The One With Keys

Years back when I worked in a trade, I installed a tool box on my truck with a commercial steel lock for security.  The locks that came standard on the aluminium diamond-plate box could easily be pried open, so adding a hardened hasp and a robust lock was a necessity to deter thieves.  It would have been far easier to use a Sawzall on the lid than to go to work on the lock.  Since I had the key in my possession as the owner, opening the lock and storing my tools was easy.

Recently at church the key to an exterior toilet our church maintains was misplaced, and having the key is required to open the door.  The fitted tamper-proof handle means even when the door is unlocked, it is impossible to enter.  Trying to use a hammer, crowbar or Sawzall would only lead to damage and great expense.  Thankfully in our case, there is a relatively simple solution:  contact our strata management company and request a replacement key.  While navigating the administrative morass is not speedy or without cost, strata has authority and can grant permission for keys to be made.

The authority of strata is miniscule compared to Jesus Christ who has all authority in heaven and earth.  John was overwhelmed being in the presence of Jesus in Revelation 1:17-18:  "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."  Isn't it incredible Jesus has the keys to the grave and death?  Jesus lives, was dead, and now He is alive forevermore.  He died and rose from the dead more easily than we open the locked door of our car by pushing a button.  It was simple for Jesus because He has the keys:  He can lock a soul in the grave and hell forever, and He opens the door for all who trust in Him so we might have eternal life.  We don't need to be afraid Jesus will lock us up, because He has already opened the doors and set us free.

Jesus, who is holy and true, also identifies Himself in Revelation 3:7 as "...He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens."  Because Jesus has the keys, He can open the grave and the gates of heaven according to His will.  The doors He shuts none can open, and what He opens none can shut.  He is the Door through whom we have access to forgiveness, salvation, eternal life, and fellowship with the Father by the Gospel.  As Christians we can potentially expend a great deal of effort trying to open doors of opportunity Jesus has closed, and we can shrink from walking through an unexpected open door because it was not in our plans.  Better than checking handles or doors, our Saviour is best served by us seeking Him--knowing He has the keys.  The doors He shuts no one can open, and He is the open door we pass through by faith by which all open doors are accessed.

How important it is we love Jesus more than His keys, authority, access or benefits!  God does not exist for our convenience, but He has caused us to exist for His glory and good pleasure.  We were dead in sins and awaiting eternal damnation when Jesus turned the key in the lock and His marvellous light streamed in and granted us abundant life.  Jesus bid us to come to Him through the Gospel, and let us seek His face with gratitude and adoration--not merely seeking Him to open a closed door for us.