Discover the Person of Jesus in the Gospel of JohnSample

Scripture

“So Jesus 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 listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’” John 10:7–9

Today’s Thought

I recently built a house, a large shop, and a set of offices for our ministry, all on the two acres that Callie, my wife, and I own. As we neared the finish line on each building, the doors had to be hung. It was an arduous task, hanging them as I had to get each door level, squared in the opening; then, hopefully, they would open and close well. Needless to say, some doors currently work great, and others, well, let’s just say that they do close (most of the time). Some of our doors are plain and simple, but a few are beautiful with glass inserts or built-in moveable blinds. Whether they are simple or ornate, a door is a door. It’s a point of entry and exit.

Jesus proclaimed, “I am the door of all of the sheep.” He and He alone. There is NO OTHER way in! There is no other entry point. There is no other way to approach—just Jesus. The foundational idea is simple: I am the only Savior in the multiverse. There is NO other. Later, He says, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

We have to remember that Jesus made this “I am” declaration in the midst of another in verse 11, as He declares, “I am the good shepherd.” Most of John 10 records Jesus’s teaching about Himself as our shepherd and we as His sheep. In His Middle Eastern world, most sheepfolds in the countryside where they lived for long periods and grazed were simply a circle of piled-up rocks or brambles with a plain opening for the sheep to enter for protection at night. The shepherd would literally lie down across the gap at night as “the door of the sheep” to protect the sheep from wandering out and against predators entering in.

Jesus IS our door. He will be the One who lays His life down to protect us from wandering away when darkness encroaches upon us. Do you ever feel like there is something in you that seems to wander? Something within that somehow craves walking away? Jesus is your door. In those dark nights when you just don’t seem to see so clearly, and you begin to wander, He is the door. He will NOT let you wander away. He won’t let you meander out into the darkness of night to be devoured by some predator just waiting for your weak moment. He is the door of the sheep.

Jesus is also the door against the wolves coming in and devouring. He is the defense against our enemies and will not let them sneak in among us in the hours of darkness and feast. He will stand guard. He will defend, for He said, “I am the door of the sheep.”

By knowing Him as our door, we can enter in and be saved. Saved from our sins, yes, but also saved from ourselves and the ravages of the wolves in our world. We can also go out and feast on the treasures of His pastures, satisfying our need for sustenance and pleasure at our shepherd’s good leading. Safety and sustenance— He is the door!

Think It Over

• How does knowing Him as your door bring you comfort?
• Have you placed your entire trust in Him both to protect you from wandering away and from the ravaging wolves of this life?
• How do you both go in and go out to find pasture?

Let’s Pray

Oh, Lord Jesus. We have only trusted in ourselves to be a door. We thought it depended upon our own cleverness, willpower, and strength to both not wander away or stand boldly against the wolves. No more. You are my door. I am Your sheep. I trust You to lay down Your life, keeping me in the center of Your fold and keeping all predators away. I trust You to be my door. I rest in this truth: You are my door, and I will never wander away, and nothing will ever feast upon me. You are my door, and I rest in You.