The Gate

Gates are essential. They are the opening in a fence that allows people and animals to come and go. Failure to fasten a gate securely can lead to tragic outcomes. Gates can be fastened by heavy chains and locks, formal latches, or a simple as a loop of wire. Urban gates keep people out of dangerous areas or plush communities. Almost always, gates serve to protect whatever or whoever is inside them.

 

When Jesus called himself, "the gate for the sheep" he gave us a surprisingly intimate glimpse of his care for us. In biblical times, shepherds drove their sheep through wilderness areas to market or to greener environs. When it grew dark, they sought a way to secure the sheep from predators and from their own tendency to run headlong into danger. Since there were no wire pens out there, they would look for rock formations that formed appropriate sized box canyons. The shepherd would stand at the opening to the canyon and call the sheep to safety. (Remember, "My sheep know my voice.")The sheep would pass between the shepherd's legs as he touched each one, calling them by name. Literally the gate, the one way in to safety, the shepherd showed intimate care for the sheep, expressing his special fondness for each one.

 

As you travel through the wilderness of this life, your shepherd is there to guide and protect you. When darkness gathers, he calls your name. Other voices compete and lie about the danger, the purpose of your life, and your identity. Spiritual maturity is about tuning out the lies and heeding the call of the Shepherd, our gate. He is trustworthy, laying down his life for us. He loves the flock and, very importantly for you and me, he loves each one with a special fondness.

 

"Therefore Jesus said again, 'Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.'" John 10:7

The Good Shepherd

When I first felt drawn to Western Colorado, Mary and I came out in the Fall to visit the valley we would later call home. As we drove from Gunnison to Montrose, a favorite memory we often recall is the sight of shepherds driving sheep through green pastures and glowing red oaks under the robin-egg-blue Colorado sky. I have since learned that Spanish shepherds were among the first settlers here.

Shepherds have always lived solitary lives with minimal accommodations. As with any profession, some are more dedicated to the sheep than others. Jesus loved to use the analogy of sheep and shepherds and called himself the "good shepherd." He knew that some shepherds were not invested in the sheep while others would literally lay down their lives for the flock. The analogy was not lost on his listeners. Sheep and shepherds were an integral part of their culture.

When he described a hired hand who would abandon the sheep when danger arose, his listeners would have known that he was referring to some religious leaders who loved the position and prestige they enjoyed, but did not love the people they were supposed to shepherd. In stark contrast, Jesus was saying that his commitment to them was as serious as life and death. He promised that he would lay down his life for them.


¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Eventually these words would prove prophetic. He did indeed lay down his life for our sakes. Religious leaders (consorting with other politicians) turned out to be the wolves who took him down but, he was clear that nothing happened to him that was not in the plan. He was not surprised and he was not their victim. Something else was going on, a spiritual battle--with eternal consequences--between good and evil. For a moment in time, it appeared that evil had triumphed over him--until his resurrection.

He is still the good shepherd. Having laid down his life, he continues to care for his flock of followers, resting us in green pastures, leading us beside quiet waters, restoring our souls. His commitment to us already proven, he will be true to his promise to keep us. If you are lost, he will not rest until you are found. Once he has ahold of you, no one can snatch you out of his hand.

If you have been a Christian for a long time, maybe you take these words for granted. Why not pause and reflect on the good Shepherd who cradles you tightly to his chest. While the call of the good Shepherd's voice is sometimes dangerous, in the end, there is no safer place to be.

Hungry Shepherds

 

Shepherds must be dear in God’s heart. They certainly have a special place in his book. Jesus described himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. Secure in the crook of his arm, he declares that no man can snatch them away. Many of us are used to the beautiful paintings of Jesus, strong and tender, watching the flocks or carrying a lost lamb back to the fold.

The realities of being a shepherd were far from lovely. They lived apart from the cities, those who did not fit in. No doubt about it, they smelled like the sheep they cared for. Uneducated, not considered the portals of God’s news by anyone around them, yet they were the ones God chose to receive the great news.  Of all people—shepherds were the first to hear the announcement of the birth of Jesus. Another in a series of paradoxes, the good news of great joy came to those at the bottom of the social structure of their time.

“⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2:8-15 New International Version (NIV)

Born to uneducated teenage parents in an out of the way town they did not live in, a birth of questionable circumstances, in a stable, a manger for a bed. Then came this announcement to social misfits in the middle of nowhere. Today, the births of princes are photographed, bathed in beautiful light, everyone scrubbed clean and airbrushed, so easy to love. But when God came close to us, he did so in a particularly unattractive place and in the most unexpected way.

Mary hinted at God’s surprising ways in her response to the angel who told her she would give birth to the Son of God: “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away hungry”( Luke 1:53).

Not far away, priests lay in their warm soft beds, satisfied with their own piety and proud of their knowledge and positions. They were full of themselves. Too full, perhaps, to hear the word of the Lord. The shepherds, hungry and cold in the night, eyes searching the heavens as they had so many times before, looking and listening for God knows what, were filled that night. We know they received the word because of their response—“Let’s go see!”

When the baby became a man, he taught the principles of an inverted kingdom–blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled. There are many ways of being full of ourselves these days. Educated, affluent, comfortable in our soft beds, distracted by a million shiny objects, we risk missing what God wants to say to us. Our lives are not about these comforts or accomplishments but, are meant to be about a relationship with the Prince of Peace. Are you hungry for him? He longs to fill you.