Tuesday, February 21, 2006
John 10:7-10
“Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.
What is the function of the gate? The gate is meant to protect. It is also for demarcating or segregating something etc.
Sheep listen to shepherds. They do not follow a stranger’s voice. They only recognize their master’s voice and follow their master.
So why does Jesus say he is the gate?
Jesus protects us, his sheep, from evil, from danger. He splits up the good and the evil. He segregates the sheep from the vices beyond the gate.
The sheep in turn listen to the shepherd. They do not listen to the thieves and robbers. Thieves and robbers come to our daily lives as friends around us who are a threat to us. Temptations seem sweet at the moment and we just want to reach out and grab it. If a sheep does that, then the sheep has lost its identity. For a sheep follows only its shepherd.
A sheep trains and tunes itself to the shepherd. Likewise, we too must tune ourselves to our shepherd, Jesus. We must pray constantly and incessantly as St. Paul tells us. Our lives are a gift. We must learn to choose wisely the paths we take. Always focus on Jesus. And if we have lost sight of him, keep finding him. He is just there, open your eyes and see. Never blame him for not being there. Pause for a while and ask yourself, who left?
Jesus continues again, I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pastures.
Jesus stresses again that he is the gate. Without the gate, all is lost. He keeps the sheep together.
And the addition, whoever enters through me…………
Jesus means that he is the pillar on which everything stands. Through him, with him, in him, lies all the goodness. He says “enters” first. This means we have to come to him first and filled with goodness. Then when we go out after we have come to him, all is good too. There we shall find comfort and rest. sheep depend on pasture for food. So must we depend on the gifts of God for sustenance. But remember first the giver, not the gift.
Jesus then speaks about thieves. Like it is said earlier, thieves and robbers are those vices around us. Living or non-living. They are a threat to us. They may seem good to us, but the intention and outcome is always negative. It’s not always easy to move away from the negative things around us. But remember the gate. Stay behind the gate, the gate will help and protect you.
And this concludes, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” With Jesus in our lives, we are great. What more can we have better than the one who is the author of life himself?
Let us reflect.
Amen.
Feel Lonely @Tuesday, February 21, 2006
