Jesus: The Door of Salvation

August 12th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

John 10:7-10 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

After creating an image to the Pharisees about a sheepfold, a shepherd, and the thieves who attempt to break into the sheepfold, Jesus carries the illustration to the next level by referring to Himself as the metaphorical “door” of the sheepfold. The sheep represent not only Israel but all who will trust in Christ, even Gentiles. Since Jesus is the door by which His sheep enter into rest and find pasture for food, it is clear that Jesus’ aim here is to reveal Himself as Israel’s Messiah.

A typical sheepfold had one door for both entry and exit. In v. 7, Jesus plainly teaches that He is that door. Spiritually speaking, Jesus calls His own into the sheepfold, and they follow Him wherever He goes. As God called Abram in Genesis 12:1-3, God calls His own out of worthless pagan religions into His flock where He feeds and cares for them, giving them eternal life. Those who trust Jesus as Lord both hear and heed God’s call as He draws them to His Son (cf. 6:44).

In v. 8 Jesus contrasts Himself with those who came before Him. In saying that “all who came before” Him “are thieves and robbers,” Jesus was clearly not including Moses, the OT prophets, or John the Baptist. Certainly they all came before Jesus, but these were faithful in pointing the way to Jesus as the Christ. The thieves Jesus is referring to, who came before Him, were the Sadducees and Pharisees who did not care for the people but were known to have become quite wealthy at their expense through the temple taxes. The point is made in the tense of the verb, for Jesus does not say they “were” thieves (referring to past leaders) but that they “are” thieves (referring to the present religious leaders). It is known that these false shepherds were covetous (Luke 16:14) took advantage of poor widows (Mark 12:40), and had made a mockery of God’s temple (John 2:16; Matt. 21:13). Furthermore, they had been plotting to murder Jesus for at least a couple of years at this point (cf. Mark 3:6). They were crooked false shepherds, and it infuriated them that their former “sheep” were now following Jesus.

In v. 9, Jesus repeats His assertion that He alone is the door. At this point the illustration makes more sense because Jesus is saying that He is the only way in and out for the sheep. Sheep come in to rest in security, and they go out to find pasture and food. Either way, the only means of having true rest and true spiritual food and guidance is through Jesus who is the “door” (cf. John 14:6). Through Him alone can man find salvation; He alone is the door to peace.

Contrasting Jesus once again in v. 10 is the thief who comes only to “steal, kill, and destroy.” Thieves seek to use sheep for selfish purposes, like feeding themselves and using the sheep’s wool for profit. Spiritually speaking, false shepherds only want to use God’s people to make money and draw praise from them. In Jesus’ day, these shepherds led Israel astray with false teaching. But Jesus came to save and protect the sheep—to benefit them by giving them life and giving it to them “abundantly”—in a lavish and remarkable quantity!

Food For Thought
Astonishingly our world continues to search for abundant life and peace apart from that which Jesus Christ alone provides. Knowing and following Christ is about peaceful sleep at night, knowing that He reigns and protects. It’s about being financially broke but resting with the full knowledge that God will provide. It also contains an attitude of no fear about death, for death simply means going Home. No other faith and no other Lord can provide this peace. Only Jesus!