The Door to an Abundant Life {John 10}
10:30 PM
By Sue Desmarais
Have you ever watched a game show where the
contestants are asked to trade in what they have already received for what’s
hidden behind another door on stage? The contestants agree hoping, or believing
that what’s hidden is better than what they have at the moment, but… it doesn’t
always turn to be the case. I think about that scenario every time I read this
passage and used to wonder why others would reject this “door” altogether:
“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. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the
sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his
voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When
he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him
because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not
follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of
strangers.” This figure
of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things
were which He had been saying to them.
So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves
and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if
anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find
pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down
His life for the sheep.” John 10:1-11
John, who wrote this book, never added the chapters and
verses to it, and I’m not sure why whoever did add the chapter breaks, ended
chapter 9 where they did, because when Jesus in 10:1 says, “Truly, truly…” He’s
connecting what He’s about to say with what has just taken place in chapter 9;
where Jesus healed the man born blind. Jesus is going to address the fact that
the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders in Israel, should’ve been
faithful shepherds over God’s flock, but had failed miserably, and the story of
this blind man is a great example of this when they grew frustrated with the
man’s testimony about Jesus and actually threw him out of the temple; never
once rejoicing over the fact that this man could now see!
We actually need to back up to Ezekiel 34:1-31 to truly
understand what Jesus is saying in chapter 10. (I’ll try to condense it a bit
for you):
“And the word of the
LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man,
prophesy against the shepherds of Israel ,
prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the
shepherds of Israel Israel Israel
Chapter 10 is the end of Jesus teaching
ministry; the rest of the Book of John will describe the events that took place
during Jesus’ final week on earth. I wonder if Jesus sensed a greater urgency to
get His message out to His people, for surely if you knew your opportunity to
convince others of something so, so important was ending, wouldn’t you try that
much harder?
Jesus is saying here that He is the
true Shepherd; the One God spoke of in Ezekiel 34. He is the Messiah,
the One who fulfills all the Old Testament prophecies concerning Him.
He
is the “door” and I believe, though some might not agree, that the “doorkeeper”
must be John the Baptist, for “as David was designated the king of Israel by the prophet Samuel, so also Jesus, the
Son of David, was designated Israel
I used to read this passage and wonder why
others didn’t choose Jesus as the “door” to abundant life. Why instead, would
they pick up stones to stone Him? Why wouldn’t they want to follow the “Good Shepherd”,
or why would they turn away after a time?
This time however, I found the answers
right here in the chapter! The first is found in verses 14-16,“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own
and My own know Me, even
as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the
sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must
bring them also, and they will hear My
voice; and they will become one
flock with one shepherd.”
(Emphasis mine)
They choose to follow Him because they are
His sheep and they “know His voice”. They recognize Him as the Messiah,
and trust in Him as their Shepherd. These sheep, who belong to the true
Shepherd, also know better than to follow any false shepherd.
Then again in verse 27-30, Jesus assures us
that all His sheep will be kept safe, for no one can “snatch them” away from
Him, “My sheep listen to
my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them
out of my Father’s hand. I and the
Father are one.” (John 10:27-30)
Today, if you are one of the Shepherd’s
sheep, give Him thanks that you heard His call, recognized His voice, followed after
Him and are now cared for and kept safe by the Good Shepherd! Hallelujah!
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