by Pat Lee
(Based on John 10:1-10)
Today’s gospel passage precedes the “I am the good shepherd” statement in verse 11. But there is an “I am” statement in today’s reading too, in verse 7. The two statements are both about Jesus talking about himself and are interconnected. They are both metaphors, of course. In fact, the whole of today’s passage is metaphorical.
A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unrelated things by stating that one is the other to create an image or highlight a shared quality. Examples of this might be, She has a heart of gold and, Life is a rollercoaster. [I think we can all identify with that.]
So, Jesus is comparing himself with a gate or a door depending on which version you read, but also a shepherd. How can he be both? Well, he’s a gate because he is the way to salvation. He’s the good shepherd because he knows his sheep and he leads, protects and looks after them. It’s in his nature to be both.
In this country when we think of sheep, we think of a very large number of sheep grazing in a green field or on a hillside with not a single shepherd in sight, which is very different from how it was in Jesus’s time.
I found this delightful story.
While doing some research in the Middle East, a Bible commentator came across an Arab shepherd. This shepherd was not a Christian and did not know the Bible. But he was a keeper of sheep and so was showing off his flock as well as the penned-in area where his sheep slept every night. “And every night when they go in there,” he said proudly, “they are perfectly safe.” The commentator noticed something. “The sheep sleep in that pen and yet I just noticed that the pen does not have a gate on it.” “Yes, that’s right,” the shepherd replied, “I am the gate.” “What do you mean?” the man asked in startled wonder. “After my sheep are in the pen, I lay my body across the opening. No sheep will step over me and no wolf can get in without getting past me first. I am the gate.” This also pictures how it was in in Jesus’s time.
We must all pass through the gate that is Jesus, to receive abundant life. When we pass through this gate we receive spiritual nourishment, protection, and guidance. Jesus is the one who stops us being robbed of what he promised and he will not lead us astray as the thieves and robbers will, because he is the good shepherd.
So, who is the thief, the bandit or robber, and who are the sheep?
In the time of the shepherd in the story I read before, the thief was the wolf who came looking for food and would try to steal the sheep from the fold by climbing in through another way. In the previous chapter the Pharisees were the thieves because they were trying to steal the truth from both the blind man and his parents.
But in the reading today, the metaphor of the thief is anyone who tries to steal us away from the truth of Jesus being our Redeemer, our Saviour, and the one who gives us abundant life. This ‘thief’ might be a family member, a friend who has not yet come to know Jesus, or Satan himself who can come in many different guises. He even tempted Jesus in the desert, quoting Scripture. But in 1 Peter 5:8 it says, “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.” He wants to steal the truth from you.
Who are the sheep?
We are.
We need to listen to the voice of the shepherd. He knows each of us by name and will not lead us astray. We need to be aware of those who are trying to lead us astray, like some of the religious teachers in the Old Testament. They were supposed to spiritually nourish and protect people. They were the ones who knew the scriptures and the prophecies about the Messiah, but when he came before them, they did not recognize him, and still don’t.
Don’t be fooled. There are people like that today and unfortunately, dare I say it, in some of our churches. Jesus said that salvation comes only through him, the gate. He also said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) And in Acts 4:12 it says, “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
We are just like the sheep that come into and go out of the fold into the pasture. The pasture gives sheep their life sustaining fuel. Feeding on the grass of the pasture is how sheep survive. The pasture for the sheep is life. We do not feed on grass, but we do feed on the word of God, the Bible, our sustenance and our life.
“I am the gate,” Jesus asserted. “Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Some versions use different words for ‘abundantly’, like, have life to the full, life in its fullness, or have a rich and satisfying life. It doesn’t matter. They all mean that we will have a rich and fulfilling life when we follow him .
Jesus will give you life, but false teachers will lead you to death. The message that Jesus teaches and preaches about himself is so different from what false teachers would have us believe about him. They don’t want you to believe that faith in Christ is life-giving. Jesus leads his followers into a lush meadow that stretches as far as the eye can see. He provides life for us in the fullest possible sense. Faith in Christ grants eternal life, but it also gives meaning, purpose, and fulfillment here and now!
To quote an unknown writer, “The Christian life isn’t a life of mediocrity. The Christian life is one of abundance. Being a Christian gives a deep seated, inexplicable joy that’s present even in the hardest of times! It’s not just an average thing to be a Christian. It’s a glorious thing. Being in Christ, turning from your sins and having them forgiven, having Christ’s righteousness given to you, ultimately restores your fellowship with God.”
Have you come through the gate that is Jesus? Do you feed on the pasture that is his word, the Bible? Is your life fulfilling and satisfying?
Heavenly Father, thank you that Jesus is all we need for life and godliness. Thank you that in him are the words of eternal life and that he is the Good Shepherd of the sheep and the singular door into the sheepfold. Thank you that in him we have been made your sons and daughters and that the many promises of God are ours through faith. May we live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.
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