July 28, 2023

Today's Reading: John 10:1-10

Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:1-24, Acts 14:19-15:5

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  (St. John 10:7–9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It is always a bit jarring to talk to our fellow Christians who don’t see the importance and depths of the Sacraments that we do. In large parts of Christianity, Baptism is simply a loyalty vow; Communion is just an act of remembrance because Jesus said to “do this.”

If you insist that Jesus’s words actually mean what He says they mean (‘This IS My Body…’), you will often get a question about this part of St. John in response: ‘Well, does that mean Jesus is a literal DOOR?!?’

Of course He is a literal door! But not in the way you think of your bedroom door, or the church door. Jesus says that whoever enters by him will be saved. Whoever passes through Jesus is in the kingdom.

See it through the eyes of the shepherds of Jesus’s time and how they took care of their sheep. They would go out for the day, eating from the green pastures and drinking from the still waters. But then, when it gets close to dark, and the shadows lengthen, the sheep are led back to the pen, usually build out of stone, where the shepherd would lay down for the night in the opening of the pen, the doorway, to both keep the sheep safely in and the predators out. They were the doors to the pens.

Not only is Jesus your Good Shepherd who leads you beside the water of Baptism and the grass of his Word, but he guards and keeps you from all that would attack you, holding you safe in his arms. He brings you through the narrow door of salvation—His life for yours—and keeps you safe within the kingdom that can only be entered through Him.

Yes, He is the door. The strongest and most secure, and also most open door, in existence; the door that wants all people to enter into his safe pasture. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, grant to Your Church Your Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes down from above, that Your Word may not be bound but have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ's holy people, that in steadfast faith we may serve You and, in the confession of Your name, abide unto the end; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Collect for the Word) 

-Pastor Duane Bamsch is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA  and the President of Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.