Shepherd of My Soul - March 17 Readings: John 10, I AM the Gate of the Sheep

The Story of the Bible from Creation to the Cross to Eternal Glory

In 72 daily readings, we will examine the overall story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, seeking to get the big picture of God's work through Jesus Christ in this sinful world.

Today's Reading:   John 10

Through the Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 11-12, Mark 14:26–50, Psalm 36:1–6, Proverbs 8:26-27 

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Context 

The third and fourth of the "I Am" statements are both found in John 10 and are based on variations of the common scriptural metaphor of the shepherd and the sheep. It is not a metaphor that compliments us. Sheep are helpless animals that cannot care for themselves and need the care of another. Every predatory animal seeks them as food.

We are more familiar with the second statement, which will be examined tomorrow, describing Jesus as our Good Shepherd. But here, he calls himself the "Gate of the Sheep." While there is an obvious point to this, one that is more powerfully made in John 14 when Jesus says, "I Am the Way," there is another point here that can only be understood by a knowledge of ancient shepherding.

Devotional: Shepherd of My Soul

When I was in Israel the first time, we visited a fascinating place called Kfar Kedem where they care for animals, especially sheep, in much the same way as happened in the days of David the shepherd boy and the dark night in Bethlehem when angels appeared and announced Messiah's birth. Put simply, farming and animal care were different back in biblical days than they are today. If we want to understand statements such as Jesus' third "I Am" statement in John 7:10, we must know something about how shepherds worked.

A shepherd would walk the hills with his sheep during the day, seeing they were fed and watered and seeking to protect them from predators looking to turn them into a meal or thieves seeking to steal them. At night, the shepherd would find some kind of protected area for the sheep. If he did not have a walled pen in which to house them, he'd look for a cave or some other safe place. The sheep would be herded into the protected place and then the shepherd would lay himself down at the opening. The shepherd himself was the gate, the entrance to the sheep's dwelling.

With the sheep in their protected area and the shepherd at the gate, two things are true. First, the sheep cannot stray from their protected place unless they get past the shepherd. This is not something they are very good at. Left to themselves, sheep tend to wander away, find trouble and are victimized by predators, but the shepherds lays down at the gate and prevents them from going astray.

Not only are the sheep prevented from going astray, but predators and thieves are prevented from attacking the sheep. No one can get into the protected area unless they are able to get over, around, or through the shepherd. Of course, shepherds are imperfect and it is possible one would be careless, sleep too soundly, be irresponsible, or meet its match with a predator and a sheep would be in danger.

Our shepherd is a "Good Shepherd" and he is never irresponsible. He is never overwhelmed by enemies. He is, of course, the only way to a relationship with God, as we will emphasize in a few days. No one comes to the Father except through him. Here, though, there are two truths that are deeply comforting to God's sheep - people like you and me. We are wayward, like sheep, and tend to wander from the truth into trouble. There are predators all around us who seek to lead us astray, cause us trouble, shipwreck our souls, and wreak destruction in our spiritual lives.

As a shepherd cares for his sheep, our good shepherd cares for our souls.

• None of us will ever be able to wander away from God because he is the gate of the sheep pen. He keeps us in and protects us. We are saved eternally not because of our righteousness but because we have a good and perfect Shepherd of our souls. 
• No enemy will ever be able to snatch us out of his care. He is no careless or weak shepherd who can be overwhelmed, deceived, or outmatched in any way. No enemy can fight our Savior, our Shepherd, without being defeated. 

With Jesus as our gatekeeper, we are safe and secure, protected from our own waywardness and from the enemies of our souls.

Father, I thank you for the Shepherd of my soul who watches over me, protects me, and keeps me protected in your fold. Praise him!

Think and Pray:

Thank God for the care he gives you every day.
Do you rest and trust in yourself, or in the constant care that the Shepherd of your soul gives you?