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Tedd Pullano
Ogden 05-14-2017
To understand today’s passage, it is helpful to understandthat during the time of Jesus, during the evening, the shepherds would bring the sheep down from the hills to protect them at night when the wolves and mountain lions were hunting their prey. At night, the shepherds would gather their sheep together and lead them into large pens called sheepfolds. These sheepfolds, or sheep pens, had large walls which were made out of rocks. The walls of the sheep pens were about five feet high. On the top of the four stone walls were briars or prickly branches. These briars or prickly branches would be used for the crown of thorns on Good Friday. The shepherds put the prickly briars along the top of the wall, so it was like our barbed wire today on the top of walls. The result of all of this is that the mountain lions and wolves couldn’t get inside the sheep pen.
Now, the door way was about two feet wide. Not wide at all. It was a small entry. It was like one small gap in the wall. And do you know what was the door made out of? This is crucial. Wood? Wool? Stones? Sticks? Leather? Linen? What was the door made out of? That is the key to the story.
There was no door. The shepherdhimself was the door. At night, the shepherd himself would sleep there in the small opening of the rock wall. He would sleep there, by the fire, with his rod and staff. If any mountain lion would come, the shepherd would fight it off with his weapons, his short stocky club or his long pointed staff. Literally and actually, the shepherd himself was the door.
John 10:1-10
10‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Invitation
It seems like each week I get a fair amount of invitations. There are invitations to events, invitations to buy things, invitations to get new credit cards, invitations to meet with people. There are invitations by mail, e-mail, Facebook, by telephone. Most of them I choose to ignore because they hold little to no value for me; so I choose not to spend my time and energy pursuing them. There are some, however, that I choose to accept. Some are interesting and hold great promise. When one of you contacts me and invites me to meet, especially when it involves food, I get very excited – that is an invitation I accept readily. When a family member or a friend has a party or gathering and invites me, I accept. All of those invitations have such great promise – both for me and hopefully for the person who invited me. I am assuming that you get those kinds of invitations each week as well – the good and the bad. And if the invitation is engaging and promising and exciting, you’dprobably choose to accept it and just ignore the others.
In thinking aboutthe gospel of John, if there is one thing itis, it’s an invitation. An invitation to choose Jesus – to follow him and to know about him and to be filled with the abundant life. Much about the way it is written makes it an invitation which makes sure everyone knows that we all should follow Jesus because he is the way, the truth and the life – that Jesus is the door, the entryway, the gate to the abundant life and. I feel like this message is summarized at the end of his gospel in chapter 20 when John writes: 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. Throughout this gospel John is almost trying to prove who Jesus is. Hedescribes things such as signs and miracles Jesus does. He also uses everyday common things such as sheep and bread and doors, to explain that Jesus is the One; that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh – that it is inJesus that our salvation(not just later in “heaven” but today) and abundant, fulfilled life rests. John is helping us, through these everyday things, to connect more fully with Jesus.
In John’s gospel, we hear Jesus tell us repeatedly: “I am the way; I am the way the truth and the life; I am the resurrection and the life; I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly”. Friends, John wants you to accept Jesus' invitation to follow him and by following him to have the abundant life. John wants you to believe and follow so that you have life – Jesus’ life – the abundant life. Just let that sink in. John’s witness here is that if we believe in Jesus and follow him we will have the abundant life. That is important and central to John’s gospel. Believe, trust and follow Jesus – the gate, the entry point into a life of fullness.
And in today’s passage John reaffirms this as he tells us that Jesus is that gate, that door, that entryway to that abundant life. As I explained before reading the Scripture this morning, when Jesus refers to himself as the gate, he has this vivid image of himself as the shepherd who stands in the doorway of the place of peace and safety, himself actually being the gate or the door – he is the door that leads to the safety and peace – in other words it is by following him that we can enter into that abundant life. By saying this, Jesus is telling us:“I am the door. I am the door to God’s house. I am the door to God’s happiness and peace. I am the door to God’s love. I am the door to the abundant life, the door to the banquet, the door to the feast. I am the door to peace and pasture. I am the door to the fullness of life. I am literally the door into the safety and security of the sheep pen and the door out to the green pastures and the abundant life and feasting that goes on in those pastures.” You cannot get there any other way. Jesus says unmistakably, I am thegate, the door. If you want wholeness, strength, peace: I am the way, the gate to all that. Come, follow me.
Do you get that? Does that make sense; does it hit home, stick to your bones, lodge in your soul? Are you hearing what Jesus is saying? Jesus is issuing an invitation – an open invitation to everyone – an invitation to experience and be part of something incredible – something powerful. I hope you hear it and feel it. I hope that wherever you are, you know that Jesus stands at the door to abundant life, to whole life, and invites you in where his Holy Spirit offers you peace and fulfillment.
Now, a question that has been haunting me all week is this: we all have different ways to understand the “abundant life.” So think for a minute: how do you understand the “abundant life?” What does that look like for you? I think it may be different for each of us– healing of our spirits, wholeness, forgiveness, peace, strength, hope, healing of some sort. As you sit there this morning, what is the abundant life for you? I don't think the abundant life is about stuff or money or that kind of thing. I didn't think that is what Jesus is talking about. In John’s gospel, Jesus continually says “I am the door to those things” because he wants you to know that some of the other things you may be trying to get that won’t work. Whatever other door you are trying won’t bring you the peace and healing you are looking for. Maybe you think those Manhattans or Martinis will make things better, but they won’t. Maybe you think that flat screen plasma TV or that extra bag of chips will give you rest and release and wholeness you need – but it won’t. Maybe you think that power and money will earn you the abundant life – but they won't. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is the gate, the door that lets you experience all that God has to offer. And it is real. It is not some new age panacea; it doesn’t cure all that ails you – but it brings the abundant life of peace and comfort and strength.
I have heard many people, both here and in other places talk about the difference Jesus has made in their lives. I have heard and witnessed how, accepting Jesus’ invitation to follow him and enter the abundant life has lifted folks out of pain and despair and hopelessness, confusion, whatever the situation, to a place of peace. Perhaps those events have not been miraculous physical healings but they have involved God in Jesus making a way through the pain – giving strength to endure and persevere. The have involved people simply choosing to follow Jesus, to listen to what he says, follow what he is asking and by doing so, enter into the abundant, fulfilled life. Jesus is the door, the gate to all that joy, strength, peace and hope.
I think many of you have experienced that. The other day I was talking with Cheryl in the hospital – and she said something I haven't stopped thinking about. When I was talking about how rough it’s been with constant hospitalizations and feeling lousy, she said: “Well, at least I have it better than some people.” That, my friends, is the abundant life Jesus invites you into. Today. Let’s be honest, Cheryl has clearly been struggling, she hasn't been getting all that much better, and yet with Christ in her life she could say that she has it better than most. Being able to say that in the midst of suffering is having the abundant life. As well, this past week I have heard many wonderful and heartwarming “Bread” stories. Many of you did an awesome job of finding folks to share your bread with. The folks on the receiving end were all so moved by your visits. That is the abundant life. And you. You who did the visits. I listened to your stories of how beautiful the experiences were for you. That's the abundant life. You chose to accept Jesus invitation to follow him, to do what he is asking of you and lives were touched.
The world feels very tumultuous to me right now. There are manyconcerns many fronts. Friends, sisters and brothers, I feel that’s the place Jesus’ invitation to the Abundant Life comes from – the place of real life difficulties and stress. I believe that when you walk up to the gate and meetJesus you are filled with a sense of peace like Cheryl was on Monday; a sense of purpose, a sense of joy. Not just for a moment – but every day. The invitation of Jesus Christ is about healing wholeness, forgiveness and entering God’s Kingdom, now. If you are interested in wholeness, God has it for you to engage and get a hold of. So, let me urge you to accept the invitation, follow Jesus and be filled with great peace, strength and joy. Thanks be to God for the abundant life, Amen.