‘I Am The Door’

‘I Am The Door’

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep….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

We have, in past days, spent time considering some of Christ’s descriptions of Himself. Today, we arrive at another one. Christ employs this description of Himself within the context of His Self-revelation as the Good Shepherd. A little cultural background will help us understand His reference. Christ’s reference to Himself as ‘The Door,’ seems most plain from verse 9, ‘If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. This falls in line with John 14:6, ‘Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”’ Beyond this, there is another consideration. When shepherds would gather their sheep together for the night, they would bring them into a prepared enclosure with one opening. The top of the enclosure was often covered with thorns and other obstructions, so as to make it impassable to predators. The shepherd would lie down in front of the opening. If any predator would seek to get to the flock, he would have to get past the shepherd, who was, in a de facto way, ‘the door.’ So Christ is, ‘The Door’ for His people. He is not only ‘the Way, the Truth , and the Life.’ He is also the Great Defender of His sheep. Woe be to the predator who preys upon the sheep of Christ’s fold. Christ, Who is the Gentle Savior, is also the Righteous Judge. He will not fail to do judgement and justice unto all who would do His people harm.

O, Christ, Our Great Shepherd of the sheep,
We rejoice that You both defend and protect all of your people,
‘that all things work together for good to them that love You.’
We trust in You, who set Yourself as the Door, between us and our enemies.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning.