The Gate for the Sheep
Reading: John 10:1-10
“ I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.”
Have you ever walked around a building looking for a door that would open? Locked doors of hidden entrances are an impediment. Frustration comes when we can see inside, but cannot find a way to get there.
The sheepfolds of Jesus’ time had only one entrance, occupied at night by the shepherd who became quite literally the gate. Jesus is the entrance to God’s sheepfold. To reach our safe haven with God, we enter through Jesus, the gate.
Thieves and robbers, false prophets, while try to mislead God’s sheep. They will even climb over the walls of the fold or use other desperate tactics to reach the flock. Their purpose is to take what they want from the flock, leaving destruction behind them. Jesus is the only true way to approach God.
Entrance to the fold leads us to security and abundant life. There may be easier paths to follow than the one which leads through Jesus. None of them can offer the abiding satisfaction of becoming one with God. Leaving our fears and concerns behind, we have new vitality and a new interest in the things of God. “He leads me in green pastures and beside still waters.”
For Reflection: Have I found the gate to God’s fold?
Prayer Seed:
The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His
And His is mine forever.
Henry William Baker, 1868
