Verse of the Day (December 5, 2019)

Verse of the Day (December 5, 2019) #BMSeminary – This is the third of seven “I am” statements of Jesus (see 6:35; 8:12). Here, he changes the metaphor slightly. While in 10:1–5 he was the shepherd, here he is the gate. While in vv. 1–5, the shepherd led the sheep out of the sheepfold, here he is the entrance to the fold (v. 9) that leads to proper pasture. This section echoes Jesus’ words in 14:6 that he is the only way to the Father. His point is that he serves as the sole means to approach the Father and partake of God’s promised salvation. As some Near Eastern shepherds slept in the gateway to guard the sheep, Jesus here pictures himself as the gate. John 10:9–10: These two verses are a proverbial way of insisting that belief in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God is the only way of being “saved” from sin and hell and receiving eternal life. Only Jesus Christ is the one true source for the knowledge of God and the one basis for spiritual security. (MacArthur Study Bible)