I am the Door... the Wayfarer 2/23/13

I am the Door

2/23/13

“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.”

(John 10:7)

Today we examine what Jesus had to say in reference to the only means available to enter into God’s presence. Here He speaks of the tricky, and all too believable false prophets, that would have you to believe that there is some other way to God, except through Him. We shall begin at the first verse:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber,

But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him for they know his voice,

And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not his voice.”

(John 10: 1-5)

If we wish to know whether we are being led by the right people, all we have to do is to listen to their voices and see if we hear the echoes of Christ’s teachings in what they are saying.

 If not then we are not to follow them.

Whether it be a cult, like Jim Jones led in the 70s, or something like the group that committed suicide during the 90s when the Hale Bop comet came through, all will deviate from the teachings of Christ and are not to be listened to.

Jesus continues in the 6^th verse:

“This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

 But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

(John 10:6-18)

Naturally this parable stirred up a major controversy between the various factions of the Jews.

Some of them simply could not understand the parable, others refused to believe it.

 Jesus told us  clearly , in words crafted for the understanding of what was at that time a simple people who readily understood the daily dangers faced by the shepherds minding their sheep, that he, Jesus is the only one to whom we should listen in regard to our souls.

 Note that he said that there were other sheep that he had that were not of the same fold. That would be us, the Gentiles, who through his sacrifice, are also able to find ourselves in the presence of the Father

 Jesus tells us that he knows each of his own, and is there to protect them. He goes on to clearly say that he has the power, both to lay down his life for us,, and to take that life again, and that it was by commandment from the Father.

His use of the example of the hireling tells us that others to whom we might listen, are only there for their own purposes, and not for the protection of the souls (sheep).

This is why we need to search his teachings and have them in our heart, know exactly what he taught and live by those teachings.

 It is His voice echoing over the centuries that we need to hear and obey, not the new and popular movements that crop up every day to misdirect us from the path that he has given us to reach the pastures that are the kingdom.  We need to heed the warning that those who teach and preach anything but that which he taught and preached are thieves and robbers, seeking to steal us away from the love of God.

 These He says are only there to steal and kill and destroy.

 It may appear at first blush that they have a positive agenda, but on examination it will not coincide with the eternal life that we are to seek, but will coincide with their efforts to line their pockets with money intended to do HIS work.
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It must always be His message of redemption, eternal salvation ,that no man may steal or lose, in return for repentance that is heard only when the voices of hirelings are ignored, that is heard and heeded.

 As we read more of this chapter, we find Jesus accused of insanity, and in fact being of the devil.

 The Jews come right out and ask him if he is the promised Christ.

 Jesus tells them that he has already given them the answer to this, but that they didn’t believe. For the purpose of brevity only I will skip to the 25^th verse, encouraging the reader to read yourself the intervening passage:

Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

 I and my Father are one.

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?”

(John 10:25-32)

Take note that Jesus promises that no man may ever take those that are his away from him.

He promises eternal life to those who hear his voice and recognize him as their shepherd.

 At the end of the passage we find the Jews preparing to stone him, and he asks why they would chose to do so.

The remainder of the chapter is dedicated to the response to this action that the Jews wanted to take, and the fact that they chose to believe that he blasphemed and was not the Son of God.

Jesus answered by quoting scripture and telling them again that he was one with the Father. 

When someone derides you for your faith, or attempts to destroy your witness, remember that you are one of his sheep, listen to his voice for guidance, let his Love show through your life.

 As long as we listen to that voice, and enter through the door that he alone can open for us, we are on the right path.

 I will close for now, once again saluting you in the name of my shepherd and savior, Christ Jesus, with the love of a simple sinner saved by His grace.

2 Timothy 1:12 ¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen 
the Wayfarer