HILLFAITH STUDIES: Jesus’ Third Great I AM Claim – ‘The Door of the Sheep’

What would you say to a man who told you he is the door of the sheep? Note that he does not say “a” door, but rather “the” door. Not one of many doors the sheep can use but the only door for them.

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That’s what Jesus says of Himself at John 10:7-10. It’s not the most famous of His great “I Am” claims, perhaps but John 10:7-10 succinctly explains who He is and what He does for the sheep in His view:

“So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:7-10.

C.S. Lewis famously said any man who claims to be God is either a lunatic on par with one who claims to be a poached egg, or he is exactly what He claims to be, the creator of the universe and everything in it. Lewis could as easily have said on par with a man who claims to be a door. For the sheep.

And who are these sheep He mentions? That would be us, you and me, plus every human being alive today, tomorrow, or at any other time since Day One.

Jesus actually makes three extraordinary claims about Himself in this particular passage, each of which is remarkable in and of itself. If we assume Jesus is not indeed a lunatic — and trust me, lunatics don’t perform miracles like Jesus did in the preceding chapter when He healed a man’s blindness — then He must be speaking metaphorically.

What does a door do? It controls who goes in and out, who gains access to a certain place. So this is Jesus’ first claim about Himself in this passage, that He is the one who controls who goes in and out.

But … of where? It is the place where whoever goes in by Him finds “pasture.” For sheep, pasture means life. If sheep are assured of pasture, they are able to live and grow, to multiply and thrive as sheep are intended to do. This is His second claim about Himself.

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And pasture with controlled access means security. Another word for security is “saved.” That is His third claim about Himself in this amazing passage. He is the place where those who are admitted by Him can enjoy, as He describes it, “life and have it abundantly.”

It is vital to understand the wider context in which Jesus makes these claims about Himself.

In the preceding chapter 9, He healed a man who had been born blind. Read the entire chapter 9 because it is among the most amazing passages in the New Testament. It ends with Jesus accepting the formerly blind man’s worship of Him as the Messiah, the Son of Man, his Savior.

John then opens chapter 10 by contrasting Jesus as the door to the sheep pen over against the religious and political leaders of the day who reject Him, who enter the sheep pen by any other means.

They are robbers and thieves who come only to deceive and kill the sheep. Jesus is life, they are death. And don’t forget, they represent both themselves literally and all of the things of this world that we try to substitute for Him, like money, fame, political power, celebrity and much else.

So the question becomes: Are you following Him or the robbers and thieves?