those of us who come to Christ will do so through personal experience and communion with our Lord. But how will that start? Sometimes it comes through the not so small act of someone opening a door. Sometimes it comes through the testimony of someone who once stood in front of that door and made a choice for God.

          Be a witness. Give your testimony. And keep on opening doors for others.