Monday 9 May 2022

The Gate

 

In the Gospel of John Chapter 10 Jesus says several times "I am the gate".

In Chapter 10 - 9 He says "I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture."

This seems strange at first. We can understand when Jesus says "I am the Way" or "I am the Good Shepherd"; but gate? What does all that mean?

To understand this we need to visualise how a sheep pen at the times of Christ looked like. It was a circular or square enclosure built out of stone, wooden fencing or just hedges. And it had an opening through which sheep got in and out.

But shepherds in those days were poor people. They certainly would not have the money to build gates at the opening of the pen. They stayed "watching their flocks by night" with their sheep.

The pen looked something like the photo above.

And the shepherd would lie across the opening, sleeping with his sheep, and making sure that none would get out during the night. Also protecting them from wolves or other predators.

So, the shepherd was in fact the gate.

That's what Jesus meant when He said He is the gate.

He protects us from evil and stops us from going astray. This passage from John's Gospel is a New Testament version of Psalm 23 -

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

27 comments:

  1. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture....

    Goodness! The 23rd Psalm....
    How many times have we sung it at a funeral..?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Willie. A wonderful hymn, very comforting.

      God bless.

      Delete
  2. "He protects us from evil and stops us from going astray."

    Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Replies
    1. How profound! Yes, pearls are the only gems made by pain, and Jesus, through the pain of paying for our sins, became that Pearl of great price, and the Pearly Gate through which we go.

      Delete
  4. The gate protects us if we follow and enter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Precisely Bill. And the people of the time understood this when Jesus said it.

      God bless always.

      Delete
  5. Hi Victor nice post, showing that the scripture referred to is saying that the only way to God is through Jesus, amen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice to see you visiting here Btenda. Thank you.

      You are correct in what you say. God bless you.

      Delete
  6. Dearest Victor,
    Great analogy of a wonderful story that we ought to remember.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great explanation. Definitely worth the visit and a blessing. ;-) Be good and be safe. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanx Jack. God bless you and your family.

      Delete
  8. Again, I've learned something. Easy to visualize and so very comforting! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much my friend.

      God bless, Mevely.

      Delete
  9. This psalm, and seeing Jesus as that gate, it all brings a deep joy.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is a much loved Psalm and probably the most well known.
    It has always been a comfort to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree Happyone. I like this Psalm too.

      God bless.

      Delete
  11. This is so enlightening, Victor! I'd never heard this explanation before and it certainly makes a world of sense.
    Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The people of the time would have understood Jesus when He said He is the gate. The meaning got lost with time and different traditions.

      God bless, Martha.

      Delete
  12. Nells Wasilewski10 May 2022 at 18:42

    I’m not sure that I knew that, Victor, thanks to you, I learned something new today. God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Nells. Praying for you my friend.

      God bless.

      Delete

I PRAY FOR ALL WHO COMMENT HERE.

God bless you.