Door of the Sheep

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

John 10:7

Sheep herding was a poor man’s business at the time the Bible was being written. It was labor intensive, but required low capital investment. Starting with just two sheep, a flock could be built up over time and equipment was minimal. The rod and staff were nothing more than short and long sticks and the sheepfold could be made out of rocks. Israel has an abundant supply of rocks which are everywhere in the desert, so stacking them to form walls is not difficult. On the other hand, lumber to make a door and hardware to make it open and close cost money, so that was generally left off. The shepherd would sleep at the narrow entrance to the pen and would in fact become the door of the sheep.

With the shepherd at the opening, the sheep couldn’t wander away at night, but more importantly, wolves and bad guys couldn’t get in to hurt the sheep. Everything had to pass by way of the keeper of the sheep. That gave the flock a sense of security and discouraged the predators because the shepherd usually kept a camp fire going and his two sticks could poke or hit them.

As Door of the Sheep, Christ cares for and defends His flock. All the spiritual sheep must enter through the door and be recognized as a member of the flock. In the first century, flocks were generally small so shepherds could recognize their own charges and often had names for each one. Jesus knows each of His followers and interacts with every one. It is also extremely comforting to realize that nothing bad can happen to a believer that doesn’t first pass through the Savior. If Christ allows it, then the Christian can be assured that the strength and patience to overcome the trial will also be there. Jesus is more than just the Good Shepherd; He’s the Door of the Sheep.