Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” – John 10:7–9
He uses the imagery of a shepherd and his sheep to illustrate His relationship with those who believe in Him. For us to understand the illustration from the Lord, we must first visualize what the structure of a sheepfold is. A sheepfold had no roof, only four walls and one gate or door. Sometimes it was built next to the owner’s house; other times, it stood out in the open fields.
That single door was intentionally designed for the safety and protection of the sheep. Sheep are among the most helpless of all animals. They spend their days grazing, wandering from place to place without ever looking up, and as a result, they often become lost. Unlike other animals, sheep have no sense of direction or homing instinct. Even when the fold is within sight, they cannot find their way back on their own. By nature, they are followers, if one sheep steps off a cliff, the rest will follow without hesitation. They are easily injured and completely defenseless against predators. If a wolf enters the pen, they will not fight or flee; instead, they will huddle together, making themselves easy prey. If a sheep falls into moving water, it will drown.
Sound familiar? In many ways, we are just like sheep, wandering, vulnerable, and in desperate need of a Shepherd to guide, protect, and rescue us.
So the structure of the sheepfold was deliberately created for their safety, four walls, one door, complete protection.
In the ancient Near East, sheepfolds often had a single opening “a door or gate”, that served as both the entrance and the exit. At night, the shepherd would lay his body across that opening, protecting the sheep from harm and keeping them safe from thieves and predators. By doing this, the shepherd literally became the door. Jesus is declaring that He Himself is that Door. Just as there was only one entrance to the sheepfold, there is only one way to be saved and that through Jesus Christ. He is the Door through which we must enter to find safety, security, and salvation.
When Jesus says, “I am the Door,” He makes a bold statement about the exclusivity of salvation. Just as there is only one way into the sheep pen, there is only one way into the kingdom of God. There are many religions in the world and many supposed ways to reach God, but there is only one gate. Salvation is found in no one else except Jesus Christ. He is the gate for the sheep.
“This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter.” – Psalm 118:20
That gate is Jesus. He said the same truth again in
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” – John 14:6
These are not popular words in a diverse culture such as ours, but they remain the truth. Jesus is the one and only way to the Father. He is the Gate, and only those who enter through Christ will be saved.
Why is Jesus the only way to salvation? Because we are all sinners, and the wages of sin is death. Only Jesus offers the solution for sin.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
He died on the cross in our place, paying the penalty for our sins so that we could receive forgiveness and salvation through Him. There is no other way. As Paul writes in Galatians,
“…for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”” Galatians 2:21
But Christ did not die in vain. He died for you and I, so that we may be saved. He is the Gate for the sheep. Salvation comes through Jesus alone.
When Jesus says, “All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers,” He is referring to those who were used by satan to steal the sheep from God. Anyone who tries to enter the sheepfold by any means other than the gate is a thief and a robber. In the same way, if someone enters a house without using the door, that person is not the owner but a thief. Likewise, anyone who tries to lead God’s people apart from Christ is also a thief and a robber. How can anyone truly lead others without having fellowship with the Lord Jesus Himself? We are all followers of Jesus, and as you and I continue to follow Him daily, Anyone we invited into the Kingdom of God , We all led them to follow Jesus, not us, but Him. Because He is the Gate for the sheep. Salvation comes through Jesus alone.
In context, the Lord Jesus was speaking about the Pharisees, who were also spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins. They tried to offer people spiritual life apart from Him. But how can anyone lead others to salvation without first recognizing their own sin and their need for a Savior? How can we offer direction to someone who is lost when we ourselves are lost as well? Jesus said,
“Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?” – Luke 6:39,
Remember, one of the defining characteristics of sheeps is that they only listen to their shepherd voice. Just as the sheep spend their days listening to their shepherd’s voice as he speaks to them, guides them, and cares for their needs, they come to know his voice because they hear it every day. In the same way, those who truly know God and seek after Him will not listen to anyone who tries to lead them away from Jesus. But those who listen to false teachers show that they do not belong to God’s flock.
In ancient Israel, shepherds often mixed their flocks together at night. In the morning, each shepherd would call out, and his sheep would follow his voice, because they recognized it. Even today, Middle Eastern shepherds can separate their flocks simply by calling them. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice because they hear it daily. Likewise, those who truly belong to Christ recognize His voice through His Word and Spirit.
When Jesus says, “If anyone enters by Me,” we are reminded that God is sovereign, yet He never uses His sovereignty to control or dominate us. Instead, He always gives us a choice. He extends an open invitation to everyone, it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, or what you’ve done. God wants each of us to decide whether to accept His offer of salvation or not. This is a promise of salvation for anyone who is willing to enter. But notice, there is an action required on our part. We must enter through the Door. We have to take that step of faith, an active faith that responds to His call.
Then the Lord goes on to say: “He will come in and go out, and find pasture”. Some people get confused about this part of the illustration. If Jesus is the gateway to salvation, what does He mean by “going in and out through the gate”? Is He talking about gaining and losing salvation?
Does the purpose of the pen is to keep the sheep safe and protected, not to trap them inside. Do the sheep ever go out without their shepherd? Of course not.
“Coming in and going out” does not refer to eternal life but to the quality of life we experience through Christ. It is not a picture of gaining and losing salvation, but of freedom in Him. “Coming in” represents the safety and rest the sheep experience when they enter the fold for the night, while “going out” represents our daily walk with Him, this is where our training happens. It’s where He teaches us to recognize His voice, to trust His guidance, and to follow His lead.
As the psalmist wrote,
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters” Psalm 23:2
The Lord doesn’t just offer us salvation to secure our eternity; He also gives us peace, provision, and guidance in our daily lives. Salvation is not only about being rescued from sin, it’s about being led into a life of abundance in His presence.
Jesus said,
…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundant – John 10:10.
Because when we come to the LORD Jesus for salvation, He doesn’t stop at forgiving our sins; He also restores our relationship with the Father and fills our lives with His goodness.
Think about it, what loving Father would delight in seeing His children, who have accepted His salvation, live in pain, lack, or constant fear? Of course not. Our Heavenly Father is a good, good Father. He loves His children and desires what is best for them. Because He is good, He will never give us anything that will harm us or lead us away from Him. Even when He allows trials to come, they are never meant to destroy us but to give us hope and future.
Today, Jesus is inviting you to enter through His Door.
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