5 - I AM the Door

SLIDE: Scripture John 10:7

John 10:7 (NIV)

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

SLIDE: Welcome Home

SLIDE: Open your Bibles to John 10:1-10

Please join me in your Bibles at John 10:1-10

John 10:1–10 (NIV)

1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

SLIDE: TITLE

Introduction

We’re half way through our series “What’s In a Name?” in which we are looking at the “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. They each tell us something about Jesus’ understanding of himself. But beginning each statement with the phrase “I Am” tells us even more: it’s an echo of the ancient name of God given to Moses at the burning bush—"Yahweh, I am who I am.” Today, Jesus’ statement from John 10, “I am the door, or gate.”

What is a Gatekeeper?

VIDEO: Monty Python and the Holy Grail: The Bridge of Doom.

In the ancient Near East the entrances to both city and temple resembled the doorways of houses, the gates themselves being like doors; thus, one who guarded the entrance could be called either “doorkeeper” or “gatekeeper.”

In biblical times, gatekeepers held a significant role in maintaining order, security, and sanctity within various locations such as cities, temples, and palaces. Let’s delve into their responsibilities:

Guardians of Entrances: Gatekeepers were appointed to protect and regulate access to important places. They stood watch at city gates, temple entrances, and other key points, ensuring that only authorized individuals entered and exited.

Physical Security: Their primary duty was to safeguard against unauthorized entry, potential threats, and intruders. Think of them as the ancient equivalent of security guards.

Symbolic Significance: Beyond physical security, gatekeepers held symbolic importance. They represented the boundary between the sacred and the secular. By maintaining the sanctity of these locations, they upheld community integrity.

Assigned by Sacred Lots: Gatekeepers were assigned their duties impartially, without regard to age or training. The decision was made through sacred lots, emphasizing divine guidance in their roles.

Family Divisions: Gatekeepers were organized into divisions based on family lineage.

Specific Assignments: Different gatekeepers were responsible for specific gates.

Spiritual Vigilance: Gatekeepers extended beyond physical duties. They embodied spiritual vigilance, discernment, and authority. Their role emphasized safeguarding spiritual purity.

SLIDE: More than Guards

Remember, doorkeepers or gatekeepers were more than mere guards; they were entrusted with maintaining the balance between the sacred and the secular, ensuring order, and preserving the sanctity of their surroundings

Religious Leaders had taken issue with Jesus:

Jesus’ statement “I am the gate” must be set against the backdrop of the events of chapter 9. The religious leaders have taken issue with Jesus’ healing of a man born blind. Why? Because it happened on a Sabbath. Jesus has violated one of their rules.

Result: The man is thrown out of the Synagogue.

Identity Markers:

To fully appreciate just how offensive Jesus’ claims were, we need to get a better understanding of his context; the world of first-century Israel. Yes, Jesus’ life and message holds universal significance for all people at all times in all places, but we will understand that significance better if we first see what he was saying within his own cultural and historical framework. Jesus’ challenge to the dominant religion of his historical context becomes for us a kind of case study, from which we can draw transferable principles into our own context.

In the first century, Israel suffered from what some have called “Classificationitis.”

The religious leaders of first-century Israel considered certain characteristics of their faith to be central to their spiritual lives. These became identity markers of unique status and calling. They can be divided into five categories, all beginning with the letter “T”:

1. Torah: The Law of Moses was to be obeyed to the letter, especially Sabbath regulations and dietary restrictions.

2. Tradition: Keeping the “tradition of the elders” (or oral Torah) handed down from their ancestors was held on almost equal status as Scripture (the written Torah). Example: The Law simply says, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” Tradition tells you how to do that, in minute detail.

3. Tribalism: Ethnic, national, and cultural purity were bound together with religious identity.

4. Territory: A theology of holy geography meant certain land, cities, and places were more sacred than others, and that war was a religious duty whenever this holy land was threatened.

5. Temple: God’s presence was believed to dwell in one holy location in a unique way where worshipers could offer the required sacrifices and receive forgiveness.

Notice two things: First, each of these identity-markers speak of exclusivity. Together they helped prop up a strong “us-and-them” mentality between Israel and the rest of the world. Second, Jesus challenged all of these identity markers in some way. He exposed the ways they had replaced their calling to bring light to the world with high religious walls that kept all “sinners” away.

The purpose of any religious system: to control the “forgiveness market.” The religious leaders wanted to maintain their position as “gatekeepers” of access to God. Their system allowed them to dictate who is in and who is out; who is acceptable and who is not; who is one of “us” and who is one of “them;” who is worthy and who is not.

But Jesus rejected the whole system, and replaced it with himself, saying, “I Am the Gate!”

Main Teaching:

SLIDE: Functions of a Door

There are three functions of a door:

1. The first is Protection, or Safety. In the first century world of Jesus and his hearers, common sheep pens were not elaborate structures. Usually they were just simple enclosures with an opening on one side, not an actual door. Once all the sheep were safely in the fold, it was customary for the shepherd to build a fire at the entrance and sleep there through the night. The shepherd literally became the door, keeping any would-be predators outside. Jesus said thieves and robbers will try to climb in some other way, but they won’t get in through the door. Inside there is safety and rest because the door offers protection.

2. The second function is Entrance, or Opportunity. The sheep not only go into find safety, they also go out to find pasture. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Each morning, the shepherd led the sheep out through the gate so they could find life-sustaining pasture and water for the day. So the gate was an opportunity to come in to find safety, but also to go out to find nourishment. We still use the image of a door opening to speak of exciting new opportunities. So Jesus is both the door of security and the door of abundant life.

3. The third function of a door is more symbolic; it’s the sign of Home, or Belonging.

Illustration: The Beatles said it well in their best song, “The Long and Winding Road.”

The long and winding road, that leads to your door,

Will never disappear, I’ve seen that road before.

It always leads me here, leads me to your door.

The entire Bible is one long story of going away and coming back again. Leaving and coming home. Our lives are like that too; leaving the garden of childhood innocence to follow the road of life wherever it takes us, but in the end we find ourselves longing for home again. We’re “knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door,” as Bob Dylan put it. So Jesus’ statement, “I am the door,” resonates on a deep level with the primal story of what it means to be human.

SLIDE: What is Heaven Like?

What is Heaven like? Devotional writer Ken Gire (Moments with the Savior) shares one image that touches the deepest longings of our hearts: Home. Whatever else Heaven might be, it will feel like coming home at last. Because life’s journey is a journey home.

What thoughts or feelings does the word “home” stir in you? The crackle of a fireplace in winter. The scent of lilacs in the spring. The creak of a porch swing in the lazy days of summer. Falling leaves in Autumn. The laughter of friends. Gifts of love given and received. Home is a place to belong—a place where I am missed when I’m not there.

You say, “But not all homes are like that.” True, but even in bad situations, the longingfor home survives. Maybe it’s a longing for the home we never had. Or the one we only partially had. Or the one we once had but left. Or once had but was taken from us.

Those longings are what pull us toward a home called Heaven like a sort of primal memory. They lead us to a lot of places…geographical places, vocational places, relational places. Comfortable places, many of them. But we always find ourselves longing for something more. Because Heaven is our true home—the place we belong—the place we were meant to live. It’s a coming together of my soul—my space, where God is welcome—with heaven—God’s space, where I am welcome. It can’t happen fully in this life because of the limitations of our physical bodies. But the process has begun, and will one day be completed with what Paul calls “the redemption of our bodies.”

SLIDE: The Heavenly Life...

The Heavenly Life

In the meantime, there are aspects of the heavenly kind of life that we can begin enjoying now:

- Unbroken fellowship with God. “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.”

- Newness of life in Christ. “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation…”

- Power to do amazing things—in this world—that God wants done. “Ask anything in my name and it will be done for you.”

- Even a taste of what is to come: “We are now seated in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

SLIDE: The Promise

The Promise:

We left a Garden Paradise but we’re headed for a Garden City, New Jerusalem:

- With the river of the water of life flowing right down the middle of it.

- With the tree of life on each side of it (two trees?)

- And the gates of the city will never be shut. (Revelation 21:25)

Conclusion:

Jesus fits the image of a door, or gate, on so many levels. It’s one of my favorite descriptions of him and what he has done for us.

SLIDE: Jesus is the Door...

Jesus is our safety, our protection from all harm and danger. He is our opening into the abundant life that God wants for us. And he is the fulfillment of our deepest longing, the longing for home.

SLIDE: Life Application

Enter through the gate today, and experience the abundant life of Christ.

Let’s pray together.

Prayer: “God, open for us the door to life; not just everlasting life after death, but real life here and now, in this world. Our hearts are longing for our true home. Be for us the door that opens to that place of our hearts deepest desire.”