“I AM THE DOOR”!

 

John 10:1-9                     (ESV)

I AM the Good Shepherd

“[1] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. [2] But he who enters by the door is the SHEPHERD of the sheep. [3] To him the GATEKEEPER opens. The sheep hear HIS voice, and HE calls HIS OWN sheep by name and leads them out. [4] When HE has brought out all HIS own, HE goes before them, and the sheep follow HIM, for they know HIS voice. [5] A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” [6] This figure of speech JESUS used with them, but THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS SAYING to them.

[7] So JESUS again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, “I AM THE DOOR” of the sheep. [8] All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. [9] “I AM THE DOOR”. If anyone enters by ME, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

The LIFE OF JESUS is NOT always understood.    THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS SAYING (John 10:6) to them could probably be written about everything HE said during HIS time on earth.  Regardless of our human “preparedness”, we are not able to SEE things unless our EYES are opened to SEE them by DIVINE intervention!  In the passage of Scripture above JESUS was speaking to THE JEWS, the hierarchy of the JEWISH FAITH who placed their faith in who they were physically instead of WHO they were or weren’t SPIRITUALLY!  

In John 8:58 “JESUS said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”  HE didn’t attempt to “convince” the top members of THE JEWS. In John 3:1 it is written “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of THE JEWS”.  A “ruler of THE JEWS” was asking JESUS how he could experience ETERNAL LIFE?  Nicodemus came to JESUS “by night” apparently because he didn’t want to be seen associating with JESUS, but he wanted WHAT JESUS offered, ETERNAL LIFE!!!  John 6:44 says “No one can come to ME unless the FATHER WHO sent ME draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”  

A VERY REVEALING point is that ALMIGHTY GOD is the GATEKEEPER and JESUS is the SHEPHERD in John 10:2-3.  The “deceivers” (thieves and robber) are NOT ALLOWED to enter the gate for ALMIGHTY GOD controls who is permitted entrance!  ONLY TRUTH (John 14:6) is welcomed into the fold as JESUS paid the ULTIMATE PRICE to defeat the enemy at Calvary!  That is precisely why HE states in John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.”  There is NO OTHER WAY, NO OTHER TRUTH, and NO OTHER LIFE!!!

JESUS culminated this dialogue by saying “I AM THE DOOR”!  If ANYONE enters by ME, HE WILL BE SAVED!  ALMIGHTY GOD is the GATEKEEPER and JESUS is the SHEPHERD!  Nobody can improve the PLAN set forth by THE CREATOR!  We are SAVED and PRESERVED by GOD and no one can circumvent HIS wishes!  HIS CHOSEN will exemplify that “I AM THE DOOR” is the ONLY WAY into HEAVEN!!!