Jesus – the door
by Rev Antonio Reyes, President of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines
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I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9).
Read John 10:1–9
A door is very important. It gives access to those coming and going out of a building. A door protects and keeps unwanted people and danger out of your home.
In John 10:9, Christ calls himself the door. What does this mean? This means that Christ Jesus alone provides access to eternal life. After the fall of man into sin, heaven’s door was closed to humanity. Only the door to damnation was open. In fact, ‘there seems to be a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death’ (Proverbs 14:12). In our hopeless condition, when heaven’s door was closed, God poured out his love for us. He sent his only Son, Jesus, to save us lost and condemned sinners.
Through Christ Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross and his resurrection, he defeated death, sin and Satan, who is the door to hell. Jesus’ resurrection on the third day opened the door to heaven for us – the entrance to the presence of God. Eternal life is ours right now through faith in Jesus, our only door to that life. Jesus is the only way … no-one can come to the Father except through him.
On Good Friday, when Jesus committed his Spirit into the hands of the Father, the curtain of the temple was torn in two (Luke 23:45,46). The curtain was torn from top to bottom and not from bottom to top. Hence, it was God’s action that opened the door to heaven for us. So, any effort of humans to reach out to God by doing good works is futile and cannot gain entry through the only door to heaven. For it is only through faith in Jesus, who is the door, that we can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life and thus entry to heaven. Through faith in Jesus, our door, we now also have access to the Father as we call on him in prayer and as he answers us through his word.
The forty days of the Lenten season are a call to repentance and remembrance – remembrance of the love of God poured out for us through Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross to pay for our sins. His resurrection, which brings eternal life to us, proved that his perfect sacrifice was accepted by the Father. This season also helps us remember to be repentant, reminding us of our sins, our mortality and appreciation for what Jesus, our door, has done and is still doing for us through the word and sacraments.
May God, the Holy Spirit, help us celebrate the Lenten season in a meaningful way. In Jesus’ name!
Heavenly Father, we pray for the Lutheran Church in the Philippines as it commits to strengthening and equipping God’s people in the areas of witness, worship, fellowship, nurture and service. Amen.
The devotions from this week are taken from LCA International Mission’s 40 Days – A Lenten Devotion and Prayer Guide. They are written by a variety of people who are connected with LCA International Mission. Some are LCANZ members who support International Mission in different ways, and others are from partner churches throughout the region. You can download the full prayer guide here.
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