Lift Up Your Gates
All of Scripture comes to this: hope and trust.
Not in the work of our hands, but in the righteousness of God.
He alone vindicates the poor, he alone tends the needy.
He is the Good Shepherd, the breath in the night,
the voice that calms the storm,
the hand that keeps the wolf at bay.
Not in the work of our hands, but in the righteousness of God.
He alone vindicates the poor, he alone tends the needy.
He is the Good Shepherd, the breath in the night,
the voice that calms the storm,
the hand that keeps the wolf at bay.
Will we close the gates?
Will we bind ourselves in chains?
Will we send him away?
Will we bind ourselves in chains?
Will we send him away?
To wait is to hope.
Yet waiting is also a test,
a scrutiny that ends in failure or in faith,
in ruin or in steadfastness.
Yet waiting is also a test,
a scrutiny that ends in failure or in faith,
in ruin or in steadfastness.
Who can endure?
Who will remain when the King returns—
ignoring the mockery of nations,
turning only for his guidance,
submitting to his Command before the Hour,
trusting in the Day?
Who will remain when the King returns—
ignoring the mockery of nations,
turning only for his guidance,
submitting to his Command before the Hour,
trusting in the Day?
“Lift up your heads, you gates,
And be lifted up, you ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates,
And lift them up, you ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)
This week, I discuss Luke 8:40.
Καὶ ἐν τῷ ὑποστρέφειν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπεδέξατο αὐτὸν ὁ ὄχλος· ἦσαν γὰρ πάντες προσδοκῶντες αὐτόν.
“And as Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed ἀπεδέξατο (apedéxato) him, for they were all waiting προσδοκῶντες (prosdokôntes) for him.”
Show Notes
ἀποδέχομαι (apodechomai)
ἀποδέχομαι (apodechomai) is a compound (ἀπό + δέχομαι) constructed on the core usages of “receiving, welcoming, taking in.” The prefix ἀπό (apo) heightens the action, not just marking reception but sharpening it into a decisive acceptance: an acknowledgment that leans toward submission rather than casual receiving.
Its itinerary begins in the Greek text with the notion of hospitality and reception: the gates opened for Judith, the honor paid in Joppa, the joyful welcome of brothers in Jerusalem, and the warm acceptance of a report. From there, its usage expands into the realm of acknowledgment and recognition: the acceptance of terms, the granting of petitions, the understanding of a matter, the admission of information, the acknowledgment of divine sovereignty, the cognitive recognition of realities, and the formal acknowledgments offered in speech. Finally, in the New Testament, the term reaches its full significance in submission to the divine words: those who receive the apostolic proclamation do not merely admit or recognize but firmly accept it as God’s own words, surrendering themselves in baptism.
- Judith 13:13: HOSPITALITY AND RECEPTION “When they heard her voice, they hurried to call the elders of the city. They all ran together, both small and great, because it seemed unbelievable to them that she had returned, and they opened the gate and welcomed [ἀπεδέξαντο (apedexanto), aorist middle indicative] them.”
- 1 Maccabees 9:71: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TERMS “Thus the sword ceased from Israel. And Jonathan lived at Michmash. And Jonathan began to judge the people, and he accepted [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] the situation at that time.”
- 3 Maccabees 3:17: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PETITION “When the people heard this, they raised an outcry to heaven, so that those who were nearby and those far away were astonished at the sound of their united cry. But the king, considering their unity, accepted [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] their plea.”
- Tobit 7:16: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING “And Raguel called his wife Edna, and said to her, ‘Sister, prepare the other room and bring her there.’ She went and spread the bed with her for her, as he had said, and she brought her there. And she understood [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] the matter.”
- 2 Maccabees 3:9: FORMAL ADMISSION OF INFORMATION “So he told him about the great amount of money under the king’s control, and that Apollonius the governor had informed him. And Heliodorus went to the king and admitted [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] what had been told.”
- 2 Maccabees 3:35: RECOGNITION OF DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY “And Heliodorus offered sacrifice to the Lord and made very great vows to Him who had granted him life, and he acknowledged [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] the Lord of all.”
- 2 Maccabees 4:22: TRIBAL WELCOME WITH HONOR “And when he came into Joppa, he was welcomed [ἀπεδέχθη (apedechthē), aorist passive indicative] magnificently by the people.”
- 3 Maccabees 5:27: JOYFUL ACCEPTANCE OF REPORT “But the Jews, as they heard this and perceived the invincible protection, praised the Lord, who had so miraculously manifested Himself, and they received [ἀπεδέξαντο (apedexanto), aorist middle indicative] the report with joy.”
- 4 Maccabees 3:20: COGNITIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “For since reason rules over the emotions, it is evident that the emotions are not destroyed. For if the emotions had been destroyed, it would not be possible for reason to recognize [ἀποδέχεσθαι (apodechesthai), present middle infinitive] any of them.”
- Acts 2:41: SUBMISSION TO THE WORD “So then, those who had received [ἀποδεξάμενοι (apodexamenoi), aorist middle participle] his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.”
- Acts 15:4: TRIBAL WELCOME AND ACCEPTANCE OF REPORT “When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed [ἀπεδέχθησαν (apedechthēsan), aorist passive indicative] by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.”
- Acts 18:27: FRATERNAL WELCOME TIED TO MISSION “And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome [ἀποδέξασθαι (apodexasthai), aorist middle infinitive] him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.”
- Acts 21:17: TRIBAL WELCOME “After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed [ἀπεδέξαντο (apedexanto), aorist middle indicative] us gladly.”
- Acts 24:3: “We acknowledge [ἀποδεχόμεθα (apodechometha), present middle indicative] this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.” FORMAL ADMISSION OF INFORMATION
- Acts 28:30: “Now Paul stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming [ἀπεδέχετο (apedecheto), imperfect middle indicative] all who came to him.” FRATERNAL WELCOME TIED TO MISSION
- 1 Thessalonians 2:13: DECISIVE SUBMISSION TO DIVINE WORD“For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received [παραλαβόντες (paralabontes), aorist active participle] the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted [ἀποδεξάμενοι (apodexamenoi), aorist middle participle] it not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.”
προσδοκάω (prosdokaō)
Expect, wait for, look for. From δοκάω (think, suppose) with the prefix πρός- (towards). To look toward in expectation.
ע־ר־ף (ʿayin–resh–fe) / ع-ر-ف (ʿayn–rāʾ–fāʾ)
“May my teaching drip [יַעֲרֹף (yaʿarof)] as the rain,
My speech trickle as the dew,
As droplets on the fresh grass,
And as showers on the vegetation.” (Deuteronomy 32:2)
Note that ع-ر-ف (ʿayn–rāʾ–fāʾ) appears throughout the Qur’anic text as “made known.” Lexically, it also carries the function “first rain,” akin to the biblical image of morning dew. Thus, in Muḥammad 47:6, revelation is portrayed as the gentle outpouring that both discloses and grants entry into the kingdom for those made righteous by instruction:
“And he will admit them to Paradise, which he has made known [عَرَّفَهَا (ʿarrafahā)] to them.” (Sūrat Muḥammad 47:6)
ש־ב־ר (shin–bet–resh) / س-ب-ر (sīn–bāʾ–rāʾ)
“I hope [שָׂבַרְתִּי (sabar·ti)] for your victory, O Lord,
And I have done your commandments.” (Psalm 119:166)
The root س-ب-ر (sīn–bāʾ–rāʾ) in this sense of “examining, testing, probing” does not occur in the Qur’an. In Semitic usage, the semantic bridge between probing/testing and waiting/hoping is that to wait itself is the test. The Hebrew ש־ב־ר (sabar) and the Arabic س-ب-ر (sabara) both carry the sense of probing or sounding out, so that waiting is never passive but a trial of endurance under pressure and scrutiny. The root implies being tested by the divine instruction, as though expectation itself exposes what lies beneath and ahead. This comes to the fore in Luke’s account of Gerasa: waiting on Jesus as he returns from battle is itself the trial: a moment where anticipation becomes judgment. Already in its earliest Semitic usage, the root carried this sense, so that “to wait” meant to be tested by the instruction, enduring until deliverance is revealed.
ק־ו־ה (qof–waw–he) / ق-و-ي (qāf–wāw–yāʾ)
“All your enemies
Have opened their mouths wide against you;
They hiss and gnash their teeth.
They say, ‘We have swallowed her up!
Surely this is the day for which we waited [קִוִּינוּ (qiwwīnū)];
We have reached it, we have seen it!’” (Lamentations 2:16)
In Lamentations 2:16, the nations gloat, their waiting (קִוִּינוּ, qiwwīnū) twisted into schadenfreude, delighting in Zion’s downfall: “Surely this is the day we waited for.” That same Semitic root reappears in Luke’s account of Gerasa, but turned inside out: there the nations drive Jesus away, gloating in rejection. Yet the gospel calls for the opposite response — to lift up the gates and welcome him as Lord, trusting him as Victor against impossible odds. The real test of waiting (qāwāh) is whether it bends toward destruction or toward the Day of the Lord: not in anticipation of others being crushed, but in hope for the vindication of the poor.
“…And if God did not drive back the aggressors [for all his people]—the monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of God is much remembered—would surely have been destroyed. And God will surely support those who support him. Indeed, God is Strong [قَوِيّ (qawiyy)], exalted in might.” (Sūrat al-Ḥajj 22:40)
In Lamentations 2:16, the nations gloat over Jerusalem’s ruin, boasting, “Surely this is the day we waited for.” Their waiting is twisted into mockery, delighting in the city’s suffering. By contrast, Sūrat al-Ḥajj 22:40 obeys the lesson of Lamentations: God does not gloat in Zion’s fall but drives back the aggressors for the sake of all his people, preserving the monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques where his name is remembered. Where the enemies in Lamentations rejoice in destruction, the Qur’an proclaims that God alone is قَوِيّ (qawiyy, strong) in defending worship and protecting the vulnerable.
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