A European translator, Antoine Galland is accredited for bringing the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves to us, somewhere between 1704 and 1717 in the Arabian Nights Series. However, many versions of the story of the two Persian brothers can be seen from the 18th century on. Knowing where hidden treasure is and knowing how to access it are two entirely different things. One of the brothers, Cassim, married a wealthy bride and the other, Ali Baba, married a poor girl. After their dad had passed away, Cassim seemed to have all he needed and continued running his father’s business while Ali Baba and his family struggled. Ali Baba overheard a group of forty thieves going into their secret cave to admire their treasure and became privy to the words that would open the cave. To open, you would say, ‘Open Sesame,’ and to close it you would say, ‘Close Sesame.’ When they had left, he took advantage of his newfound knowledge and went into the cave that was filled with gold and took a sack of coins home with him. The thieves did not miss this bag, so all was well, until Cassim learned of his secret, went to the cave, and tried to take so much gold that when the thieves arrived it was obvious to them that someone had learned the code. After Cassim had loaded up all the gold, he got to the door of the cave but forgot the magic words to get out of the cave. Because of Cassim’s greed, through a series of events he was killed and lost everything. While Ali Baba through his wisdom and the help of friends, was able to thwart off the attempts of the thieves to kill he and his family. All the thieves were killed, and he got the family business back. He and his entire family for generations were able to live without any cares in the world, happily and comfortably because of the gold they had access to by using the magic words.
The world we live in is full of codes and passwords. You cannot open your phone, computer, or car door without having the secret passcode or correct face or fingerprints. These are annoying, but they are there for our protection. We do not want just anyone coming and opening our information, documents, private conversations, or property. Thus was the case with Ali Baba, he overheard them saying the password. At my job, they are constantly admonishing us about the sensitive materials and other people’s information that are in our possession and the urgency of protecting it. We are not supposed to say our passwords aloud, share them with anyone, or write them down where others can find them and use them unlawfully and wrongly. But who can honestly say they have never forgotten their passwords like Cassim? Unfortunately, ‘abracadabra,’ from Aramaic meaning, ‘I create as I speak,’ does not work for opening computers or pickle jars for that matter. I sure wish it did on the latter. We must create our own password using the instructions given, then adhere to the precautions given, and suffer the consequences if we choose to veer from them.
In Greek mythology, Hesiod, a poet from around 750 to 650 BC wrote his version of Adam and Eve. Pandora was the first woman to exist, made by Zeus from earth and water. She was given to one of the Titan brothers, Prometheus by Zeus to wed as a punishment for stealing fire from heaven. One day she opened the beautiful container that had been gifted to her but put in her husband’s charge. She had no knowledge of what was in it, but curiosity got the best of her. Sickness, death, and many other unforeseen evils such as war, vices, toil, greed, and hatred began to emerge and cause problems in the world. She quickly closed the box when her understanding was opened to what was happening. Only one thing was left in the box, some translate it as hope, however, others say it is a form of deceptive expectation. Something not attainable. Hesiod’s story is lengthy and has been portrayed and referenced in movies, theatres and paintings over centuries and cultures and has held varying interpretations. We still use the expression today, Pandora’s Box as something to shy away from, because we have no idea what will happen if we engage in that purchase, activity or thought process. We might also say, ‘Don’t open up that can of worms.’ Meaning that this situation, could lead to unforeseen and complicated issues, unexpected unpleasantries that could be avoided if left well enough alone. This could be considered the modern-day version of Pandora’s box being opened concerning a particular issue.
As the Hebrew text, now known to us as the Bible, states in Genesis 1, that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, all living creatures, including man and woman and He then gave them one directive to follow in Genesis 2:16-17. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eat thereof thou shalt surely die.” The story of Eve and Pandora have a couple of similarities, the first being curiosity. Eve wanted to try the fruit. To go through with it, she had to have a conversation with the enemy and find justification for her actions. Genesis 3:1-6, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
Not everything with a lid needs to be opened. God knew that once their eyes were opened to the knowledge of good and evil it would be toxic to them, and they began to die from that day. Things come with instructions for a purpose. Flammable materials bear the label, ‘do not open over an open flame,’ hazardous waste materials might state, ‘toxic-do not open,’ and a private court document says, ‘not to be opened except by addressee,’ the list is endless. We know Eve had the instructions because she repeated them to the serpent, and she knew the consequences, yet she ate from the forbidden tree anyway. They lost everything. The only thing left was hope. I am thankful that in our story, Galatians 4:4 tells us, “But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son…” Romans 5:5-8, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Some things are meant to be opened. The subsequent action following his death and burial, is what allows that hope to be applied to our individual lives in redemption. The grave was opened, and Jesus arose and is alive forevermore. This is what separated the true and living God of the Bible from the mythological gods.
There can be spiritual and physical openings that take place in our lives. When we say, ‘God has opened the door for me,’ that declaration is meaning he has made a way for something to happen in our lives that we did not expect. Jesus tells us to pray about things in our lives and he says he will respond. Matthew 7:7-12 tells us, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to he who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” However, keep in mind Jesus’ personal example of a prayer in Luke 22:42, “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” Always give God the leeway to do His will in our lives. He is omniscient and our loving father with our best interest at heart. If a door is closed to us, it may not be to restrict us, but to protect us. If you insist that God open a door for you that is closed, locked, and boarded up, (there is your sign), he may do it for you, but you may be opening ‘Pandora’s box,’ and have many consequences to face because of it.
We may also say, ‘He opened my eyes to the truth of His word.’ This is meaning we have had a light bulb moment, a revelation, or an opening of our understanding. Not really having to do with our physical eyes at all. This happened in a story told in 2 Kings 6:11-17 where the king of Syria was perplexed. He did not know how the armies of God always knew his moves before he made them. “Therefore, the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that thou speak in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore, sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” This brings to my mind a New Testament scripture, Romans 8:31-32, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” The promises of the true, living God give us earnest hope, not a deceptive, unattainable void, but substance. Like Elisha told his servant, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”
When the miracle worker aka Jesus is near, there is always an opening that takes place. Spiritually, emotionally, or physically. Matthew 20:29-34 tells us of one such time. “And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So, Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.” One touch of His hand and they received their sight. Was this the first ‘fingerprint recognition’ password? He created all things, therefore had access to and the power to correct any glitches. Was that a glitch though? No, it was an intentional ‘bug in the system,’ so that God could receive the Glory when the miracle came. He is his own IT technician.
We see another opening in Mark 7:32-35, “And they bring unto him one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plain.” I love that Jesus, because of the sensitivity of what he was going to do, spit, he pulled the man aside. What a great verse to go with a lesson on manners, etiquette, professionalism, etc. However, here again we see the fingers of Jesus opening ears and loosing tongues. Thinking of His Hands of compassion makes me think of the poem by Myra Brooks Welch, The Touch of the Masters’ Hand.
T ’was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while
to waste much time on the old violin but held it up with a smile.
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?” “A dollar, a dollar”; then two!”
“Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? Three dollars, once.
Three dollars twice; going for three.” But no, from the room, far back,
a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow.
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings,
he played a melody pure and sweet as caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, said,
“What am I bid for the old violin?” And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two? Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going and gone,” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried, “We do not quite
understand what changed its worth.”
Swift came the reply: “The touch of a masters’ hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin.
A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine; a game – and he travels on.
“He is going” once, and “going twice, He’s going and almost gone.”
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite
understand the worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought
by the touch of the Masters’ hand.
Though Jesus is not with us physically, we enjoy His presence through the experience of the Holy Ghost. He is still opening doors for us daily. Peter experienced this firsthand not long after Jesus had ascended into heaven. Herod had begun to persecute the saints. Acts 12:5-17, “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so, he did. And he saith unto him, cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out and followed him; and did not realize that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord, (The angel of the Lord’s password setting was on ‘face recognition’) and they went out and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, it is his angel. But Peter continued knocking and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed and went into another place.” Sometimes God opens doors for us, but it takes us and others a little longer to see, realize and acknowledge it to be true and thereby move forward. Often, we need to close a door behind us before we can move forward toward the next door that is open in front of us. As in Peters’ case. This can happen in circumstances of trials and tribulations, loss and grief, unmet expectations and disillusion, or stagnation and stalemate.
John the Revelator saw what will be opened to the righteous in the future. Revelation 4:1, “… behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” Graves will be opened! Revelation 19:6-16, “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God…”
Our passcode to the marriage supper is not a self-created, memorized series of digits, letters, or symbols, but we will be given access through an authorized code, given to us by God, it is the Holy Ghost, that quickening Spirit of Christ. Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” 1 Corinthians 15:45, “And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” There is no magic formula or words like Abracadabra that will get us into heaven. Just as you are authorized by your job to view certain documents and open specific files, so the Spirit of God gives us access to His power and to His kingdom. Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” We must follow the instructions and directives given to us, so that we do not lose our authorization. Romans 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” The good news of the Gospel is that this ‘hope’ is offered to everyone. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Colossians 1:23-27, “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven…Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest (opened up) to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Romans 8: 24 confirms, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” Pandora’s box may have been opened, but we still have hope!