The Gate Series

Message

John 10:7

I Am The Gate

When seeking to understand what Jesus means when he says, “I am the Gate we need to know the context where this is spoken.

John 10:1-13

So what we have, in this context, is two “I am” statements.

Jesus is the Gate.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

For us to see how Jesus can be both “The Gate” and “The Good Shepherd” we need to know the first century social context of sheep-pens, shepherds, gates and gate-keepers. It is all intertwined.

Now, because next Friday – Good Friday – our focus will be on Jesus as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep …

… because that is the case we won’t spend heaps of time on the shepherds and shepherding.

But here is what we need to understand.

In the first century there were two types of sheep-pens. The ones in village or town, and the ones in the open countryside.

The pens in the village were quite large. You would put walls between the back of houses and buildings and then have quite a robust enclosure with a gate that was used for the sheep to enter and exit. There would be multiple flocks of sheep in this pen. Such an enclosure meant that, over night it only takes a few people, even one person, to protect the many sheep and be the gate-keeper. When it came time for the shepherd to get his flock he would come to the gatekeeper, who knew the shepherd, then the shepherd would call his sheep. Only the sheep who know the call of their shepherd will respond – because they know who they have to follow. Their shepherd will lead them out.

So that method of gating sheep is more in the background for John 10:1-7 and 14-18. Which is what we will focus more on when we get to Good Friday.

The “out on the country” pen is a very different set-up.

The pen is set up in an open field – sometimes quite a distance from the nearest village. The pen is smaller, only enough to fit in one flock which is usually 30-50 sheep. The pens had walls of stones, with briars and prickly branches on top – kind of like a wall with barbed wire on top. It was very difficult for wolves and thieves to cross. In one wall there was one single entry point.

It was not a gate – but it was a narrow opening.

Which seems like a redundant exercise – to build a wall with an opening and no gate.

However when night comes the shepherd would herd the sheep into the pen and then place himself in the opening. This is where the shepherd slept. Effectively the Shepherd is the gate.

No sheep can go out unless they cross the body of the Shepherd.

No wolf – and no thief – can come in, unless they cross the body of the Shepherd.

The Shepherd is the gate.

He protects the sheep from those who would seek to destroy.

He provides for the sheep by leading them out – when it is safe to do so – so they can find pasture and have life to the full. This is the shepherding context that is behind John 10:7-10 when Jesus says, twice, “I am the Gate”. It is a context with significant implications.

When we go through Jesus who is the gate, we are going through the only legitimate way into the sheep-pen. Jesus is the only Saviour – it is a concept which many people struggle with.

What about other religions and faiths? What about other ways to find God?

Doesn’t claiming the Jesus is the Only way make Christianity kind of exclusive?

In a way it does.

But let me ask you. When you go to the airport and fly over-seas. One day … maybe … hopefully in the future. And you finally are allowed to go for your very exciting planned trip to Israel.

There are 10 boarding gates at Brisbane international airport and we want the plane to Tel-Aviv. Is it exclusive if our plane is at gate 82?

What if we want to use gate 78? There is a nice plane sitting there ready to go. Why can’t I just get onto that one?

A plane is a plane.

True. Kind of. But that Plane is going to Auckland. Getting on that plane is going to make it a little complicated to Israel.

Do you know why there is only One Way to God? It is about Jesus is being exclusive. When we know Jesus is the only way we can easily dismiss and ignore all the other options.

We can dismiss all the religious options … all the different faiths that claim to have “a way”.