What Kind Of A Gate? 怎麼樣的門？

Fourth Easter Sunday, Year A
Theme: What Kind Of A Gate? 怎麼樣的門？

During Old Testament times, God had always been the leader/king of the Israelites in the Promised Land until they demanded a king who was visible like other nations (1 Samuel 8:7). So, Samuel anointed Saul their first king who later lost favour with God. David, a shepherd who was after the heart of God (13:14), was anointed the next king. Though David committed adultery and murder during his reign, he was able to build up an image of a holy king/leader. Thus “shepherd” became a symbol of good rulers even though throughout history, shepherds lived at the fringes of the society.

However, in real life situations the performance of most rulers was disappointing. This can be seen through the words of God’s spokesmen, the prophets. For example, God criticized those selfish rulers, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds pasture the flock? You consumed milk, wore wool, and slaughtered fatlings, but the flock you did not pasture. You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured. You did not bring back the stray or seek the lost but ruled them harshly and brutally” (Ezekiel 34:2-4). Consequently, the kingdom was conquered by Gentiles, and the flock scattered/exiled. Of course, the merciful God would not fold His hands and leave the flock unattended. “I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest --- oracle of the Lord God. The lost I will search out, the strays I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, and the sick I will heal…” (34:15-16). Thus, the Son of God took flesh to redeem them, namely to search the lost, to bring back the strays, to bind up the injured and to heal the sick etc. With this background in mind, it becomes easier for us to meditate the gospel passage today.

The passage today is full of symbols (John 10:6). Let us examine some of them. There are “sheepfold”, “gate”, “thief/robber”, “shepherd/stranger” and of course the “sheep”. Aware of the danger of oversimplifying a concept, we still need to take a simplified view, namely that the “sheepfold” is an assembly/community of “sheep” which are the believers/followers, e.g. Jews, Christians and Muslims etc. The “sheepfold” thus symbolizes the church/synagogue etc. The passage allows for many “shepherds” who are the religious leaders of that particular assembly throughout history. For example, priests, prophets, judges/kings and scribes/Pharisees etc. in the generations of the Old Testament. Thus, “shepherd” became a shorthand for kings, priest and prophets etc. So far so good up to John 10:6. But difficulty arises when Jesus continues, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them” (10:7-8). In the light of Ezekiel’s oracle, there have been bad shepherds who caused the collapse of the kingdom and the exile of Israelites. But such a sweeping statement of Jesus’, namely that “all who came before Jesus are thieves and robbers” is difficult for us to defend!

In context, Jesus cured a man born blind on Sabbath (9:14). There arose a controversy among the Pharisees whether the one who cured the born blind was a sinner or a prophet because the miracle was carried out on Sabbath! The Pharisees interrogated the blind man and his parents. In the end, they threw the blind man out of synagogue, i.e. the blind man was expelled from the Jewish community (9:34)! Then Jesus says, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see and those who do see might become blind” (9:39). From there, Jesus continues to criticize those Pharisees for their selfishness and stubbornness. Jesus is right in criticizing those selfish Pharisees but sweeping statements are indefensible! Now how could Pharisees such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea be thieves and robbers? And how could leaders in the Old Testament such as Moses and Elijah be thieves and robbers if they appeared with Jesus during His Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3, Mark 9:4, Luke 9:30)? Of course, Jesus was also crucified between two robbers (Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27, Luke 23:33). It’s always been a mystery how the two, i.e. Transfiguration and Crucifixion, may link together if we contemplate the Transfiguration as a manifestation of the Ark of Covenant and the Mercy Seat above it. It is more acceptable for us to see Moses and Elijah as two Cherubim. But thieves? No way unless we elevate our moral standards to an unachievable level!

But Jesus insists, “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy” (John 10:10a)! Of course you might argue that Elijah had an inflated ego and he incited the crowd to kill the 450 Baal prophets in Wade Kishon after winning the “God-Invocation” contest at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:40). On the other hand, Moses ordered the Levites to kill 3000 Israelites who had worshipped the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:28). Both of them had indeed slaughtered and destroyed! But in our eyes, their actions were righteous, were they not? Is the moral standard of the Son of God so harsh that nobody is able to achieve?
Perhaps suspending moral judgment is the only right thing to do when we come to the meditation of Jesus’ teachings. On one hand, Jesus criticizes them in harsh words and on the other, He does not shut the evil-doers out of heaven completely. God says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their way, and sinners their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord to find mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways …” (Isaiah 55:6-8) All of us, including Moses, Elijah, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea etc. have to humbly acknowledge that we are not flawless. Moreover, all of us partake in the kingly, priestly and prophetic ministries, in short, the shepherd ministry, after we were baptized. Thieves or no thieves, we should do our best to discharge our shepherd-role like King David in our life-stations such as housewives, working mothers, domestic helpers, students, middle-managers and retirees etc.

Now, we come to the most difficult part. What does Jesus mean when He says “I am the gate for the sheep”? What kind of a gate, an object, is He, a person? In the gospel of John, Jesus claims His divinity when He makes these “I am” statements, namely “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:48), “I am the Light of the World” (7:28), “I am the Gate” (10:7), “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:11), “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25), “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (14:6), “I am the True Vine” (15:1). When God revealed His name to Moses at the burning bush, He says, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14)! In view of the limitations of human languages, this is the only possible way to render the name of God and His essence. In the gospel of John, Jesus reveals more aspects of Himself, namely the merciful God.
The “gate” calls up another well-known symbol in the gospels: the narrow gate! “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many” (Matthew 7:13) and “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough” (Luke 13:24). Compared with John’s narrative, this “narrow gate” imagery is only able to convey the challenges of leading a life in the spirit of the gospel. John’s narrative is superior in that it reveals the divinity of Jesus which has been a stumbling block for many theologians, thus producing a lot of heresies such as Arianism and Nestorianism etc. in the early Church. But like it or not, His divinity is the only way to guarantee our redemption!

Brethren! This is the key to unlock our salvation. Let’s be grateful and humble. Let’s recite and relish the words of the merciful Lord, “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture … I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:9-10). Amen. God bless!
2020 Reflection
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