Words from the Rock
I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
John 10:7–10 NLT
Now Jesus has the full attention of his listeners, and he begins to explain his parable about the sheep, the thieves, and the gate. First he says that the thieves and robbers came before him. It’s easy to assume he means the religious leaders who never really cared for the people they were supposed to be serving. Instead of encouraging people to seek God, the Pharisees would trip them up with long lists of ridiculous rules, and then when people couldn’t comply with the rules, the Pharisees would demand payment (sacrifices) from them. It was a lot like stealing.
But the new twist in this parable is that Jesus not only calls himself the shepherd, but he tells us he’s the gate as well. Jesus is saying that he’s our entrance—we must go through him to be saved and to reach God. So not only will he lead us where we need to go, he will also be the actual doorway, gate, portal, entrance, and so on, that will allow us passage from one side to the other. Once we accept him, we walk through that entrance and we’re welcome to come and go freely. He will take care of our needs, and our relationship with him will be fulfilling and life changing.
Jesus paints a lot of word pictures for us, giving us image after image of what he’s like so we will get it, so we will hold on to who he is and remember it. He calls himself the Bread of Life, the Living Water, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd, and more. All are invitations to connect to him, to participate in the life he offers us. And when we accept his invitation to pass through him (as the gate), we are immediately transported to the best that life has to offer.
My Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for inviting me to go through Jesus to reach you. I know the only reason you can give me this free ticket is because you willingly paid the price by laying down your life. I don’t want to take that for granted.
Amen.
Final Word
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 NLT
Stone for the Journey
Jesus is my entrance to God’s very best for me.