LESSONS FROM JESUS | 04 | The Door & The Shepherd

Among the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); John is a very unique book. One of the defining characteristics of this book is its focus on the divinity of Jesus Christ. Every chapter of the book is set up to drive home one universal message: Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God.

Some accounts are in the first three gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) that are absent from the book of John. For example, there are no parables in the book of John.

Still, there are places in John’s gospel where Jesus spoke symbolically, teaching us some vital lessons about Himself and the work that He came to do. One of such places can be found in John 10: 1–18.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and 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.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” — John 10:1–28 (English Standard Version).

The Door

The first thing that Jesus calls himself is ‘the door’. To put this into proper context, we need to examine the events that occurred in the previous Chapter. In Chapter 9, Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth and this event stirred up a lot of controversy among the Jews.

On one hand, the Pharisees were rejecting Jesus’ claim of being sent from God and being the Son of God. On another hand, they had taught that only someone who is sent from God can perform healing and miracles.

This put them in a trap of their own making and they went to great lengths to either try to call the healing fake or to have the man who received his sight ‘give glory to God and deny Jesus Christ’. When none of these tactics worked, the man was ex-communicated from the synagogue.

The idea of ‘giving glory to God while denying Christ’ is the backbone for the things we read in Chapter 10.

Jesus is making the Pharisees understand that there is no separation between Him and God the Father. The same way ‘a door’ gives access into a room or space; Jesus is the only access to God and His Kingdom.

If you’re walking around your neighbourhood and you see someone trying to climb the fence of your neighbour’s house; even before seeing the face of the person, you already assume that the person is unwanted/bad news.

There is a possibility that if you get closer, you might find out that this person is, in fact, your neighbour, who lost his/her keys and is trying to get in. However, even as you are reading this, you are doubting the likelihood of this scenario.

This is because you expect the owner of the house to come in through the door.

Jesus is our access to the Father and His Kingdom. There is no separation between Him and His Father (John 10:30).

The Shepherd

Jesus did not stop at calling himself the door. He also called himself the ‘good shepherd’ because He is going to lay down His life for the sheep. He said this predicting His death on the cross.

Jesus’ work as a shepherd in these verses has multiple dimensions to it. They include:

- Leading and directing the sheep (His sheep hearing and knowing his voice)

- Protecting the sheep (Shielding them from the wolves)

- Bring new sheep to the fold

Jesus used this example because the role of a Jewish shepherd was well known to the Pharisees (after all, their father David was a shepherd). Ultimately, He was telling them that the reason they were rejecting Him was that they did not know Him or recognize Him as their Shepherd.

The sheep are dependent on the shepherd for everything — Feeding, Protection, Guidance and Correction. Psalm 23, shows this perfectly.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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 goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. — Psalm 23 (English Standard Version)

This is one of the most popular Psalms in the Bible and it is full of many blessings for God’s Children. Yet, many fail to realise that these blessings rest firmly on the first part of Verse 1 — The Lord Is My Shepherd.

We cannot pick and choose what roles that we want Jesus to play in our lives as Shepherd. It is not enough for Him to be just our access to salvation (the door) or the One who laid down His life for us. We need to learn from sheep, let go of everything and let Him take total control.

I will conclude this article with Luke 2:11

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:11 (English Standard Version)

In this verse, Jesus is described as both Saviour and Lord. For us to live thriving and fulfilling Christian lives, we need to let Him play both roles. John 10:1–18 stands as a humble reminder of this fact in my daily life.