Jesus is The Gate

10  Jesus said, “It is certainly true that when a man enters the sheep pen, he should use the gate. If he climbs in some other way, he is a robber. He is trying to steal the sheep. ² But the man who takes care of the sheep enters through the gate. He is the shepherd.

Many times in the Old Testament, God calls himself the shepherd of Israel. King David wrote Psalm 23. When he was a teenager, he took care of his father’s sheep. Here’s how Psalm 23 starts: “The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need,” (Psalm 23:1).

The religious leaders who questioned the healed beggar in John 9 are like robbers and thieves or bad shepherds. Instead of keeping an open mind when they asked the beggar how Jesus opened his eyes. They called Jesus a sinner because he healed the blind man on the Sabbath (God’s day of rest). If these religious leaders really cared about the people of Israel, they would have seen that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the savior predicted by the Old Testament prophets.

In Israel where Jesus lived, shepherds brought their sheep into a pen at night to protect them from wolves and other dangerous animals. Many times the shepherd himself slept in the opening to the enclosed area. In other words, the shepherd became the gate to the pen where the sheep slept at night.

Jesus is both the good shepherd who leads the sheep, and the gate by which the sheep enter the flock. A lamb cannot enter the flock unless it goes through the gate. Jesus is the only gate or door by which we can join God’s great assembly of people, which is called the church. There are many local churches, but only one universal church to which all believers in Christ belong.

³ The man who guards the gate opens the gate for the shepherd. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep, using their names, and he leads them out. ⁴ He brings all of his sheep out. Then he goes ahead of them and leads them. The sheep follow him, because they know his voice.

When you believe in Jesus alone as your savior, it’s like going through the gate to enter the sheep pen. You become part of God’s family or his flock. He is the Good Shepherd. When you let the Lord lead you, it’s like the shepherd taking his sheep out of the pen to graze on green grass. The sheep want to eat green grass. The good shepherd knows how to lead his sheep to green grass.

Just as the sheep need the shepherd to lead them to green grass and to protect them from wolves, we need the Lord to show us his best for us. He knows how to protect us from people and things that will harm us. Jesus gave you eternal life and made you part of his flock forever the moment you believed in him. But now, Jesus wants to give you a full and abundant life as you follow him as the Good Shepherd.

No failure, sin, person or thing can ever steal the eternal life that Jesus gave you when you believed in him. You’re in God’s family forever. You are born again spiritually into God’s family. You can do a lot of things by your will. But you cannot undo a physical or spiritual birth by an act of your will. But you can lose the abundant life that Jesus wants you to have by disobeying him. There are many bad shepherds, people and things that can steal the peaceful and satisfying life that Jesus wants to give you every day.

Think about it: sheep are not smart. Compared to God, we are all like sheep. We need him to lead us through the dangers of this life. Even the smartest person who ever lived is dumb compared to God. Follow Jesus as the Good Shepherd. He will show you the plan he has for your life. As you follow the Lord, he will keep showing you the next steps. When you have the courage to take those next steps, you will be satisfied.

God calls his sheep by name. He knows you personally. God is so great that he can know each of his children better than they know themselves. You may think you know what is best for you, but you must remember that sheep don’t know much. If you develop a humble attitude that relies on the Lord and not yourself, he will guide you in ways you can’t even imagine.

⁵ But sheep will never follow someone they don’t know. They will run away from him, because they don’t know his voice.”
⁶ Jesus told the people this story, but they did not understand what it meant.

Be very careful about listening to the wrong voices. There are many voices that will try to get you to follow them away from the Lord. Don’t listen to them. Seek the Lord with all your heart. You will learn to hear his voice. Notice that Jesus said his sheep will “run away” from strangers with the wrong voice. Don’t be casual about hearing the wrong voices. Run from them.

Don’t listen to ungodly music or watch TV or movies that present sin as something fun. Remember that God wants the best for you. Don’t settle for something that is less than the Lord’s best. Most people will listen and follow the wrong voices. To hear the Lord’s voice and to follow him, you will have to go against the crowd. God will bless you for hearing his voice and following him.

The people to whom Jesus spoke did not understand what he meant. Things have not changed. Most people today don’t understand what it means to hear the voice of God. It’s not something weird that makes people do crazy things.

Hearing God’s voice usually starts with knowing God’s Word, the Bible. When you know the Bible and memorize it, the Holy Spirit can cause you to remember what God says in the Bible. Remember what Jesus did when the Devil tempted him in the wilderness. He resisted Satan by quoting the Bible (Matthew 4:1-11).

⁷ So Jesus said again, “I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All those who came before me were thieves and robbers. The sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will be able to come in and go out. They will find everything they need. ¹⁰ A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.

Some thieves steal wallets and purses. Others rob banks. But there is one thief who wants to steal your soul forever. Satan wants you to think that there is some way to God other than Jesus Christ. He tries to get people to believe that they can work their way to heaven. Satan has many disciples or ministers who preach a false gospel of Christ plus your own efforts as the way of salvation.

God is very jealous of his glory. As the one who made us, he deserves all praise, honor and glory. If we could do anything to earn salvation, we would receive the glory that God deserves. Because we all have sinned, we need a savior. All honor, praise and glory belong to Jesus Christ because he died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. After paying the penalty, he rose from the dead to show that God the Father was satisfied with his payment. Jesus defeated death. He is the resurrection and life itself. The good news that Satan does not want anyone to know is that God’s forever life is a gift to be received by faith alone in Christ alone.

Satan wants to steal the abundant life that Jesus has for you. God wants every Christian to hear his voice. He wants to bless you and lead you on a journey to a full and satisfying life. As a child of God, you will be a special target for Satan’s plan to steal God’s blessings from you. Satan is your enemy, but the Good Shepherd can protect you from him.

As a good shepherd leads his sheep to green grass, Jesus will lead you to an exciting and full life. It does not mean that you will not have any problems. But none of your problems will be bigger than God’s ability to help you get through them.

Even more exciting is the eternal reward package that God will give all those who follow him faithfully in this life. Remember, eternal rewards last forever. You want them because they bring more glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants you to rule with him in his kingdom. Everyone in God’s kingdom will be happy, but those who will help Jesus rule in his kingdom will be more happy and satisfied.

“Only hold on to the truth you have until I come. I will give power over the nations to all those who win the victory and continue until the end to do what I want,” (Revelation 2:25-26).