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“I am the Door”

John 10:1-10

Easter 4a

April 17^th, 2005

John 10:1-10

[Jn 10:1] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. [2] “But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. [3] “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4] “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. [5] “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” [6] This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

[7] So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. [8] “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. [9] “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. [10] “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

John 10:1-2

[1] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. [2] “But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.”

A thief and a robber

There is but one door and it is Jesus Christ. We would like perhaps to water these words down for the sake of inclusion or harmony but our Lord tells us that anyone who seeks to enter another way is either a thief [GSN2812 kleptes] or a robber [GSN3027 lestes]. The thief comes to steal; the robber comes to do violence.

Thieves were common in our Lord's time. They would slice a hole in the back of a traveler’s tent and then make off with their goods. Robbers weren't so delicate, they had no finesse, and they would simply brutalize their victim on some wayward road and then leave that person for dead (i.e. the story of the Good Samaritan).

Our Lord tells us that anyone who comes into the fold [GSN833 aule]—except through him—was just such a brigand. The fold was actually the courtyard inside the gate. Most houses in the western world have lawns around the house. In many developing countries; the center of the house is a courtyard and the sleeping quarters, kitchen, and other rooms are built up around it. However, in the distant hill country; a shepherd with his fold would actually throw thorny brambles around three sides of the sheep and he would sleep in the door. The shepherd was therefore actually the door himself in a very literal sense.

Jesus wants no confusion in the fledgling church; you cannot enter his courtyard—his fold—by deeds, philosophy or ritual; only by him. Every other proposal will rob us of our place. Others may try to sneak us out (thieves) or force us out (robbers) of the fold; but those who do not come through Christ's way are not genuine.

What is Christ's way? He will go on to show; it is the way of the shepherd: servant and protector; caring for the sheep through service, calling them each by name. My father use to tell me; “Never name a pig you're going to eat.” Our Lord does not see us for his personal use (as would a thief or robber), he is no corporate farmer with nameless thousands in his flock; he knows each of us intimately, right down to the hair's on our head.

John 10:3-6

[3] “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4] “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. [5] “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” [6] This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

He calls his own sheep by name

The words in these sentences are so full that we simply must take a closer look at them.

“To him the doorkeeper [GSN2377 thuroros] opens [GSN455 anoigo], and the sheep hear [GSN191 akouo] his voice [GSN5456 phone].”

Doorkeeper also means guardian or a Sergeant at Arms. He decides who does or does not enter the flock. Our Lord himself desires to be the guardian of our lives. However, we must be determined to hear him, heed him, and stay close by him. Through the Holy Spirit, he will help us to recognize his voice from the false voices of our world.

He alone opens the door. This term literally means to throw open or break open a gate or even a royal seal. Only Jesus has the right to open God's covenanted seal in our lives. All others break that seal without the right.

The sheep hear [GSN191 akouo] him.

To hear means to both listen and give heed. We might say to hear and obey. What good is hearing Jesus if we don't heed him? If we don't hear him we are just deaf. If we hear but don't heed; we are impudent.

To recognize the Shepherd's voice means more than even hearing and heeding. This term means not only to hear his voice but also to hear the Master's tone and language. To many, the way of Christ is gibberish. They do not understand either his warnings or his invitations because they are unable to decipher the language of humility, love and service. Justice and mercy are a completely foreign tongue to them; they only speak a language of self-interest and can only hear the words; “I, me, and mine.”

If we don't recognize his voice (language) then we won't recognize his call [GSN5455 phoneo]. This term means invitation or summons. How can we hear and respond to the summons of Christ if our interests are totally different from his? If I don't even understand the most basic concept of Christianity—agape; selfless love—than I will not be able to comprehend the context of Christ’s words. I will have religions without compassion.

When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead [GSN1715 emprosthen] of them.

No good shepherd would drive his sheep; he always leads them. He blazes the trail first by taking the brunt of the danger upon himself. However, how many of our pastors are actually blazing trails into the communities as leaders of justice and compassion? If pastors don't lead; communities won't follow.

To be a leader is not to manage or administrate; it is to set the pace and the direction for others to follow. That is the role of the leader and the type of leader that our Lord is to this day. In his book, The Art of Leadership, Max Dupree states that the role of a leader is to model the vision and tell the story of the group. Isn’t that what Jesus did (and does)? Dupree goes as far as to say that when the bean counters have taken over for the storytellers the company is dying. Judas was the bean counter for the apostles; but Jesus was their leader.

The sheep follow him [GSN190 akoloutheo]

There is a symbiosis between leaders and followers that can be empowering or disabling. Perhaps no biblical character displays a disabling relationship between a leader and his followers than Moses and the Israelites. The Israelites were terrible followers; always whining about the past and talking behind Moses' back. Moses, on the hand, (because he couldn't gain their fealty) hid behind his veil and took credit for the water that gushed forth from the dry stones at Massah and Meribah.

The leader and the followers limped along in weakness and were never allowed to cross the Jordan into the promised land. Yet, one thing they did right. They raised tough children; a sturdy generation weaned on the desert and as hard as stone.

The early leadership of Peter is a far better model for us. When he is called to visit Cornelius, the Centurion, he makes the dangerous journey to the coastal town of Caesarea (it was dangerous because Peter was exposing himself to further condemnation and possibly death from the religious leaders for his association with Gentiles—especially a Roman leader). Upon his arrival, Cornelius falls at Peter’s feet, here is their interaction:

Acts 10:25-27

And when it came about that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man."

Peter doesn’t wear a veil to gain respect. He doesn’t put on pretense or accept admiration because he knows that any admiration should be go towards the Lord, Jesus Christ. There are good leaders and good followers as well as poor leaders and poor followers. However, before we can become a leader for Christ we must first become his humble follower. Peter became a leader when he realized how his faith was really weak and feeble. Am I a good enough follower to become a great leader?

“Because they know [GSN3609a oida] his voice.”

To know his voice means to perceive, appreciate, be conscious, or have knowledge of the voice of Jesus. It was a very intimate term, in fact, it was one of the most intimate terms of Hebrew thought; it was used for a husband and wife and their intimate, physical knowledge of each other. To know Jesus is to know him intimately. To know how our Savior would respond to the world around him. What brings him joy and what brings him sorrow.

We are to become like a well-trained horse that senses where our master is going by the pressing of his knees or the leaning of his body. We don’t have to feel a yank on the bit; our Master’s hands can be freed from the reins because we live in perfect expectation of his every move. Do I know my Master’s voice that intimately or does the Master have to chase me all around the pen before I will listen? Am I distracted by the other voices of this world or do I know the one, true voice that calls me to service?

His sheep know his voice.

“A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him.”

To the followers of Christ, a stranger [GSN245 allotrios (al-lot'-ree-os)] would be anyone outside the faith. Overtime, the Jews had come to abhor strangers when, in fact, they were supposed to care for them:

Ex 22:20-24

And you shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Both Jesus and Paul clarified the status of the believer with the unbeliever, we welcome them; but we do not follow them. We do not listen to their voice but we treat them with the greatest kindness:

Matt 25:43-46

I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

2 Cor 6:14

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

On the surface, the two statements seem in contradiction, however they truly are complimentary. We are to associate, reach out to, welcome and care for those outside the faith. Yet, we are not to prize their counsel about how we should live our lives and what we should value. Would a sheep ask a wolf where to lay down at night? Our values and responses to life are rooted in the way of Jesus; not in the way of the world and the beliefs are at odds.

Regarding the world, Christ gives us this advice:

Matt 10:16-18

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”

Followers are to know the ways of the world—we are not to be naïve—yet, in our knowledge we still respond with purposeful gentleness. We choose innocence; we are not duped into it.

“They did not understand…”

Earlier, Christ used this term to refer to how his sheep would intimately know his voice. This verse shows us how it is humanly impossible to understand the way or the words of Christ without the aid of the Holy Spirit. The disciples, though they had been following Jesus everywhere for nearly three years by this time, still could not understand (know) the deeper statements of Jesus. They did not know [GSN1097 ginosko (ghin-oce'-ko)] or understand—follow, perceive—what Jesus was saying.

John was one of those disciples. He obviously remembers what Jesus said; but he also points out that none of them—including himself—could not grasp the concepts that Christ was sharing. Writing years later, with the wizened perspective of decades in relationship with the Holy Spirit, John now intimately understands the meaning of his Lord’s words.

We can have a doctorate in scriptural studies and still not understand how the words can apply to our lives and our relationships. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us an intimate knowledge—a knowledge that we can live by—of the words of Jesus Christ.

Part of their inability to understand was that they were each trying to hear what they wanted Jesus to say. They wanted Jesus to preach about conquering Jerusalem, decimating the Romans, and elevating the disciples to places of glory. They were listening to Jesus with a bias for power and we will never understand his words with that bias. The only biases for understanding the gospels are compassion and service. Only from a viewpoint of justice, mercy and humility can we understand the heart of our God.

Everyday we must ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with that bias; to melt our hearts of stone and give to us hearts of empathy. Then, we will understand the words of Christ in their fullness. Do I read the bible with my biases? Then, I will never understand our Lord’s words. “Holy Spirit, help me hear your words—not from the perspective of my wants or this world’s ways—but from a perspective of service and meekness.

John 10:7-10

“I am the door…”

“I [GSN1473 ego (eg-o')] am [GSN1510 eimi (i-mee')] the [GSN3588 ho (ho)] door [GSN2374 thura (thoo'-rah)].”

Every time that Jesus makes an “I Am” statement; he uses the words eimi and ho. Ego eimi are emphatic words that mean; “I was, am and will be.” Ho means the, not a. Jesus is not a door. He is not one of many doors. Jesus says that he is the door. This would mean that Jesus was always the door and will always be the door. And what is he the door to? Salvation [GSN4982 sozo (sode'-zo)]!

Salvation has so many meanings but they all combine to one overarching theme; “God saves.” That is the translation of Jesus in Hebrew [OT:3091 Yehowshuwa`] “Jehovah saves.” The term “salvation” means to save, deliver, protect or make safe. The root of the word was even used to indicate a colt that was set free in a brand new spring pasture. Jesus is the door to freedom and salvation; he sets us free:

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

There is no other like Jesus, there is none who can substitute for him for usurp his claim. Jesus is the door to salvation; the door, not a door. All other ways are deceptions and will rob us of life eternal; they will steal, kill and destroy. Only Jesus promises the life that is eternal and abundant.

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Remember that the word life [GSN2222 zoe (dzo-ay')] really translates into a way to live. Jesus has come to bring us a way to live abundantly. That is not just a future promise; but a today promise as well. Abundant [GSN4053 perissos (per-is-sos')] means superior in quality, exceeding and beyond measure. This is the life promised by Jesus. However, it is not a consumer promise; it is a way of living promise. It is abundance no matter what my circumstances.

Phil 4:11-14

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Paul wrote that paragraph while literally chained to a Roman guard, under house arrest, and in Nero’s Rome facing death. This is a super-abundance that is not based upon possessions or positions. It is an abundance based on the presence of Christ in your life.

That is the door that Jesus will open. That is the door that is our Lord. “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

There is a beautiful saying by Chief Tecumseh, the Shawnee Indian chief:

“Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light. Give thanks for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. And if perchance you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured the fault is in yourself.”

If we are Followers of the Way (the way to live) and yet do not feel this promise abiding in us then we must reconnoiter at the cross. How can we look into the eyes of one so brutally abused for our sins, how can we hear the words, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” how can we touch the nail scarred hands and pierced sides and hear the words; “Peace be with you,” and yet not feel the abundant love of Jesus Christ?

If we don’t; “Rest assured the fault is in ourselves.”

Copyright Notice

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988. Used by permission.

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