John 10:7-9 — The Sheep Gate

John 10:7-9 — The Sheep Gate — Aneel Aranha

Hello and welcome to the Bite-Sized Gospel with Aneel Aranha. Today we will reflect on John 10:7-9. Listen.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

Gates play a crucial role in our everyday lives. They demarcate boundaries, provide security, and regulate access. They can signify both barrier and entrance, exclusion and invitation. 

The analogy of "the gate for the sheep" is drawn from the pastoral life of the ancient Near East. Shepherds would often sleep at the entrance of sheep pens, essentially becoming the "gate." 

This served a dual purpose: it kept the sheep inside the pen, preventing them from wandering off, and it protected them from thieves and predators. By lying at the entrance, the shepherd became, quite literally, the gate. Consequently, Jesus's declaration, "I am the gate for the sheep," has tremendous significance.

To consider Jesus as the gate is to recognize him as the singular point of access to the salvation and abundant life he promises. He is not merely one gate among many; he is the *only* passage through which one must enter to experience the fullness of life in communion with God. Jesus would soon declare, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

The exclusivity of Jesus as the gate may be a stumbling block for some, as it was for the Pharisees. Yet, this claim does not arise from a place of exclusion but of profound inclusivity. The gate is open to "whoever" chooses to enter, offering a universal invitation to salvation.

Furthermore, the passage speaks of entering and exiting, and finding pasture. This suggests a dynamic relationship, not a one-time event of conversion. Salvation in Christ is not merely about entry but a continual coming and going in freedom and security, a life lived in the rhythm of divine grace.

The thieves and robbers who came before can be understood as those who offered false paths to salvation, ways that did not lead to the abundant life Jesus offers. Their ways are marked by destruction and deceit, whereas Jesus' way—the way of the gate—is marked by truth and life.

In a world where many voices claim to offer truth and life, the metaphor of Jesus as the gate invites us to discern where true safety and sustenance lie. It calls us to a faith that is not static but one that moves with the assurance of the shepherd's care, in and out of the gate that is Christ himself.

God bless you.