I AM JesusSýnishorn

“I AM THE GATE.”

Jesus makes this compelling declaration about Himself on the heels of calling out the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees. After receiving his sight, the formerly blind man is called into questioning twice by the religious leaders. After calling him a sinner and a liar, they throw him out of the synagogue. Jesus found the healed man and invited him to believe in Himself as the Son of Man. Turning His attention to the Pharisees lingering around to see what would happen next, Jesus rebukes their spiritual blindness. Immediately following this exchange Jesus makes it clear, everything they believed about salvation, redemption, and reconciliation was a lie, because if it were true it would go through Him. He summarizes by announcing, “I am the gate for the sheep.”

Their response? They didn’t understand what He meant. Hiding behind the religious ceremony, sacrifice, extravagant offerings, and public spectacles of prayer, the Pharisees believed the gate to protection and safety with God was through their own works.

I spent a summer many moons ago as a middle school camp counselor. Assuming I either had the gift of evangelism or was cut from the same cloth, the housing coordinator decided to perpetually give me the group of the misbehaving guys. I quickly learned their favorite activity was sneaking out at 2am to prank the girls’ cabins. While their creativity and execution was on par with special forces officers, I couldn’t allow the chaos to continue. The only thing I could do to stop the madness was to place my bed in front of the door to our cabin. If they wanted out, they had to go through me.

That’s what Jesus is saying here: I am the gate, the only true entrance into the presence of God. Jumping over or climbing under the fence with your works and self-proclaimed righteousness still won’t get you into my flock. But if we walk through the gate we get to encounter His grace.