John 10:9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
Jesus spoke of the sheepfold in the previous verses. Usually the sheepfold was
a place prepared by the shepherd for his flock wherein they could find safety
and comfort in times of storms. The shepherd would lead the flock down
the path to the sheepfold and then would take them inside where protection was
found.
Jesus refers to us as being His sheep. He is the Good Shepherd. David, a
shepherd himself, wrote of the Lord being His shepherd in the 23rd Psalm. He
spoke of the "still waters, green pastures, and paths of
righteousness" which fed his soul. You and I can identify with that
analogy as we go from day to day. We find rest for our souls as we enjoy
fellowship with the Shepherd of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In today's verses, Jesus reminds us that He is "the door", the
entrance, into this place of comfort for our souls. He tells us specifically
that He is the way to which we can find those green pastures. He is the way to
which we can find safety in the storms of life that come to us. He is our
protection. His rod beats the enemies away from us. His staff draws us back
into those paths of righteousness, for His name's sake. He gives us peace of
heart and mind. He is the joy of the Lord which is our strength.
How do we find this door of the sheepfold? He told us in the earlier verses of
this chapter: "the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by
name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice."
(John 10:3-4) The fact of the matter is that sheep tend to wander here
and there, looking for their own sustenance. We tend to wander from place to
place, trying to find contentment and satisfaction. The true contentment is
only found in following the Good Shepherd of our soul. He speaks to us. We
follow Him. He leads us to the sheepfold, or into the kingdom of Heaven, where
there is "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost".
Again, I remind us the "pasture" in this passage, to which Jesus leads
us, is not the eternal heaven where we will spend all eternity. This pasture is
found here as we go through this life. Yes in His time, the Lord will take us
from this earth to the glory world where we will spend eternity. But I am
thankful that He has "sheepfolds" prepared for us wherein we can find
rest for our weary souls. He calls us to this rest. We enter by believing His
Word, trusting His grace, and walking with Him each day.
(Psalm 23:1-3) "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
(2) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me
beside the still waters. (3) He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in
the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."