The Third Knock

In Vienna, Austria, there is a church known as the final resting place of the former royal Habsburg family, called the Imperial Crypt (Kaisergruft). In the past, when a royal funeral arrived, the official procession would knock on the closed church door to be let in. From inside, a priest would ask, “Who is asking to enter?” A guard would reply, “His Apostolic Majesty, the Emperor.” The priest would answer, “I do not know him.”

They would knock a second time. Again, the priest would ask who was there. The guard would say, “The highest emperor.” Once more, the priest would reply, “I do not know him.” They would knock a third time. The priest would ask again, “Who is it?” This time the answer was different: “A poor sinner, your brother.” And this time, the door opened.

The Scripture says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6). The door of grace does not open to prestige. It opens to humility. The third knock is the most important one. It is the moment when we stop presenting our crowns and begin presenting our hearts. We stand before Him as His children, in need of mercy.

Grace is a gift. You cannot earn it. You cannot purchase it. You cannot negotiate for it. It flows from the heart of a Father who already gave His only Son for the sins of the world. And yet there is one posture that receives it: humility.

The prodigal son understood that (Luke 15:11–32). He came back saying, “Father, I have sinned.” And before he could finish his speech, the father embraced him. That’s grace. Grace does not minimize sin. It overcomes it. Grace does not ignore our brokenness. It heals it. Grace does not remind us of who we were. It restores us into who we are meant to be.

During this Lenten season, we are invited to make that journey, to move from the first knock to the third and lift up a simple prayer: “God, be merciful to the poor sinner that I am.” And when we knock that way, the door will open. Not because of who we claim to be, but because of who He is—merciful, gracious, and always ready to receive us.