Village Gateway, Malta by Paul Collings
John 10:7
So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the gate of the sheep.
When Jesus says he is the 'gate' of the sheepfold, his listeners will be aware that God is presented as a shepherd in the Old Testament- most famously, in Psalm 23. The ideal of a good, caring shepherd is even more vivid, when we are told that the custom was for the shepherd himself to sleep crouched at the entrance of the sheepfold- in other words, the watchful shepherd was, literally, the 'gate'. We should also note that is is Jesus the Good Shepherd who calls us in and sends us our of his fold. We are also told that the sheep of his flock know and hear is voice, the voice of divine humility.
John Wesley once said, “Humility and patience are the surest proofs of the increase of love.”
Someone said that there is a church in Palestine where the door is so low that one must stoop to enter. This was to prevent medieval raiders from riding their horses into the church to disrupt the service. The door is called, "The Humility Gate." The way into God’s presence is often through the Humility Gate.
Lord, let me hear your voice, so that I may open the gate of my heart for you. Draw me to the pathways of life. May others then see me as a safe gateway leading to abundant life. Amen
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