“I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7,9).
Doors are important. Doors provide privacy. Doors provide security. Most of us shut and lock our doors, at least at night, to be sure we are safe. We even describe being outside as “out of doors.” The difference between inside and outside in this context is a door.
Doors also provide access. You want the correct door. If you are going to an office building or a school, for example, you are likely to be concerned about which door you enter. It is such a relief to find the right door, and to find that it is unlocked; and that when you enter, you have found the right place.
Adam and Eve had to have been traumatized to find they were locked out of the Garden of Eden after they sinned. “After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24).
On the other hand, after entering the ark along with all the animals, Noah and his family were probably relieved when “the Lord shut him in” (Genesis 7:16b). They had built the ark according to God’s instructions, probably with some wonderment. Then the floodwaters came, a phenomenon they had never-before experienced, and which must have been frightening. But as relieved as Noah and his family may have been, just think how hopeless all the remaining people must have felt as they saw the floodwaters rising and the door to the ark shut tight.
When Moses was instructed to build the tabernacle to house the ark of the covenant, we again find cherubim, now guarding the Most Holy Place. This time images of cherubim were woven into the fabric of the veil or thick curtain, a “door” of sorts which served as a barrier to make sure that man could not carelessly and irreverently enter into God’s awesome presence. “The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.” (Exodus 26:33b) “Aaron must wear it (a special robe) when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die” (Exodus 28:35).
And then, when Jesus died on the cross, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51a). Now, according to Hebrews 10:19-20, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body….” This access, which had been denied since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, is now available because of Jesus’ death on the cross.
Now, not only has Jesus opened the way for us to enter into his presence by his death on the cross, but He is also seeking us. In Revelation 3:20, he invites us to let him in. Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (And if you are following the I AM theme in this series of devotions, remember that the first devotion was on Jesus as the Bread of Life. So, we are continuing that eating/food metaphor also.) Jesus not only knocks on the door, He is the door. And He watches over us as a shepherd to protect his flock from predators.
It was our sin that created the barrier to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, to the ark for everyone except Noah and his family, and to the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle. And it was Jesus who tore down the barrier, who became the door to eternal life by his atoning death on the cross. “I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
In Christ,
Judy
judycline 