The Gate and the Good Shepherd
This is my third post in the "I Am" series. I've been talking about all the "I Am" statements that Jesus made while here on earth. I began with His declaration that He is the Bread of Life. After that, I wrote about His message that He is the Light of the World. My post after this one is The Ressurection and Life and the Way the Truth and the Life. The book, Finding I Am, by Lysa Terkeurst was a major inspiration to my posts. She does a wonderful job of leading you through these declarations of Jesus in her bible study.
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
John 10:7
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11
History of Shepherds in the Bible
Jesus uses some powerful imagery and makes some bold statements again with these two declarations. He is definitely not afraid of stirring the pot. Throughout the history of the Bible, the shepherd has played important roles. Many of the people God used for His kingdom were shepherds. This included Kind David. Other famous shepherds were those that were first to hear the declaration that Jesus was born. Shepherds were not people that considered important by other human beings, but they were people God believed to be important. We are all His children and important to Him.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”Luke 2:8-14
The shepherd was used throughout the Bible to describe God and how He takes care of us. For Jesus to say He is the Good Shepherd is to say He is God.
Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,Genesis 48:15
In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”
2 Samuel 5:2
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Psalm 23:1
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.Isaiah 40:11
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Matthew 25:32
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.Revelation 7:17
Jesus as the Gatekeeper
Jesus is the gatekeeper in a couple of ways. First of all, He is the one and only way to the Father. He paid the price for every sin ever committed. He is our living sacrificial Lamb.
He is also like a shepherd as a gatekeeper for us who are His followers. A shepherd was quite literally a gate. He would lie across the opening to the sheep pen where the sheep were corralled at night. This was to both keep the sheep in and to keep predators out. The pen was a stone structure usually with an opening to bring the sheep in and out. Jesus is the gate for us as well. Once we follow Him, he keeps us in the safety of His pen. He protects us from evil. But, just like the shepherd's sheep, we can leave the safety of the pen. This leaves us open to distractions and harmful things. Remaining in the pen is like walking with Jesus every day. The more we stay on His path, the easier it is to listen to Him and obey His commands. If we wander off, we lose track of Him and the path He wants for us. But if we do wander away, He will come looking for us.
Jesus the Good Shepherd
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’
So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.Luke 15:1-7
Even though He will come looking for us, we can easily ignore His call. Sometimes God allows our suffering to get out attention.
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4
It's not that He causes the suffering, but He allows it. He uses Satan for His purpose and will.
The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job 1:12
God, Himself didn't cause Job's tragic circumstances, but He knew Job's heart and used Job as an example. He used satan's evil plan for God's glory.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.Psalm 139:13-16
God knows us so well and He wants us to know Him. Sheep are great at following their shepherd if He has spent the time building a relationship with them. They recognize his voice and understand which sheep he is calling by name. A shepherd can stand near a flock of sheep that contains sheep from several shepherds. When he calls his sheep, only his sheep come. They have spent so much time with him that they recognize him just by his voice. That is how we should be with our Lord and Savior. We should know Him and His words so well that we can recognize them from others. Satan is always trying to trick us into thinking his words are God's words. He uses words that are almost right and that gives us a good feeling. Never trust your feelings to make life decisions. Emotions can change with the wind. You need to know deep down. Like a pianist playing the piano after years of practice knows when the piano is slightly out of tune, we need to be that close with our Heavenly Father to recognize His voice. This takes time and effort. And not just when we are in trouble. We can't expect to understand God in the bad times when we don't know Him in the good.
Reasons We May Not Be Listening To Our Shepherd
There are many reasons we may not be listening
Other times we may think we don't need Him or that we can handle everything ourselves. We go to Him when things get bad, but not before. Marriage counselors would love for couples to come to them before things get really bad. But, we don't go for help until it's usually too late. The problem with this approach is that we don't know God well enough to recognize His voice or will for our lives. We go to Him when it's already bad and expect Him to be some genie in a bottle, granting our wishes.
Sometimes we are hurt and blame God for whatever has happened in our lives. If you recall from James, Jesus warns us that we will suffer. We are not here for "the good life." We are here to tell others about God and to help each other. This life
Another way we struggle to hear Him is when we have separated ourselves from Him through sin. Confessing and repenting keep us closer to Him so we can hear Him. Sometimes we separate ourselves from Him because we are worried that He will ask us to do something out of our comfort zone. That what He will require from us is more than we are willing to give. This can cause us to stop listening for His voice as well.
God's Will
God's will and plan for us is the best option. Many paths will allow us to be in His will. When we are unsure of which path to take, it can be frustrating but even Mother Teresa only heard directly from God twice in her life. She listened the first time He gave her a calling and lived her life out for His glory. It was not pretty, but it was filled with Joy. It was not comfortable, but it was comforting to others. She didn't need further instructions. And sometimes we ask God to pick the perfect choice for us when any of them will work. What matters more is that we are seeking His will. And many times we have to wait for the next step. Just because God isn't giving us directions right now, does not mean they won't come later. When we are driving and the GPS tells us to turn, we don't expect it to keep talking to us about every little detail. We expect it to tell us when the next turn comes so we know when our current course needs to change.
Jesus told Peter in the 21st chapter of John:
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.
John 21:15-17
Jesus gave Peter the formula to being His disciple. Feed His lambs, take care of His sheep, feed His sheep. If we are taking care of those around us, telling them about God's love, we are in His Will. We do not have to go halfway around the world to do this. Our homes, neighborhoods, churches, jobs, schools, and communities are all mission fields. There are plenty of sheep to tend too. We can do that from any college, any town, any job. We don't have to go away to do it. Loving others with a servants heart is our goal.
Jesus is our Good, Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for us. He knows us intimately. He uses us to care for each other. We are His hands and feet.
I would love it if you read the other post from this series, Bread of Life, Light of the World, and The Ressurection and Life and the Way the Truth and the Life. I hope this was an encouragement to you. I am only giving you my perspective on what I have learned. I hope you take the time to read these passages and research these things for yourself. Having an intimate relationship with God is the most rewarding one I've ever had.