Jesus The Only Door To Real Freedom
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash
The statement “I am the door,” is the third of seven “I am” declarations of Jesus recorded in John’s Gospel.
John 10:7 (ESV)7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
These “I am” proclamations point to His unique, divine identity and purpose. In this “I am” statement, Jesus points out for us the exclusive nature of salvation by saying that He is “the door,” not “a door.” but “the door.” Jesus is not only our Shepherd who leads us into the “sheepfold,” but He is the only door by which we may enter and be saved.
John 10:9 (ESV)9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus is the only means we have of receiving eternal life
John 3:16 (ESV)16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
There is no other way.
To get a clear picture of Jesus’ meaning in this statement, it is helpful to understand a little of that ancient culture, especially of sheep and shepherding. Of all domesticated animals, sheep are the most helpless. Sheep will spend their entire day grazing, wandering from place to place, never looking up. As a result, they often become lost. But sheep have no “homing instinct” as other animals do. They are totally incapable of finding their way to their sheepfold even when it is in plain sight. By nature, sheep are followers. If the lead sheep steps off a cliff, the others will follow.
Additionally, sheep are easily susceptible to injuries and are utterly helpless against predators. If a wolf enters the pen, they won’t defend themselves. They won’t try to run away or spread out. Instead they huddle together and are easily slaughtered. If sheep fall into moving water, they will drown. However, sheep do fear moving water and will not drink from any stream or lake unless the water is perfectly still.
This is why David in the 23rd Psalm tells us of the shepherd who “makes [us] to lie down in green pastures, he leads [us] beside the still waters . . . though [we] walk through the valley . . . [we] will fear no evil. For You [the Shepherd] are with [us].”
Sheep are totally dependent upon the shepherd who tends them with care and compassion. Shepherds were the providers, guides, protectors and constant companions of sheep. So close was the bond between shepherd and sheep that to this day Middle Eastern shepherds can divide flocks that have mingled at a well or during the night simply by calling their sheep, who know and follow their shepherd’s voice. Shepherds were inseparable from their flocks. The shepherd would lead the sheep to safe places to graze and make them lie down for several hours in a shady place. Then, as night fell, the shepherd would lead the sheep to the protection of a sheepfold.
There were two kinds of sheepfolds or pens. One kind was a public sheepfold found in the cities and villages. It would be large enough to hold several flocks of sheep. This sheep pen would be in the care of a porter or doorkeeper, whose duty it was to guard the door to the sheep pen during the night and to admit the shepherds in the morning. The shepherds would call their sheep, each of which knew its own shepherd’s voice, and would lead them out to pasture.
The second kind of sheep pen was in the countryside, where the shepherds would keep their flocks in good weather. This type of sheep pen was nothing more than a rough circle of rocks piled into a wall with a small open space to enter. Through it the shepherd would drive the sheep at nightfall. Since there was no gate to close—just an opening—the shepherd would keep the sheep in and wild animals out by lying across the opening. He would sleep there, in this case literally becoming the door to the sheep.
In this context, Jesus is telling us that He is not only the shepherd of the sheep, but also the door of the sheep. In doing so, He is vividly contrasting Himself with that of the religious leaders of His time whom He describes as “thieves and robbers”
John 10:8 (ESV)8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
When Jesus says, “I am the door,” He is reiterating the fact that only through Him is salvation possible. Jesus makes it clear that any religious leader who offers salvation other than the teachings of Christ is a “thief” and a “robber.”
One who believes the gospel is assured of being in “the fold” and of having entered by “the door.” As followers of Christ, Jesus is both our Shepherd and the Door to the sheepfold who provides for all our needs. Knowing that the world is full of predators whose sole intent is to destroy us.
1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We are always under His protection. More importantly, we are fully confident that “when the Chief Shepherd appears, [we] will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away”
1 Peter 5:4 (ESV)4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
John 10:7 (ESV)7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
These “I am” proclamations point to His unique, divine identity and purpose. In this “I am” statement, Jesus points out for us the exclusive nature of salvation by saying that He is “the door,” not “a door.” but “the door.” Jesus is not only our Shepherd who leads us into the “sheepfold,” but He is the only door by which we may enter and be saved.
John 10:9 (ESV)9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus is the only means we have of receiving eternal life
John 3:16 (ESV)16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
There is no other way.
To get a clear picture of Jesus’ meaning in this statement, it is helpful to understand a little of that ancient culture, especially of sheep and shepherding. Of all domesticated animals, sheep are the most helpless. Sheep will spend their entire day grazing, wandering from place to place, never looking up. As a result, they often become lost. But sheep have no “homing instinct” as other animals do. They are totally incapable of finding their way to their sheepfold even when it is in plain sight. By nature, sheep are followers. If the lead sheep steps off a cliff, the others will follow.
Additionally, sheep are easily susceptible to injuries and are utterly helpless against predators. If a wolf enters the pen, they won’t defend themselves. They won’t try to run away or spread out. Instead they huddle together and are easily slaughtered. If sheep fall into moving water, they will drown. However, sheep do fear moving water and will not drink from any stream or lake unless the water is perfectly still.
This is why David in the 23rd Psalm tells us of the shepherd who “makes [us] to lie down in green pastures, he leads [us] beside the still waters . . . though [we] walk through the valley . . . [we] will fear no evil. For You [the Shepherd] are with [us].”
Sheep are totally dependent upon the shepherd who tends them with care and compassion. Shepherds were the providers, guides, protectors and constant companions of sheep. So close was the bond between shepherd and sheep that to this day Middle Eastern shepherds can divide flocks that have mingled at a well or during the night simply by calling their sheep, who know and follow their shepherd’s voice. Shepherds were inseparable from their flocks. The shepherd would lead the sheep to safe places to graze and make them lie down for several hours in a shady place. Then, as night fell, the shepherd would lead the sheep to the protection of a sheepfold.
There were two kinds of sheepfolds or pens. One kind was a public sheepfold found in the cities and villages. It would be large enough to hold several flocks of sheep. This sheep pen would be in the care of a porter or doorkeeper, whose duty it was to guard the door to the sheep pen during the night and to admit the shepherds in the morning. The shepherds would call their sheep, each of which knew its own shepherd’s voice, and would lead them out to pasture.
The second kind of sheep pen was in the countryside, where the shepherds would keep their flocks in good weather. This type of sheep pen was nothing more than a rough circle of rocks piled into a wall with a small open space to enter. Through it the shepherd would drive the sheep at nightfall. Since there was no gate to close—just an opening—the shepherd would keep the sheep in and wild animals out by lying across the opening. He would sleep there, in this case literally becoming the door to the sheep.
In this context, Jesus is telling us that He is not only the shepherd of the sheep, but also the door of the sheep. In doing so, He is vividly contrasting Himself with that of the religious leaders of His time whom He describes as “thieves and robbers”
John 10:8 (ESV)8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
When Jesus says, “I am the door,” He is reiterating the fact that only through Him is salvation possible. Jesus makes it clear that any religious leader who offers salvation other than the teachings of Christ is a “thief” and a “robber.”
One who believes the gospel is assured of being in “the fold” and of having entered by “the door.” As followers of Christ, Jesus is both our Shepherd and the Door to the sheepfold who provides for all our needs. Knowing that the world is full of predators whose sole intent is to destroy us.
1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We are always under His protection. More importantly, we are fully confident that “when the Chief Shepherd appears, [we] will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away”
1 Peter 5:4 (ESV)4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
There Is Only One Way to Be Free
By Rick Warren
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9 NASB).
You’ll encounter lots of doors in your life. You’ll find doors to happiness, doors to sadness, doors to success, and doors to failure. Some doors are traps, and others are opportunities.
Your success in life largely depends on which doors you decide to walk through. The Bible has a lot to say about these doors. In fact, you’ll find the word door throughout the Bible, often used as a metaphor for opportunities.
We often go through the wrong doors, or maybe we miss the right ones. But there’s one door you just can’t afford to miss: the door to freedom.
Freedom is a big deal to God. He doesn’t want you enslaved to guilt, resentment, grief, or anything else. He wants you to live free.
The biggest prisons in life aren’t physical. They’re the mental prisons in your mind. Maybe it’s a relationship you feel trapped in. Maybe it’s debt that you can’t escape.Maybe it’s a habit you can’t seem to shake. Maybe it’s a tradition that holds you back. Maybe it’s a painful memory you can’t forget.
No matter what kind of prison you’re in, you need a way out. You can’t enter the doors of opportunity God has planned for you until you walk out of the prisons that hold you back and through the door to freedom.
In John 10:9, Jesus says something really important about the door of freedom: “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved” (NASB).
Jesus doesn’t just want to show you the door to freedom. He is the door to that freedom.He is the only way to live free!
By Rick Warren
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9 NASB).
You’ll encounter lots of doors in your life. You’ll find doors to happiness, doors to sadness, doors to success, and doors to failure. Some doors are traps, and others are opportunities.
Your success in life largely depends on which doors you decide to walk through. The Bible has a lot to say about these doors. In fact, you’ll find the word door throughout the Bible, often used as a metaphor for opportunities.
We often go through the wrong doors, or maybe we miss the right ones. But there’s one door you just can’t afford to miss: the door to freedom.
Freedom is a big deal to God. He doesn’t want you enslaved to guilt, resentment, grief, or anything else. He wants you to live free.
The biggest prisons in life aren’t physical. They’re the mental prisons in your mind. Maybe it’s a relationship you feel trapped in. Maybe it’s debt that you can’t escape.Maybe it’s a habit you can’t seem to shake. Maybe it’s a tradition that holds you back. Maybe it’s a painful memory you can’t forget.
No matter what kind of prison you’re in, you need a way out. You can’t enter the doors of opportunity God has planned for you until you walk out of the prisons that hold you back and through the door to freedom.
In John 10:9, Jesus says something really important about the door of freedom: “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved” (NASB).
Jesus doesn’t just want to show you the door to freedom. He is the door to that freedom.He is the only way to live free!
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