Jesus is the Gate

Jesus is often referred to as the Good Shepherd, as taken from Chapter 10 in the Gospel of John. Actually, the emphasis is on the gate and not the shepherd. John 10:9 (NIV)  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

This statement was so profound, the disciples could not grasp the meaning, and the Jewish leaders said he was raving mad. When we read it, from our Western North America culture, we may not get it either.

The sheep pen was surrounded by a stone wall. The only entrance into the sheep pen was through the gate. When the sheep were in the sheep pen they felt safe as the shepherd would be the “gate” (to the point of laying down his life) as to make sure no predator could enter. But calling himself as the “gate” also carried with it implications much more than just protection. Cities had only one way in – through the gate. Unless the authority at the gate allowed access, you could not enter. The gate then became the symbol as a place of authority, governance, and privilege. When Jesus said, He is the gate; he was saying three things to the Jews of his time, which to this day give us pause and hope. As the gate, He says, I have authority – you can’t get in unless I grant you access. At the gate, governmental authority was executed. And lastly, at the gate, privilege was extended, meaning; only those allowed in the gate had access to financial gain, (commerce in the city) social gain (opportunity of relational connections), and personal comforts that those outside the gate could not enjoy.

The Jews understood his terminology, because they understood the position the gate had in society. But were incredulous at the audacity of Jesus’ assertion. While we are far removed from the gate ethos, the truth of Jesus as the gate remains.

No one gets access to the Kingdom unless they go through the gate. When we enter through the gate (Jesus), we experience all the benefits in the Kingdom like heaven, like privileges afforded to Kingdom citizens as mentioned above, and lastly, Jesus will be our guide, protector, and provider.

This Sunday, I will be enlarging on this topic -unpacking it - so we can fully appreciate one of the greatest chapters of the Bible (John 10) and how it applies to our lives.

Sunday Celebration

We are meeting in person on Sundays at 10:30am, as well as on Facebook Live on the Kootenay Christian Fellowship Church FB Page, for those not feeling comfortable attending a public gathering. We will use best practices and accepted protocols to ensure a safe environment for all worshippers gathering with us. Our service will be short and there will be no coffee or food offered at this time. After service is over, we invite you to socialize outside the building.

We are also on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNT9GnRlN0fPZdvqmaUV_LA

Subscribe to our channel while you are there.

Looking forward to seeing you all in person or on Facebook Live on the Kootenay Christian Fellowship Church FB Page. https://www.facebook.com/kootenaychristianfellowshipnelsonbc

Jim Reimer, Pastor

October 15, 2020