Sermons

Love the Gospel of John! love these I am sayings, the miracles, getting to know Jesus from his best friend on earth.
Today we are looking at “I am the Gate” – apt as we are the Gateway!

Let’s read John 10:1-10
Chapter before Jesus had already said I am the light of the world and earthed it to bringing light. to a blind man’s eyes. The Pharisees think they are the gatekeepers of  God’s people and are miffed at what Jesus has done. Now in this chapter Jesus takes some earthy sheep and shepherd imagery to let them know he’s the only Gatekeeper now!

He starts of talking about the need for going through the gate to get to the flock and then shifts tack because they don’t understand to more than that Jesus is the gate.

Let’s dig in with the help of Kenneth Bailey who used to live in the Middle East as spoke to modern shepherds using the ancient practices and researched the old stuff in his super book The Good Shepherd.

Most families kept sheep for their wool and their meat. Middle Eastern sheep are usually less fluffy that the ones we know. When I went to Niger in West Africa a flock of sheep and goats went past and I couldn’t tell the difference – which explains a different saying by Jesus – but I digress!

So in a village, people either kept their few sheep in a stable that was part of the house or in a communal sheepfold. Stone wall with thorns or broken glass rendered into the top to deter thieves. One of the teens in town would get to be the gatekeeper. In the morning the various shepherds would come to the gate to their little flock. They’d arrive at the door like shepherds do. They’d greet the gatekeeper and call out their sheep. A “Good morning Josiah, It’s David, I’m ready to go!” would guarantee the door gets opened quickly.

Thieves or robbers (the word there is a gang of robbers) would come in the night and climb over the wall – to steal sheep, kill them and destroy them by eating them.

Back to our shepherd. He stands in the street and gives his unique call – Haa, Haa Tao Tao – means Hey Hey come on out, come on out! The sheep wouldn’t understand the words, but they know the voice.
Lets try it Haa, Haa, tao, tao!

Kenneth Bailey talked to a middle eastern shepherd about how they learned to hear the shepherds voice

Avedis Boynerian explained that the new sheep needed to be listen to the new voice. Early each morning the flock starts to get excited, because they have had nothing to eat for fourteen hours or more. In addition to being hungry they are restless from being cooped up all night. As daylight increases, they gradually become more and more active and eager. Finally they hear the shepherd's voice outside the barred sheepfold door. As soon as the door is opened by a member of the family, the shepherd calls the animals again and they rush out eagerly anticipating a new day full of lush grass, fresh mountain air, shady trees and rest beside peaceful waters. But for the unfortunate new sheep the voice (or the call) is wrong. It cannot go to the party! “What happens to that poor animal?” I asked. “It has a temporary nervous breakdown,” replied Avedis as he carefully explained that the new sheep runs around and around banging its head against the rough stone walls of the sheepfold emitting a stream of pitiful, heartbreaking cries. It needs a few days of therapy” to retrain its ear to recognize the voice of the new shepherd.

verse 3 the sheep hear his voice! It’s part of inheritance as Christians that we can know and hear God for ourselves. We get to learn God’s voice, his words – and his timbre
I thought it was fascinating the sheep recognise the timbre of God’s voice. The tone
Some “teachers” can quote the Bible but it sounds pretty angry and harsh – The Pharisees were like that. Jesus came with grace and truth.  There’s a winsomeness to the way Jesus speaks.

the other thing to note is the shepherd leads them out – he’s in front and the follow – he’s not got a big stick from behind beating them. He speaks, they hear, recognise his voice and follow.

Verse 4 when his sheep have come out they follow him. So you can imagine all the village shepherds collecting their flocks – like rush hour with sheep! They keep following their own shepherd’s call, he even calls them by name.
god calls you by name. you’re not just another number, or bottom on a seat. He has called you by name. Maybe you are just investigating Christianity or maybe you are a prodigal returning. It’s important you get to hear Jesus’ voice as he calls to you.
Never more so that with all the different voices of teachers out there calling you to follow them.
Learn daily to hear God’s voice, the tone and timbre of what He is calling to you – from the Scriptures here and through other ways he communicates. Keep checking whether it lines up with the Bible.
Back in Jesus day, there where the Qumran sectarians, the high priestly guild in the Temple, the scribes andPharisees with their more and more precise interpretations of the law.The Hellenists trying to change the faith to fit the culture the Herodians in bed with Rome, Zealots trying to start an insurgency and the Sadducees being generally miserable.
Jesus is telling them – the Pharisees aren’t the Shepherds, they are not the gatekeepers of the faith, they are a strangers voice, the flock should follow their voice.

Verse 6 – they didn’t get it. It may well be the townie Pharisees and Jews didn’t have any experience of the villages a few miles away where every family had a small flock. So he changes the metaphor slightly. And we come to the I am saying.

Once the flock is out of the village – they are being led by quiet waters, to sweet pastures. Note if you are following a voice that seems harsh and heavy  – where there’s no quiet waters and sweet pastures in the bustle of life. You may be listening to the wrong voice.

Out on the hills, there were sheepfolds again for night time – some were permanent walled structures with one open, and some made of wood and thorns again with one opening. You can imagine the shepherds having to lead their flocks further and further to sweet pasture. So they made sheepfolds so they could stay out where the good pasture is.
Tau Tau. They listen to his voice and follow. He’s in front and they want to follow Him to good pasture, nice water!
When they rest he leads them into a sheepfold. And then he seats at the opening, because the shepherd is the gate, protecting the flock and being the entry point to go in and out.
So Jesus says I am the Gate – I am the gatekeeper not the legalists!
There is only one way in, through Him.

These next verses are one of those chiasms, where there are parallel phrase leading to the key point in the middle not the end.  Look at the slide

Thieves and robbers bring death. But Jesus brings life, abundant life.
Think about sin, it has a fleeting pleasure, but it brings death. The devil’s strategy is to steal, kill and destroy. Just like the sheep stealers, who steal a sheep, kill it to butcher it and destroy it leaving no traces.
Jesus is the shepherd who is the gate – he is the only way to be saved. He is the one in whom we go in and out to pasture. He is the one who provides safety and security in the wilderness.

Go in and out to find pasture tells of both freedom and sustenance. The shepherd doesn’t keep the sheep in wire cages in barns. Salvation is freedom to go in and out and find pasture.
By late summer the shepherd has taken them to where there is still pasture.

Kenneth Bailey again
Verse 10 brings the image of the murderous thief to its ultimate expression, as previously noted. This rhetorical piece is not just a picture of a beautiful valley with grass waving in the breeze and a bright sun bringing warmth and light to a tranquil herd grazing contentedly with the good shepherd resting confidently nearby. The thief is not forgotten. Some in every age have managed to turn the sacred foundations of faith into a powerful force that energizes death and mayhem. Jesus wants no part of such things.

Jesus says have come that you may have life and life abundantly!
So we get the choice – which voice do you want to listen too?
The enemy has his whispers of pleasure, that in the end are only fleeting and lead to death.James 1tells us that temptation lures us with desire and when that desire conceives and give birth to sin, sin full grown leads to death.
You see it with drug, alcohol and gambling addictions – they all want more and more and only give death.

Or we listen to Jesus’ voice Haa, haa, Tao, Tao. Hey there come on out – come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened.

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

I love how this passage shows Jesus as a kind and loving shepherd leading us and protecting us from evil people and as we will see next week – wolves too!