“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”-John 10:7-9
In Jesus day, sheep were oftentimes corralled into a sheepfold at night. A sheepfold was a roofless, walled enclosure about 4-5 feet high with one opening by which to enter and exit. There was no door on the structure to keep the sheep inside, so the shepherd would sleep in the threshold; becoming the door to the sheepfold. By positioning himself as the door, the shepherd could ensure the sheep would not wander off and could keep any predators from getting inside.
Unlike doors today, that are designed to be as decorative as they are practical; doors in Jesus’ day were built for function. The purpose of a door is primarily two-fold: to provide access and protection. Jesus used this imagery to communicate to us that He, as the door, is our access and protection.
Jesus declared that if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved! As the door to the sheepfold, Jesus provides us access to eternal life:
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”-Acts 4:12.
The Apostle Paul recognized that in Christ we now have access to the Father in heaven:
“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”-Ephesians 2:18
And the writer of Hebrews declared:
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.- Hebrews 10:19-22
Jesus opened a new and living way for us when He sacrificially offered up His own body on the the cross. We now have access by faith into the Father’s presence.
Once the sheep are positioned inside the fold, the shepherd then has the responsibility of protecting those that belong to him!
Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church
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