1 “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. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
Jesus the Good Shepherd 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 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. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
In this passage, Jesus presents a great paradoxical metaphor: that He is at the same time the Shepherd Who leads and also the door that He leads through. On top of the the physical impossibility for all finite things of being two things at once, the metaphor also shows Him to lead us to Himself. To those who hear his voice, He is the Shepherd who leads to pasture (heaven). He leads us to the door, which is Himself (vs 7). As the door, He is the Way through which we can enter heaven, but unless He calls us and leads us, we cannot get there of our own volition. He drew me to Himself, not because of anything I've done, but only because of His unwarrented mercy. Praise be to God!
4 comments:
will you use larger font, please?
Made it Large for ya... I thought you got contacts for a reason. :)
One explanation for the paradox you discribe is the common practice of shepherds in the time and place where Jesus originally spoke. Sheepfolds were not always fenced or walled areas that sheep farmers use today; some now , believe that mideastern shepherd would lead their sheep into a small mountain canyon or crevice, using the steep natural walls for protection. A good shepherd would then camp in the opening to this natural corral, thereby making himself the "door". There he could protect the sheep from attack, and prevent their wandering off.
Where shepherds did employ a manmade structure, it was very rudimentary, and a self-sacrificing shepherd still guarded/stayed in the entryway... He was both the leader and the door.
I think that your paradox is resolved with improved understanding of ancient agricultural engineering. You should have been raised on a farm. Even so, I think that your observations are valid.
What does the metaphor of the door mean? This may be one of those "cultural context" things. It depends upon which side of the door you are looking at:
- Threat or safety?
- Obstacle or pro?
- Inclusion or exclusion?
- Beloved or rejected?
- Wolf or sheep?
Personally, I love the door. But I know that others don't.
Tell me -- does Jesus love everyone the same? Did He give his life for everyone equally?
Babbler~
"You should have been raised on a farm." Stinking parents, why did they have to be so progressive?! :)
Thanks for giving more insight to cultural understanding of this text. Seeing how a "good shepherd would then camp in the opening to this natural corral, thereby making himself the 'door'" makes the image a lot more tangible.
The underlying theme of this story is Christ's provision in bringing those He calls into His kingdom. He seeks us out, He calls us, He leads us, He makes the way possible/safe/sure for us. It's all about Him and what He does. We are just the sheep, who, according to Babe are very stupid creatures. The question then comes, that If one can not come to Christ unless the Father draws him, then what does that mean about all those who never come to Christ? That means that God did not draw them. God is a God who chooses, from calling out Abraham, to the Israelites, and to His children under Christ. Paul, in Romans 9, states "before the twins were born or had done anything, good or bad - in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works, but by Him who calls - she was told 'the older shall serve the younger.' Just as it is written: 'Jacob I loved and Esau I hated.'" Our Lord in His sovereignty chose "before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4) those on whom He would show mercy. He died for the elect, because if he died for everyone, then why is everyone not saved? One then would have to question the sufficiency of His sacrifice. Clearly it was not "finished (tetelestai)" on the cross if there are people, for whom Christ died, that are not saved.
As you said, which side of the door you are on will determine how you feel about that door. 1 Cor 1 :18 - "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are parishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." The fact that He chose me and not others is so incredibly humbling, because one thing that I do know is that He did not choose me because I earned it. The increasing knowledge of His sovereign election makes one increasingly humble and thankful (maybe two of the reasons He chose to ordain salvation this way and not of our own choice?).
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