"I AM The Gate"

"Therefore Jesus said again, 'I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.  All who ever came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.' "  John 10:7-9 (NIV)

Here the Apostle John records the third of the great "I AM" statements spoken by Jesus, The Christ, as He addressed the crowd.  After He had given sight to the man who was born blind (John 9:1-7), Jesus told them a parable about the shepherd and the sheep.  Then He said "I AM the gate for the sheep."  He repeated and clarified what He meant when He said "I AM the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved."  He clearly stated that He is the entry way to salvation.

We are His sheep, and He is "the gate", the entry way to safety, security, protection, and salvation.  Gates block the entry of the undesirable and allow only chosen ones to enter.  Jesus said that He is the way to salvation and spiritual eternal life.  The only way to enter the kingdom of God is through Him. (Matthew 25:34)  It is only by belief in Him, that through Him, we can be saved.  Through Him we will be blessed as we come and go, and His "pasture" will supply all of our needs.  Through Him we have salvation, and we can enjoy God's presence, God's protection, and God's provisions.  Jesus said that He came that we might have life, eternal life, and have it more abundantly, better than we have it now. (John 10:10)