John 10:1-10

Lectio (Reading)

Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.

Jesus said:
“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.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
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.”

Meditatio (Reflecting)

Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

Oratio (Responding)

Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.

This reading makes more sense when you understand the life and daily practices of a shepherd in Jesus’ time. At the end of the day the shepherd would lead the sheep into a small pen. The pen usually only had a single opening, about 3-4 ft wide. There usually was not gate on this pen, so what the shepherd would do, would be to sleep across the opening. That way if anything wanted to get in, or get out they would have to climb or step over the shepherd. Sheep are not good jumpers and so they would stay put. If a wolf had come to steal the sheep he would likely not go through the gate because he would wake the shepherd and have to deal with the shepherd’s crook, so they would have to jump or climb over the fence, to steal the sheep away.

The metaphor is best understood like this. We people are the sheep, the fence is the protective wall of Gods kingdom, and when you are inside the walls of God’s law the Lord will watch over and protect you. Jesus is the gate, and no one gets into the kingdom of God without going through the gate. The robbers and thieves are those that do not have rightful authority, who are trying to steal away the sheep. These would be the last kings of Isreal, and the Herod’s, that were not descendant from david, and the high priests of the temple that were not descendant from the tribe of Levy. None of them had authority to rule, and they were all usurpers that were stealing the jewish people from their jewish roots, and leading them all into sin.

Jesus is the good shepherd, He knows us all by name, and we know His voice. We must learn to follow that voice and not the voice of the robbers and thieves…, to stay within the walls of His law, and under the protection of the laws of His kingdom.

Contemplatio (Contemplating)

Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.

Resolutio (Resolving)

Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.

Oh lord, help me hear your voice, and follow you into good pasture. Amen.