In school we have the “in” crowd and the “out” crowd. Growing up you could buy magazines at the checkouts at the supermarkets that would tell you what was in and what had fallen out of fashion. Young people spent a lot of time and effort choosing to do the things that kept them in the in crowd. Most in crowds have a leader or a gatekeeper. If you can impress the gatekeeper, you were guaranteed to join the in crowd. This high school dynamic was the foundation of many a teen movie, everything from Mean Girls to Clueless incorporated this in some way. I made peace with the fact that I would never be in the in crowd because I would never be cool enough to get past the in crowd’s gatekeeper. But something odd happened to me. I moved schools in year 9 and when I joined the new school, I unexpectedly had an in with the gatekeeper at the new school. Apparently I did something during my first week of school there, that impressed him enough, that I was invited to hang out with the cool kids at recess and lunch. To this day, I don’t know what that was… But I had been out and all of a sudden I found myself with the opportunity to be in.
In our story today we meet someone who is always welcomed by the spiritual gatekeeper: The chief-shepherd Jesus. Let’s have a look.
Scripture: John 10:1-6 (ESV)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Here Jesus describes himself as a person who enters the sheepfold by the door, through the front gate. Now notice what is going on in this story. People want to get in to the sheepfold. There is a right way to get in, and a wrong way to get in. But everyone wants to get in.
The bad way, the way of the thief and a robber, is by trying to climb over the fence. Now this story is a little odd, because in the metaphor Jesus uses, people want to get into the sheepfold. Being in the sheepfold, I think in the context of the rest of the book of John, means to be in God’s family. It means being saved, being secure in God’s household. Like all metaphors the imagery works, but if you push it too far it will break. So what Jesus is saying here is that the place you want to be is inside the sheepfold. Every human being has a deep desire to be in the “in” crowd - in the crowd of those who are in a right relationship with God.
But there is only one way that sheep get in. They go through the gate, through the door. What makes sheep different from the robber? They know the shepherd’s voice. They have a relationship with the shepherd. The one who opens the door for the sheep is known to the sheep. Others try to “get in” by other means but climbing a wall doesn’t change you from a robber to a sheep. Again, remember the context of this passage. Jesus has been going toe to toe with the Pharisees and the Scribes, and they have been condemning Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. They have been arguing that salvation is by works, by keeping the law. Now Jesus says, no, you are in the in group if you know me, if you trust me, and if you follow me like sheep. Climbing the fence by trying to obey the law, still just leaves you like a robber. You don’t truly “get in” unless you go through the Jesus.
This strikes right at the core of the human heart. Because deep down we all want to be “in”. But there is really only one way in: Jesus. And how do you know you have entered in through him? Because you follow the Shepherd and know his voice. Every other way of being “in” is just another form of trying to climb over the wall.
So do you know the Shepherd’s voice?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for being our true Shepherd and the door to abundant eternal life with you. Help us to only rely on you. Amen
Spiritual Challenge:
Today, take a moment to identify one area of your life where you are relying on yourself too much. Ask God to help you trust him more in that area.
The Shepherd's Gate