So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:7-9
The next two “I Ams” of Jesus occur in John 10, in the context of a teaching comparing Jesus to a shepherd and His followers to sheep. Jesus was very effective in His teaching because He used examples that people of His time could relate to. He used images of the sea for fishermen, and images of the farm for the farmers.
At night, it was customary for a shepherd to put the sheep into a pen (sometimes even a cave) because the ratio of sheep to shepherd placed many sheep in the care of one shepherd. Further, it was not uncommon for sheep to go astray from the flock, or simply just wander off. Also, sheep were easy targets for wolves and other predators. So, at night, the shepherd would secure the sheep in a pen, so that they would be all together and less likely to be snatched alone.
The sheep pen would have one door, and the shepherd would get the sheep into line to get into the door of the sheep pen. Jesus would describe the gate as narrow in Matthew 7:13-14, where He says “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” In other words, the sheep had to get in line to get through the narrow gate.
There was some conformity needed in order to enter the sheep pen. The shepherd would be at the door of the sheep pen and beckon the sheep to come and enter into it. In the morning, the shepherd would call the sheep out of the pen and lead them out to water and feed them. It was a tough job leading the sheep, as the ratio of shepherd to sheep was not favorable to the shepherd. The sheep had to rely on the voice of the shepherd, see his staff, and stay with the flock to follow safely. The shepherd had to rely on the ears of the sheep and their obedience to follow. It was like the shepherd needed eyes in the back of his head—He needed both eyes to lead, and eyes to check on whether he was being followed by the sheep. It was a tenuous equation.
This analogy Jesus was making about shepherds and sheep was going to be contrasted to the relationship between the children of Israel and the Jewish leaders, the children of Israel being sheep, looking to shepherds for guidance and protection. As in most instances involving leaders and followers, there are few leaders and many followers, the equation is not favorable. Thus, a leader must be loving, careful, and caring for the followers, who are obedient and loyal to the leader, trusting that they will be kept safe from harm.
Jesus, through this analogy, was accusing those who came before Him, the Jewish leadership of the day, as being thieves and robbers, who weren’t interested in the safety of the sheep. In preparing to present Himself as the good shepherd, Jesus first states that He is the door through which the sheep pass through safely. He is also the loving voice that the sheep will recognize. He knows the sheep by name, calls them forth and leads them out. Other “shepherds” are strangers, they don’t know the sheep, or they are thieves and robbers, looking to exploit the sheep. Jesus contrasts Himself to them by saying that He is the voice the sheep will follow, as well as the door through which the sheep can safely pass through, whether it is going out for the day to graze or in for the night to rest. Jesus is the voice of safety in the midst of thieves, robbers and wolves who want to harm the flock.
In some sense, we are like the sheep and we are to look at Jesus as our shepherd. There are lots of wolves, thieves, robbers and other predators that seek to do us harm. Some are obvious, people who are dangerous and prey on others. Some are less obvious, like friends who tempt us, even in the most benign and well-intentioned of situations. And some of the “robbers” in life are our own thoughts, our own demons, which try to steal our peace. The sheep follow the voice of their shepherd. They know His voice. They have spent time around the shepherd, and they quickly recognize and trust His voice and His directions. We need to spend time with our shepherd, Jesus Christ, in prayer, worship and Scripture, so that we know His voice, we recognize His voice, we listen for His voice and we follow His voice. In a world filled with so much noise, it is easy to not be listening for the voice of God. However, His voice can be heard when we are focused. It is there because He speaks to us directly, and because He speaks to us through others. There are other voices out there, some louder and more appealing, but these voices belong to thieves and robbers who seek to steal our peace, our joy and our focus.
Jesus says an emphatic “I AM the door; if anyone enters by Me he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) He is the door that leads to the pastures we go to each day. He is the door leading to refuge and respite that we all need.
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou who leadest Joseph like a flock! Thou who art enthroned upon the Cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benajmin and Manasseh! Stir up Thy might, and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let Thy face shine, that we may be saved! O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt Thou be angry with Thy people’s prayers? Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. Thou dost make us the scorn of our neighbors; and our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts, let Thy face shine, that we may be saved. . . Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock why Thy right hand planted. They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; ay they perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance! But let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, the son of man whom Thou hast made strong for Thyself! Then we will never turn back from Thee; give us life, and we will call on Thy name! Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let Thy face shine, that we may be saved! Psalm 80:1-7,14-19
It is critical that we spend time with our Shepherd, so that we know His voice, and can follow it. He must become the door by which we enter into each day and retreat to each night, the door to our thoughts and our actions.
0 Comments