May 12 – Portraits of Jesus – I am the Door
PORTRAITS OF JESUS – I am the Door
In John 10 Jesus describes himself as a door:
“ So Jesus again said to them, “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 listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. “
John 10:7-9
We would use a door for three main purposes:
- To grant access.
- To restrict access.
- To provide passage from one space to another.
When Jesus says: “I am the door” he means these three things at least.
- Salvation
Just as a door provides a means of access, so Jesus is the means of access to God. In a few days time we’ll hear Jesus saying something similar when he says “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no-one comes to the father but through me” (John 14:6).
There is only one way that we as broken people can have access to God, and that is through Jesus! That’s what Jesus means when he says ‘If anyone enters by me he will be saved…’, he means restored back in relationship with God!
2. Protection
Just as door grants access it also restricts access! We close our doors and lock them in order to protect our homes from unwelcome intruders.
Jesus certainly has this in mind since he refers to the presence of ‘thieves and robbers’ who ‘steal, kill and destroy’. When Jesus says ‘I am the door’ what he also means is that he is our protection.
This had even more significance in Jesus’ time, where shepherds slept at the entrance to the sheepfold at night, so that any intruder literally had to go through them! Jesus means to comfort us the same way by saying that he protects his own, and will even lie down in the doorway to ensure our security.
3. Provision
Lastly, a doorway connects us to a new room. Jesus must have this in mind since he talks about ‘going in and coming our and finding pasture’. Not only is he our salvation and our protection, but also our provision.
If you think about it, the human heart wants infinitely more than safety. Safety is certainly a basic necessity, but we crave more than mere life, we crave abundant life. We don’t just want to survive but to thrive. This is what Jesus promises: passageway to an abundant, overflowing, purposeful life.
May you step over the threshold into the salvation, protection and provision that only Jesus Christ offers.
