John 10:7-10

Jesus clarifies what He has been saying about the door. “I am the door of the sheep.” In looking back, this means that all those who tried to get to the sheep without going through Him were thieves and robbers. This should always be our test for Christian leadership: Do those in leadership promote Jesus Christ? Or do they promote their own ministries and methods?

 

But what does Jesus say here about being the door? He says that all who preceded Him were thieves and robbers, similar to what was stated above. How so? Well, if Jesus is the door, and those who seek to control the sheep without going through the door are thieves, it makes sense that those who sought to control the sheep before Jesus and apart from Jesus were thieves; they were trying to direct the sheep without going through Christ!

 

But what about the Old Testament? Is none of it valid? Christ Himself affirms the Old Testament, as we can see elsewhere. Then what is it that makes some people prior to Christ valid ministers, while others are thieves? 1 Peter 1:10-12 gives us a hint – “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things into which angels long to look.” First of all, the prophets of the Old Testament were guided by the Spirit of Christ in them. Though they did not preach Christ clearly, what Christ told them to proclaim was what they taught, and therefore their ministry came “through the door, through Jesus Christ.” Secondly, although the prophets searched eagerly to learn more clearly what they were teaching, they only taught what Christ taught them, rather than adding more, because it was revealed to them that they were serving US. Had they gone beyond the teachings of Christ and tried to control His sheep through their own systems of belief – even systems built upon what they did know and had received from Christ, they would have become thieves and robbers; their ministry would no longer have been through Christ, the door. This is a serious warning for those of us who teach other believers, Christ’s sheep. As we develop our theological systems, we need to be very careful to differentiate between what we know Jesus teaches through His word and what we believe ourselves to understand. If we make anything that is not Christ’s teaching a part of our requirements for His sheep, we run the risk of being judged as thieves of God’s flock!

 

Jesus continues by saying again, “I am the door.” But this time He is emphasizing something new. He is contrasting His ministry with that of the thieves and robbers. What does Jesus’ ministry look like? “If anyone enters through me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”

 

Jesus’ ministry gives life. Through Jesus, people may find both safety and pasture. Jesus is, in this sense, our Protector and Provider. As the door, Jesus is not only the exclusive way to become a part of the flock. Nor is He merely a way to distinguish between false ministers and true. Jesus is the means of our life! We go in through Him and find Protection and security. We go out through Him and find Provision for each day. Abundant life is found in Jesus, because He provides for all of life! Jesus is not merely the Protector who is unable to provide for His sheep. Nor is Jesus merely the Provider who is incapable of Protecting His sheep. Life is found through Him, because He both sustains us and makes us secure!

 

Father, thank You for sending Jesus to give us life! Protect us from those who seek to destroy us, and help us to trust always in Jesus, our door and our life!