John 10:1-10

Jesus the Good Shepherd

‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. 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.

In today’s reading where Jesus says “I am the gate for the sheep” it is the third of seven “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel. A cursory Google search shows images of shepherds leading, protecting, welcoming that fit that culture better than those of pushing, forcing, controlling, boundary keeping. Yet some of the practices ostensibly based on this teaching don’t seem aware of this and have been destructive, dangerous and hurtful.

There are churches and Christians who place themselves as the gatekeeper, who have told people that they are not allowed in. People sadly can be  turned away by those who believe Jesus, the gate, can’t be trusted to protect the sheepfold. 

But fortunately, the overwhelming experience of Christianity is of people pointing us to Jesus as the one who opens the way for us. We’re  grateful that for every time someone has told us that we’re not good enough, not got the right experiences, the right education, that we don’t use the right words, not come from the right place, don’t have the right look, there have been many more times where we’ve been welcomed for who we are.

Jesus is the gate calling out a welcome to strangers to come, be known, be welcomed, find abundant life. If we seek to be his disciples we can see our role as part of that process rather than of guarding Jesus from those people who don’t pass our tests.

Blessings as we offer the hand of Christ, the Good Shepard, who want to come through the gate. Be safe!  Be well!  He is Risen Indeed!

 To Ponder:

• If you drew a picture of this image with Jesus as the gate, where would you place yourself? Why? Where is Jesus wanting you to put yourself?
• What good experiences have you had of people living out this passage?
• While we live through this COVID-19 pandemic is abundant life only for the past or the future? Where might we find it now?