Developing the Divine Romance

August 24, 2008 by: Guest Author | The Bain Journal 1 Comment

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6)

Reflection:
When Jesus said: “enter into thy closet,” was He actually telling you to go get up every morning, open the closet door, shove all your shoes and clothes to the side, crawl inside that dark room, shut the door, and pray? Of course not!

The word closet is taken from the Greek word tameion, an old word that has an interesting progression in history.

At first, the word tameion was used to depict a secret place where one would hide his or her most valuable
possessions.

But as time progressed, the word tameion came to describe a secure place where a person could put money or treasure, such as a safety deposit box or a vault at the bank. It represented a place so secure that no one would be able to break in to disrupt or steal these valuable possessions.

By New Testament times, the word tameion had evolved even further. First, it depicted a secret place where one hid his prized possessions. Then it referred to a secure place such as a safety deposit box or a vault at a bank.

Finally, tameion came to describe a bedroom. Because a bedroom is a secret place where a treasured relationship takes place between a husband and wife, it makes perfect sense that the word tameion would eventually describe this most private place. Intimate moments shared between a husband and wife occur in a bedroom.

Conclusion:
The word tameion is used in this verse to convey the idea of intimacy with God in prayer. Jesus was figuratively saying, “Just as a husband and wife enter into their bedroom and shut the door so they can bare their hearts and souls to other in intimacy, so also you should have a relationship with God that is so tender, so special, and so intimate that it is shared only between you and HIM. Therefore, find a secure place where you can go to share your heart and soul with God in prayer.

In Him,
Marcelo Valle

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