Jesus Is the Door: Which Way Are You Trying to Reach God?

Introduction

In the series of Jesus' seven "I am" statements in the Gospel of John, Mélanie Ehrismann looks at the third one: "I am the door." The image is surprising. Jesus the bread of life, Jesus the light of the world, Jesus the good shepherd, those make sense. But Jesus the door? And yet, in John 10:1-10, this unusual metaphor says something startling: there is an access to God, only one, and that access is a person. You, who are looking for a way to God, which door are you trying to enter by?

Message outline

1. A door has opened between heaven and earth

• Chapter 10 follows chapter 9: the Pharisees reject the man born blind who was healed, and Jesus calls out these "blind men who claim to lead God's people." The question becomes: who is the legitimate shepherd?
• Jesus first presents himself as the one who enters through the door, known by the doorkeeper and recognized by his sheep. The false shepherds, on the other hand, climb over the wall.
• Starting in verse 7, Jesus broadens the image and declares himself to be the door: the one passage that gives access to the sheepfold, that is, to the house of God.
• The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God and humanity lived in the same house. Sin put up a wall. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus reopened the door: we now live in a world that is no longer cut off from God.

2. The false ways to God that Jesus warns you about

• A person. A charismatic leader, a pastor, a great sage, a teacher, an influencer, a politician who promises to save the people. The history of the last century has shown just how far that can go. This is the sheep at the foot of the wall, waiting for some savior figure to hoist it over.
• Your own works. Your morality, your level of commitment, your spirituality, rituals. Even baptism can become a false access point if we believe it's the water that saves. Baptism is not the door, it announces that someone has already gone through the door. This is the sheep building a ladder, one rung at a time: one good deed at a time.
• A system or an institution. The state, the economy, education, the healthcare system, and even the church. There have been times when the church has thought a little too highly of itself as the door, and rejected people to whom Jesus had, in fact, given access. This is the sheep digging a hole in the wall to make its own door.
• These three paths have one thing in common: they bypass the door that Jesus opened at the cost of his own death. "The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy."

3. Who can enter, and what awaits you on the other side?

• "If anyone enters in by me..." Anyone means literally anyone: no résumé, no prerequisites, no good deeds to present. But anyone also means each one: not the crowd, not the flock as a whole, you, personally.
• This door calls for a decision. Some stay standing on the threshold, afraid of losing their freedom, their independence, or afraid of regret. Ask those who have already gone in whether it was worth it.
• "He will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture." Three verbs, three promises. Going in: the door doesn't close like a prison behind you, it keeps you safe, it's the safe place, the resting place. Going out: everyday life is now lived together with the shepherd, free to come and go. Finding pasture: food, everything you need, "I shall lack nothing" (Psalm 23).
• Jesus is not a door to be admired from a distance. A door calls for a decision.

Key takeaways

• Jesus is the only door: through his death and resurrection, access to God has been reopened between heaven and earth.
• Many doors present themselves: a person to follow, your own works, a system or an institution. Jesus calls them thieves and robbers.
• "Anyone" means literally anyone, but also each one: this call is personal, and it requires a personal decision.
• Entering through Jesus is not a prison, it's rest, security, the freedom to come and go, and the certainty that you will lack nothing.
• A door is useless if you just stand in front of it. Faith begins when you step over the threshold.

Personal application

1. Which door are you trying to reach God through today: a person, your own efforts, a system, or simply Jesus?
2. What "ladder" are you building right now (what works, what rituals, what spirituality), to try to reach God on your own?
3. Are you waiting for some savior figure (a leader, a pastor, a political figure), to pull you over the wall, instead of going through the door?
4. If you're still standing on the threshold, what exactly is holding you back: fear of losing your freedom, fear of regret, something else?
5. This week, how will you actually live out Jesus' three verbs, going in (resting in him), going out (walking with him day to day), finding pasture (receiving what you need)?

Verses cited

• John 10:1-10 · Jesus, the door of the sheep
• John 9 · the healing of the man born blind and the dispute with the Pharisees
• John 6:35 · "I am the bread of life"
• John 8:12 · "I am the light of the world"
• Psalm 23 · "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing"

Further reading

• Training a Volunteer Quickly: The Method
• Measuring Church Health: Beyond the Numbers
• How to Organize a Church's Annual Calendar

Frequently asked questions

What does "Jesus is the door" mean in John 10:1-10?

The door is the passage that gives access to the sheepfold, that is, to the house of God. By presenting himself as the door, Jesus affirms that he is the only possible access to God. After the break caused by sin, his death and resurrection reopened the door between heaven and earth. We can now approach God through him, without hesitation.

Who can enter through this door, and on what condition?

Jesus says, "if anyone enters in by me." This "anyone" means literally anyone: no résumé to present, no good deeds to accumulate. And at the same time, this "anyone" is not the crowd but you personally. The only condition is making that choice: stepping through the door instead of staying on the threshold.

What are the false ways to God that Jesus warns against?

Three broad categories come up in the sermon: (1) placing your hope in a person (a charismatic leader, a pastor, a politician; (2) relying on your own works), morality, commitment, rituals, even baptism if it's seen as the door itself; (3) putting your trust in a system or an institution, the state, education, healthcare, or even the church itself. None of these paths is the door: they all amount to climbing over the wall.