A Word for Today | John 10:9
A famous biblical scholar was once traveling through Palestine when he came across a shepherd and his sheep. During their conversation, the shepherd showed him the crude sheepfold into which he led his flock at night. It consisted of four walls, with one open space. The scholar asked the shepherd if that opening was how the sheep got in. “Yes,” said the shepherd, “and when they are in there, they are perfectly safe.” “But there is no door,” said the scholar. “I am the door,” answered the shepherd. The scholar immediately recalled Jesus’ use of the same words, speaking of His loving care of the church. The shepherd explained to the scholar that when darkness came, he lay in the doorway so that no wolf could get in and no sheep could go out. Likewise, Jesus said: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (Jn. 10:9). The way into salvation is through His body, which He offered for our sins on the cross. Jesus is the door of the sheep, and those who enter are safe for eternity.
This third of Jesus’ “I am” statements in John’s Gospel reminds us that with all the tumult of our society, including the COVID-19 lockdowns and the violent unrest in our cities, the message our nation needs to hear is that of Jesus Christ. There is no way into peace and security than through faith in Him. Moreover, we proclaim Jesus as a Savior who is received by faith alone. In the previous chapter, Jesus asked the blind man He had just healed, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (Jn. 9:35). He answered, “Lord, I believe” and was saved (Jn. 9:38). We thus enter through the door of Christ through simple faith in Him. There are no answers for our generation found any way other than through the door that is faith in God’s Savior.
Notice, as well, that Jesus says that He is a door, not a wall. We do not climb a ladder of achievements or scale a height to enter in. Nor is Jesus a ticket booth, so that one may enter by paying money, doing good deeds, or performing religious rituals. Jesus is not a long, winding passageway, so that one must complete a life-long quest with the hope of someday arriving into God’s favor. Jesus is the door, and those who enter by simple faith are immediately received into everlasting life. What a salvation He offers! And what a message our generation needs to hear.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Phillips