Jesus, the Gate to Life (4th Sunday Easter A)

I had been a rector of a college seminary for six years. In those years I allowed the seminary gate to be left open most of the time until dusk to allow us to come and go freely and to welcome visitors, friends, mailman, and just anyone who had legitimate transaction with us. While the gate was left open, we did not lose anything to thieves. They did not like entering through the gate I guess. One stormy night, however, the flash flood that overflowed from the creek which passed along one side of our wall knocked it off and left an opening. Alas! It was in those days that we lost our bananas; thieves, who loved to sneak in through the wall breach, harvested them.

Still, our gate was left open most of the time. However, during the 2013 “Zamboanga Siege” which degenerated into an urban warfare and brought parts of the city into a standstill for weeks, we needed to close our gate always for security. Gates have two functions: It offers legitimate entrance for people and it ensures the security of the inhabitants.

The gospel reading today, Jn 10: 1-10, uses the image of the gate of the sheepfold in reference to Jesus. In this instance, Jesus identifies himself not as the shepherd but the gate of the sheepfold. A sheepfold is usually a circular wall of stones in an open field that houses several small flocks of sheep at night to protect them from predators and thieves. When Jesus is identified with the gate of the sheepfold, the imagery calls to mind the two functions of a gate—as legitimate entrance and as assurance of security. Let us reflect on these two aspects as applied to Jesus.

First, as legitimate entrance, it is through Jesus that any pastoral leader legitimately assumes responsibility over God’s people. “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep” (v. 1-2).

Jesus is the gate through which the shepherd approaches the sheep; Jesus is the legitimate way to God’s flock.  Leaders who do not accept Jesus and his principles, originally referring to the Pharisees and religious leaders of his time, are thieves and robbers who approach the people of God by sneaking, as it were, through the wall breach or by climbing over elsewhere. They pose a danger to the flock as they can mislead and manipulate people for their selfish interest. They come “only to steal and slaughter and destroy” (v. 10).

It is helpful to recall here that, in the latter portion of John’s gospel, Peter is being entrusted with pastoral responsibility after his encounter with the risen Lord who asked him, “Do you love me?” For each time he replied “yes” he received the instruction, “Feed my sheep.” (Jn. 21:15-17).  Any legitimate pastoral leader has to be like Peter who takes care of the flock of God out of his love for Jesus Christ. Jesus is the gate of the sheepfold through which the authentic shepherds lead their flock.

Second, as assurance of security, it is through Jesus that the flock of God can find safety and are led to abundance of life. “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” (Jn. 10: 9-10). Jesus is the gate leading to salvation. Through him the sheep come in and find protection; through him they go out and are led to green pasture. Jesus as gate offers the people of God the pasture of life. 

Our Christian life is a way of life that offers us the opportunity to live life to its fullness. Jesus is the answer to our search for meaning in life. When we are down and out discouraged by the seeming pointlessness of our journey in life, we turn to Jesus who helps us get on our feet and offers us the inspiration by which we carry on with life with zeal. When this sinful world leads us astray and away from the real fount of happiness, we turn to Jesus who leads us back to the right path where we can stumble upon the real treasure, the “pearl of great price,” the reign of God. When we are overburdened and paralyzed by our worries and useless worldly cares, we turn to Jesus who liberates us with his love which we surprisingly experience as more than sufficient for our true happiness in life.

Jesus is the gate that opens to the fullness of life.

Jesus, the gate of the sheepfold, is always open awaiting his faithful shepherds and his flock to enter through him and into his gift of life. The image of Jesus as gate invites pastoral leaders to approach their ministry through the way of Jesus Christ. They are invited to be conformed to Jesus, to be the heart of Jesus today so that their servant-leadership may be truly liberating. The image of Jesus as gate invites the faithful, the beloved flock of God, to experience the fullness of life by deepening their personal relationship with Jesus and turning to him as their refuge and living life always under his protection and blessing.