By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
position. “
1Jesus said, “I am telling you the truth: the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. v2The man who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep…..
v9I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. v10The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.
(John 10:1-2,9-10)
A private FX vehicle plying the same route that I take every day to bring my wife to her clinic has these words painted at the rear bumper: “God IS Provide.” The English grammar sensitive may squirm and guffaw at this apparent misquote of the popular cliché and biblical truth, ‘God will provide’. I believe that the owner may have received correction on this apparent error in his bumper but the words remain until now. Wrong grammar construction it may be as we were taught in English 101 but the essence is still the same. It is about God’s character as provider. The 10th chapter of the gospel of John tells about Jesus as the good shepherd and the gate where the flock enters. Two great likeness of our Lord Jesus told in scriptures. The discourse about the good shepherd displays Jesus as the true shepherd and ruler of his people in contrast to all false shepherds. The metaphor of Jesus being the good shepherd illustrates Jesus’ tender and devoted care for his people.
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To be true and relevant this is to relate more an exegesis of the gospel lessons as I did in the past three Sundays to the current context of the pandemic COVID19. The multi-media information and opinions of the current events we read everyday point incessantly to the COVID19. It may be redundantly done in this column and now in this article but it is the reality. The lockdown of the enhanced community quarantine has created disagreements and unnecessary conflicts in the communities. This could be attributed mainly to the control on people imposed through the checkpoints. Checkpoints are ‘gates’ or doors designed to keep people in and prevent people from entering the communities in order to prevent the spread of the virus or contain the pandemic. Jesus tells us that he is also the gate and in some Bible versions, ‘the door.’ Those who enter through Jesus will be “saved,” i.e., will have abundant eternal life; they will have all they need to be delivered from sin, guilt and condemnation. Jesus is the only gate for salvation; none other exists. We see various gates or doors all around us and if we pay closer attention these apertures tell us many information and messages but notably different of Jesus being the gate.
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According to an online Bible commentary the statement “I am the door,” found in John 10:7, is the third of seven “I am” declarations of Jesus recorded only in John’s Gospel. These “I am” proclamations point to His unique, divine identity and purpose. In this “I am” statement, Jesus colorfully points out for us the exclusive nature of salvation by saying that He is “the door,” not “a door.” Furthermore, Jesus is not only our Shepherd who leads us into the “sheepfold,” but He is the only door by which we may enter and be saved (John 10:9). Jesus is the only means we have of receiving eternal life (John 3:16). There is no other way.
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Sheep are totally dependent upon the shepherd who tends them with care and compassion. Shepherds were the providers, guides, protectors and constant companions of sheep. So close was the bond between shepherd and sheep that to this day Middle Eastern shepherds can divide flocks that have mingled at a well or during the night simply by calling their sheep, who know and follow their shepherd’s voice. Shepherds were inseparable from their flocks. The shepherd would lead the sheep to safe places to graze and make them lie down for several hours in a shady place. Then, as night fell, the shepherd would lead the sheep to the protection of a sheepfold.
There were two kinds of sheepfolds or pens. One kind was a public sheepfold found in the cities and villages. It would be large enough to hold several flocks of sheep. This sheep pen would be in the care of a porter or doorkeeper, whose duty it was to guard the door to the sheep pen during the night and to admit the shepherds in the morning. The shepherds would call their sheep, each of which knew its own shepherd’s voice, and would lead them out to pasture.
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The second kind of sheep pen was in the countryside, where the shepherds would keep their flocks in good weather. This type of sheep pen was nothing more than a rough circle of rocks piled into a wall with a small open space to enter. Through it the shepherd would drive the sheep at nightfall. Since there was no gate to close—just an opening—the shepherd would keep the sheep in and wild animals out by lying across the opening. He would sleep there, in this case literally becoming the door to the sheep.
In this context, Jesus is telling us that He is not only the shepherd of the sheep, but also the door of the sheep. In doing so, He is vividly contrasting Himself with that of the religious leaders of His time whom He describes as “thieves and robbers” (John 10:8). When Jesus says, “I am the door,” He is reiterating the fact that only through Him is salvation possible. This is far removed from the ecumenical teachings popular in today’s liberal religious circles. Jesus makes it clear that any religious leader who offers salvation other than the teachings of Christ is a “thief” and a “robber.”
One who believes the gospel (Hebrews 11:6) and repents of sin (Luke 13:3) is assured of being in “the fold” and of having entered by “the door.” As followers of Christ, Jesus is both our Shepherd and the Door to the sheepfold who provides for all our needs. Knowing that the world is full of predators whose sole intent is to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8), we are always under His protection. More importantly, we are fully confident that “when the Chief Shepherd appears, [we] will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).
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The distinguishing mark of Christ as the good shepherd is his willingness to die for his sheep. This emphasizes the uniqueness of Christ the shepherd: his death on the cross saves his sheep. Christ is called the “good shepherd” here, the “Great Shepherd” in Hebrews 13:20 and the “Chief Shepherd” in 1 Peter 5:4. Considering all the above exegesis, let us be sure to note that the minister who serves merely to earn a living or to gain honor is the “hired hand” (John 10:12-13). True pastors care for their sheep, while false pastors think first of all of themselves and their position. Jesus being the gate offers abundant life and salvation in contrast to the gates of today that dehumanize and forbid life to its fullest.
Let us pray.
O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (ECP-BCP Easter 4 Collect)**
