12 Mar. Jesus - the door to life in all its fullness
"Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, the person who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The one who guards the door opens it for him. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd.'"
"'He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he brings all his sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger. They will run away from him because they don't know his voice.'"
"Jesus told the people this story [parable], but they did not understand what it meant."
"So Jesus said again, 'I tell you the truth, I am the door for the sheep. All the people who came before me were thieves and robbers. The sheep did not listen to them.'"
"'I am the door, and the person who enters through me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life - life in all its fullness.'"
(John 10:1-10)
This is another story/parable about the Kingdom of God. We could easily call it 'the parable of the Kingdom of God'. If we remember it's all about how to enter the kingdom of God, it's easier to grasp the full meaning of Jesus's words.
The sheepfold (a small enclosure made out of dry-stone walling with a narrow gap or 'door' at the entrance) stands for the kingdom of God; the sheep are God's people, and Jesus is the shepherd who leads the sheep out into the real world. Those who live in the kingdom of God follow Jesus's voice and obey his commands. He leads them into "life in all its fullness".
But there are evil people who try to steal the sheep - to tempt people out of God's kingdom. They do this by subtle means akin to climbing over the low walls of the sheepfold. Today, people are 'stolen' from following Jesus's words by the endless violence shown on TV and in films, by the mind-distorting effects of alcohol and drugs, and by the constant temptation of needless and selfish purchases from online retailers and high street stores.
So what is our 'pasture'? How do we 'feed' on God's word? When he was tempted in the desert for 40 days and nights during what we now remember and celebrate as 'Lent', Jesus said, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
Only by 'devouring' Jesus's words, as we read them regularly in the Bible, can we hear the voice of our 'shepherd' and allow God to be the king in our lives.
The photo (by Doron) shows a Yörük shepherd leading his flock at Ala DaÄŸlar, in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey.
You can read more about the 'good shepherd' @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/the-parable-of-the-prodi…/