Which Door Did You (or It) Come Through?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. ⁷ So Jesus again said to them, “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 listen to them. John 10:1-8 (ESV)

Last week, when I read this scripture, an interesting image came to mind. I saw a man preaching or teaching. At the same time, a question was going through my mind. Is the preaching of this individual coming through the proper door or through another way? It is an interesting question.

In context, Yeshua is stating outright that the only proper way to enter the sheepfold (the true body of Messiah) is through the door, which is Yeshua. Any individual who chooses to enter the sheepfold through any other door but the correct one, Yeshua, will find that the sheep will not accept him – at least those sheep that know scripture. That person will be coming from a direction he/she has chosen. Yeshua labels that person a thief and a robber.

Based on the context of the scripture, the mental image I had while reading this scripture gives me pause to think. Now I am asking myself a question. What do I think about sermons or teachings that attempt to bypass the proper door to the sheepfold? A possible answer: Sermons need to be not only Scripture based but also Messiah-centered. It is all too easy to give a sermon based on scripture and still be miles away from being Messiah-focused. Even worse, is the sermon or teaching that seems to be Messiah-focused yet does not come from the heart of God (Rhema). What do I mean by that statement? The sermon or teaching is actually coming from the head and not by the prompting of the Spirit (Ruach) of God. The source of that teaching is the flesh (your head).

In an age where attempts to influence you are coming from multiple directions, we need to be in daily fellowship with the Lord and in his Word. Only then will His people be able to fulfill the scripture:

A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:5 (ESV)

Build God a House?

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?  I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.  In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”‘
2 Sam 7:5-7 (ESV)

“And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Matt 8:19-20 (ESV)

Followers of Yeshua, as well as religious people in general, sometimes can find themselves stuck on the path of doing and building. It’s easy to become stuck on that path, it happens to me constantly. We find ourselves thinking that the biggest this or that will glorify G-d, including a Big Beautiful Building for G-d.

Lately, I find that I am meditating on some scriptures, such as what you see at the beginning of this article. Starting with the exodus from Egypt until Solomon built the first temple, the Lord was more than content “dwelling” in a tent. Think about that for a moment. That is a couple hundred years. However, there is a flip side to this discussion, it was also a couple hundred years that no one in Israel even thought about building a permanent structure dedicated to the L-rd.

Another fascinating part of this topic is what the Lord said to David, through Nathan the prophet after 2 Samuel 7:5-7. The Lord states two important facts: 1) Solomon will build the temple and 2) Not only is David not to build the house of God but that God will raise up David’s house, forever. When you think about it, King David’s house has lasted far longer than the houses that we have built for the Lord.

During the three years of Yeshua’s ministry – pre crucifixion – He had no ownership of any permanent structure, neither did He build one or ask anyone to build it. If Yeshua wasn’t living outside sleeping on the ground, then He was sleeping in the houses of those who invited Him or He invited Himself into (if they accepted His request). In many ways, Yeshua’s ministry life is a great picture of a statement He made in the book of Revelation:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Rev 3:20 (ESV)”

Yeshua never went into a house (or a life for that matter) that did not want Him around. If you invited Him in, He accepted. If He asked to come in and they accepted, He came in the house. If they refused, I find it hard to believe He forced His way in.

Though we build large structures and call them “churches”, the actual scriptural fact is we are the buildings of G-d. In fact, He is telling us that He is fine living in the tent called HIS people, the actual building of God.

A Missing Question?

“But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matt 9:12-13 (ESV)

I will be the first to tell people that I don’t want to read more into scripture than what is obvious. Many a religion, denomination or move of God became side-tracked by reading something into a bible scripture that was not part of the intended obvious meaning, nor part of the historical meaning either.

Yet, lately, when I read scriptures like Matthew 9: 12-13, I seem to be asking myself if Yeshua is asking another question beyond what I see written. Follow my train of thought and maybe you will understand what I am saying.

One of the basics of Biblical faith about the nature of man is the doctrine of “The Depravity of Man”. This doctrine states that man, by his very nature, is completely and totally sinful, unable to save himself. Whether we commit an actual sin or not, whether the sin is simple or heinous, is not the issue.  The question is about our basic nature as defined by God in scripture. We are sinners by nature and in need of God’s salvation.

Regarding the Matthew passage at the beginning, here is a possible chain of thoughts (logic) we must examine:

By Yeshua’s own words:

• Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick
• He came to call sinners to repentance but not the righteous.

Furthermore:

• If man is sinful by nature
• If man is incapable of saving himself
• If man by the work of God can only be saved through Yeshua’s death and resurrection on the tree (cross)

A conclusion we can reach, based on these thoughts, is that everyone is in the group that Yeshua is seeking.

The question I keep asking myself is this. Is there another question in Matthew that Yeshua is not asking His detractors? Could this be the question: If I am seeking out the sick and the sinners, if scripture states that everyone is a sinner before God, then why are you not also amongst the group of people seeking me?