A Break in Gone Wrong
About three years ago, in Chicago, there was an attempted break-in at a local restaurant & bar. Thankfully the burglar was unable to break in & steal anything, but the front door was damaged in his attempt. That morning, when the owners came in to work & saw that there had been a break in attempt, they were confused as to why nothing had been stolen. The burglar had broken the lock on the door but he never entered. So they went to watch the security footage to see exactly what had happened. What they discovered left them laughing. For seven minutes on video, the criminal is pulling as hard as he can on the door trying to get it open. Finally he gives up & walks away. The reason this is so funny to the store owners is because there’s a sign on that same door that clearly reads, “PUSH!”
So kids, the moral of the story is that brute strength is no match for literacy. Stay in school!
We live in a world that is consumed with safety & security.
I was listening to the radio as they were preparing for the presidential inauguration. Someone was being interviewed about security for the inauguration & they said some 20,000 people were involved in security. Of course the Secret Service was running point, but everyone from the coast guard to the military to local law enforcement were involved in keeping everyone safe on Friday.
We are consumed not just with public safety, but also with personal security. It’s estimated that American’s will spend $34.46 billion on Home Security this year.
Not only that, but now more than ever we’re interested in cyber security, in internet security. I read this week that the average U.S. company of 1,000 employees or more spends $15 million a year battling cybercrime.
We spend untold amounts of money on products & services every year in an effort to make things more safe. We’re very interested in anything that offers to protect us.
Jesus, the Gateway to God
People have always longed for safety & security & its into this kind of world that we hear Jesus’ words today when He says, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.” John 10.7
[Tweet ““I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.” John 10.7”]What? What does that mean? What is Jesus talking about when he says “I am the gate for the sheep?”
Admittedly, this is a strange statement. Especially for those of you, like me, who have zero experience with sheep.
To those Jesus was talking to, this made sense, because Jesus was talking to a group of people who knew something about shepherds & sheep. The idea is simple enough for us to understand. In those days, a shepherd would corral his sheep for the night. If he was in or around town this might be in a literal sheep pen made to keep the sheep together. If he was out in the country, so to speak, then he might use some stones to create a circle pen for the sheep, or he might use some natural enclosure to corral the sheep. But whatever the case, the shepherd himself would lay at the entrance to the sheep pen. In a very literal way, he became both the gate & the way through the gate.
In other words, Jesus is saying right here in this moment… I’m your security. I’m your safe place. I’m the gate & the gatekeeper.
[Tweet “Jesus is both the gate & the way through the gate!”]Then Jesus says…
“All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10.8-10
These guys, these religious leaders, have made very strict rules about who has access to God. They’ve made it very difficult for anyone to join the club they’re in. They had restricted access. They are the thieves & robbers, making it hard for people to get to God!
They had come up with 633 legalistic laws they had drawn out from the law of Moses & told people that in order to be right with God, in order to be saved, you had to keep these 633 laws. They had completely misunderstood why God had given them these laws in the first place. God gave them the law of Moses for their good & for His glory. They were designed to set them apart as the people of God so they could be a light to all the nations about the glory of God. They were never designed to be a gate to get certain people in or keep certain people out.
Jesus comes & He says, I am the gate. And the gate is open. Anyone who comes through me will be saved!
All throughout John’s gospel up to this point, Jesus is demonstrating that things are changing. That anyone who comes to Him can enter into the Good Life, regardless of how perfectly or imperfectly they’ve keep the Law.
6 Ways Jesus Reconnects People to God in John
The 12: He’s called together 12 guys to be his disciples & the truth is, they were the rejects. They weren’t good enough to be any other Rabbi’s disciples, but Jesus picks them! One of them is even a known tax collector. The lowest of the low. He’s drawn together this rag tag band of disciples from their former lives & is showing them daily what the Good Life looks like.
The Samaritan Woman: He’s spent time talking with a woman from Samaria. That’s equivalent to a double sin at that time. Jews don’t talk to samaritans & Rabbi’s don’t talk to women. But Jesus talks to her & as a result, she believes in Jesus. And she becomes the first gospel evangelist. And her entire town is saved!
The Official’s Son: He’s reportedly healed the son of a government official. His son was sick & dying & with a word Jesus performs a long distance miracle & heals him! If Jesus is Messiah then He is supposed to be overthrowing the government, not healing their kids!
The Temple: He’s caused chaos in the temple courts, turning over tables & driving out businessmen. They had turned it into a “den of thieves.” Jesus said this is to be a place of prayer. They were restricting access to the temple of God for people who wanted to worship God.
The Woman Caught in Adultery: He stood up for a woman caught in adultery. She should have been killed but he stopped it, defying the law of Moses. Jesus takes her side & says that even she is welcome in His presence.
The Lamb of God: John the Baptist even calls Jesus the Lamb of God. Why? The lamb was an offering that stood between people & God to make atonement for sin. John the Baptist says, Jesus is that Lamb. He stands between you & God!
The list goes on, but you get the idea. Jesus is stepping into situation after situation where life has gone wrong & He’s giving people access to God through Himself!
Opening the Gates for People to Get to God
I’m convicted that at the heart of this passage is the idea that the religious people had become so good at keeping people out of the presence of God. And now Jesus is saying all through John’s gospel but explicitly here — It’s time to open the gate & grant people entrance into the presence of God. As followers of Jesus, maybe we need to turn our focus from who we can keep out to who we can invite in.
Because Jesus is the gateway to the good life.
[Tweet “Jesus is the gateway to the good life. “]Maybe you or someone you know is just like that guy who was trying to get into the store. He was pulling as hard as he could on that door. But all he had to do was read the sign, PUSH the door, & he could have freely gone in. Here’s what I know: Jesus is the gateway to the Good Life. So come in.
Come in.
Come in.
