“I Am the Door of the Sheep”

After the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, John recorded many important teachings of Jesus Christ (John 7:1–10:39). This included three of His seven “I am” statements:

• “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5).
• “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).
• “I am the good shepherd” (verses 11, 14).

These metaphors give insights into Jesus’ role and His mission. But they aren’t clear to everyone. In the midst of recording Jesus’ comparisons about sheep and shepherds, John interjected: “Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them” (verse 6).

How can we understand?

The context of “I am the door of the sheep”

First, let’s look at what Jesus said.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the 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.

“And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:1-5).

This is when John noted that Christ’s audience did not understand (verse 6).

Then Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” (verse 7).

A number of other versions translate this “I am the gate for the sheep” (New International Version and others), since the Greek word thyra means a portal or entrance and can be translated door or gate.

Jesus continued, “All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (verses 8-10).

Why all the talk about sheep?

From the time of Abel, sheep and shepherds were a major part of the economy and everyday life for people in the Bible. Sheep, shepherds and related words occur nearly 900 times in the Bible.

Sheep were one of the main sacrifices of the Old Testament, representing Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.

Sheep were also often a symbol of people, especially God’s people. For example:

• “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).
• “‘You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord GOD” (Ezekiel 34:31).

This analogy, demonstrating God’s loving care for His people, is the one Jesus was presenting in John 10.

The door of the sheep as protection from danger

Sheep face many dangers, and one of Jesus’ points is that the door of the sheepfold provides protection. Just as the door of the sheep protected the flock from thieves and robbers, Christ the door works to protect His people from spiritual deceivers and destroyers.

The fact that these enemies will attempt to sneak into our minds and the Church by some way other than through Christ should serve as a warning to God’s flock.

The apostle Paul also exhorted watchfulness:

“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch” (Acts 20:29-31).

In addition to watching for these dangers, we are to seek God’s protection and stay faithful to “the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (verse 32).

Study more about protection from spiritual enemies in our articles about the “Armor of God.”

In addition, the door of the sheep also controls who is allowed in and when. What does the Bible say about how someone becomes part of God’s flock?

The Bible shows that God the Father and Jesus Christ are both intimately involved in the calling of each follower of Christ.

No one comes to Me unless the Father draws him

Jesus revealed the Father’s role in initiating our calling: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).

Jesus said this at a time when “many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (verse 66). His teaching about the meaning of the bread and the wine representing His body and blood was “a hard saying” that they couldn’t understand (verse 60).

But “the twelve” stuck with Him because God had granted them understanding that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (verse 69).

The Father is calling only a little flock now (Luke 12:32). But since He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), He has a plan to call “each one in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:23). (More about that later.)

After the Father calls us to Christ, the Bible shows the corresponding truth that Christ is the only way to the Father.

“No one comes to the Father except through Me”

Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Christ came to reveal God the Father in a world that does not know Him.

The apostles reinforced this truth in Acts 4:12.

After healing a lame man at the door of the temple (Acts 3:2-7), Peter and John were arrested and questioned by the rulers of the people. They powerfully proclaimed that “by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole” (Acts 4:10).

Then they made this astonishing statement that confirms Jesus is the only door to salvation:

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (verse 12).

A blinded world can’t find the door

Paul later explained that Satan, “the god of this age,” has blinded the minds of those who aren’t called yet (2 Corinthians 4:4).

The Bible describes a sinful, blinded world, groping and unable to find the door (Deuteronomy 28:29; Isaiah 59:9-11).

But eventually God’s plan is to give sight to all the spiritually blind and to proclaim liberty to all those who are captives of sin (Luke 4:18). As God “opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27), He will open the minds of all people at the right time for each person.

God has a step-by-step plan to call “each one in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:23). You can explore this encouraging plan in our articles “Is God Fair?” and “Judgments of God: The Real Story.”

After the Father calls and we come to Christ the door, what are we to do?

Peter summarized the process of conversion:

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Learn more about each of these steps in our free booklet Change Your Life.

Enter by the narrow gate

Our response to God’s wonderful calling should be ongoing throughout our lives.

Jesus said, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24). The way of living that God has defined is not the easy and broad way that people so easily fall into in today’s world. Entering the narrow gate requires conscious choice and sustained effort.

Just calling Jesus “Lord, Lord” and claiming association with Him is not enough to enter the Kingdom of God (verses 25-28). We must do God’s will and overcome sin (Matthew 7:21-23).

And we can do these things because we can receive God’s help and protection. Jesus Christ understands our weaknesses and offers mercy and help in our times of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

We can enter through Christ the door, knowing that in the end He plans to give us an amazing future. As He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Explore this promise further in our article “Life More Abundantly.”

In response to God’s blessings, we will be able to say, “So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations” (Psalm 79:13).

 

Sidebar: Connections Between the Good Shepherd and the Door of the Sheep

The fact that Jesus intertwined two analogies—of the good shepherd and the door of the sheep—may seem odd. But Expositor’s Bible Commentary explains:

“The sudden shift of metaphor from shepherd to gate seems rather strange to us, but in reality it is not. When the sheep returned to the fold at night after a day of grazing, the shepherd stood in the doorway of the pen, and inspected each one as it entered. If a sheep were scratched or wounded by thorns, the shepherd anointed it with oil to facilitate healing; if the sheep were thirsty, he gave them water. As Psalm 23:5-6 says, ‘You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.’

“After all the sheep had been counted and brought into the pen, the shepherd lay down across the doorway so that no intruder—man or beast—could enter without his knowledge. The shepherd became the door. The emphatic singular pronoun ‘I’ (ego) emphasizes that the shepherd is the sole determiner of who enters the fold and who is excluded. It parallels the later statement: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6)” (Vol. 9, p. 108).