Chapel Matters

This week in chapel we looked at two more of the “I am” sayings that Jesus says in the Gospel of John. He says, “I am the gate for the sheep … I am the good shepherd” (10.7, 11). When we think of sheep and gates, we probably think of a typical NZ farm with paddocks, fences, gates, and a Kiwi farmer riding a quad bike, whistling to their dog. But in Israel, 2000 years ago, flocks of sheep were looked after by a shepherd, out somewhere remote, often for days at a time. Good pasture was hard to find and wild animals would try and snatch a young lamb or an old sheep if they could.

At the end of the day it was the shepherd's job to build an enclosure for the sheep from the rocks lying about on the wild hills and desert plains of the Middle East. He would pile these up, maybe 1 and half meters high – in a circle shape, leaving a gap through which he would herd the sheep at night time. Then he himself would sit in that gap and be the gate. He was the one who looked after the sheep – who kept them safe at night but also who would lead them out in the morning, to find fresh pastures.

The sheep in their little stone enclosure could still expect rain to fall on them, or wolves and lions to attack them. But the shepherd who is the gate would be there to help them deal with whatever happened; he could fend off attackers and give the sheep ointment for any wounds. And then in the morning – because there is always a new day – the shepherd would open the gate for the sheep so they could find new pastures to explore.

Jesus is the shepherd who knows each individual sheep in the flock; he says, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (10.14). Jesus knows and loves all of us, he cares for each one of us, and he knows what we need and what we want; whether we need a gate in the night time to protect us, or a gate in the morning to lead us into fresh pastures.