I AM – The Gate

Greetings Dear Reader,

John 8:7-10 “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”’

In the first century when a shepherd penned in his sheep for the night he slept in the opening to the pen.  He became the gate that kept the sheep in place.  He served as the protection from things outside and reassurance for the sheep inside.

We get into one of the hard things about follow Christ.  This is one of times where Jesus is explaining his purpose.  Jesus is the gate to the Father.  He is here to bring us abundant life.  He is here to be our access to the Father. 

We get to our time with the Father and our sustenance through Christ.  We come and go in our daily lives by his grace and provision.  Jesus is the gate through which we enter all of this.

In an era where we are encouraged to coexist and be tolerant of other faiths we see that Jesus claims to be the gate through which we must enter.  This claim will become clearer later.  I know it is arrogant and raises many questions.  It is, however, clear that Jesus claims to be the path to the Father.  He claims to be the gate. 

As a follower of Christ I cannot deny this and be honest.  I also cannot deny that Christ’s followers often do a poor job of reflecting the necessary humility in this arrogance.  In fact we fail to show the necessary humility in most things.  If I have the only answer then I must live it and earn the right to speak it.

To do anything else is to harm the message I carry.  I will fail and fall.  I must learn and rise.  I will not always understand so I must abide in faith.  It is in following closely that I can find rest when it is time inside the sanctuary where Christ is the gate.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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