I Am Series 3: The Gate to the Sheep Pen

In John 9, Jesus performed a fascinating miracle: healing a man who was born blind. He does it in a very unusual way: he made mud, placed it on them man’s eyes, then told him to go wash. This got the attention of the Pharisees, not out of awe for the amazing healing, or with compassion that this man could now see. They reacted with anger because the miracle was performed on the Sabbath and was breaking their interpretation of the Law!

Spiritual Blindness and the Gate

Their reaction led Jesus to speak about the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees. Their blindness brought them guilt for not doing what they were called to do as Israel’s spiritual leaders: to care for those in need. They may have passed by this man often as they walked about Jerusalem. However, instead of helping him they were focused on judgement and the Law. Their spiritual blindness took away the joy of the man’s healing.

The Pharisees listened to Jesus’ teaching about blindness and asked if he was talking about them.

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 9:40-10:10 (NIV)

Jesus says that he is the gate that provides the way into the sheep pen. Any who don’t enter through him are “thieves and robbers”. What do these “others” steal and rob?

Peace and Joy in the Sheep Pen

Sheep are only truly safe then they are in the pen that their shepherd creates for them. Danger lurks outside the pen, and sheep are basically defenseless creatures in need of a shepherd to guard them. Shepherds made pens with an opening that they would guard, so that the sheep could be safe and happy, away from danger.

If an intruder or predator climbs over the walls of the sheep pen, it stirs up the sheep. They can no longer feel safe, but run from the danger and cry out to warn others. The peace and joy of their rest in the pen is disturbed and they need help from their shepherd.

What about us? Jesus wants us to be safe, in peace and full of joy. He’s the gate and will only allow good to enter where we are. However, the world around us has many thieves and robbers who will go around the gate of Jesus. They climb into the pen with us to steal our peace and rob us of our joy!

Stealing Peace, Killing Joy, Destroying Faith

Early in 2021 I began to have trouble sleeping. I struggled to fall asleep and would wake in the middle of the night with my mind racing about all the things I needed to do. I also had a growing awareness of sin in my life along with a feeling of hopelessness about what my life was becoming as the isolation of the pandemic continued. My lack of sleep affected my work. I began to feel like I couldn’t function and meet the demands of my job and would find myself frustrated over not being productive. As this went on, I began to lose faith in getting over the anxiety, in doing my work and also in God as I cried out to Him for help.

During my struggles, I reached out to several close brothers, asked for prayers, and confessed my sin and frustrations. One of the brothers pointed out that I was letting my anxiety steal my joy. We prayed together that I would find my joy in Jesus again and that I would rely on Him to take away my anxiety. The prayers helped me to overcome, and again I found joy in knowing that Jesus, my Good Shepherd (see the next post) was protecting my sheep pen, and wanted me to have peace.

A Note on Getting Help

During my anxiety and sleep struggles, I also sought out medical help. If you’re struggling with anxiety issues and find yourself unable to sleep or function normally, please talk to those who love you and also talk to your primary care physician. Reach out and ask for help. Feeling anxiety is normal, and struggling with it is common. By reaching out for help, you may avoid deeper issues and help both yourself and those around you to find peace.