“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.
The door. What is Jesus talking about here? What door is he talking about? Well, we can be sure that it’s not any door. Indeed, he is comparing himself to a door, and as any door surely this door has a keyhole and needs a key to unlock it. But where is the key to this door? How can we have access to it?
Believe it or not you have the key. Billions of people have it. In what condition is the key? To illustrate, let me tell you a story.
After a wedding service, the pastor gives the couple a Bible as a gift. The couple was very happy about it. Two years later, the pastor decides to pay the couple a visit. The couple was very happy to see him. They said, “Oh, Father! How nice to see you. We still have the Bible you gave us at our wedding. It is very precious for us”. “How nice, let me have a look at it,” said the pastor. He opened a chapter in Matthew and saw the check he had put in the Bible two years ago as a gift for the couple was still there. They had not even opened the Bible.
Indeed the Bible is the key. But how do you use it? Do you do the same thing the couple did? Leave it untouched, under your pillow, lying in the dust in your library or do you wear it off? Yes, many have the key to the door but only some use it. We pray hoping that God will speak to us directly. Well, he does! That’s why he has left us with the key which is just sitting there on your desk.
Can anyone pass through this door? The answer is: No. It doesn’t mean that if you have the key that you can open it. It’s like a key chain. You have many keys on it. The key to this specific door is well marked, yet other keys opening more “interesting” doors distract us. Keys to the delights of this world distract us. Riches, lust, social standing, addictions, the Internet, gadgets consume us. The key is right there in front of us, yet we choose other keys that will give us temporary pleasure.
How wide is this door? Clearly, we have problems to even open it. It is accessible to absolutely anyone. No specific names are written on the door, saying this door is reserved for such and such. Rather “come all of you who seek comfort and justice” is written on it.
We go to church, yet we choose to gossip. Instead of joining the youth group we go clubbing, indulge in smoking, enjoy pornography, and do all sorts of things that distract us from the One who is really worth our attention. We claim to be “good” Christians, following Christ as our leader, yet we choose to disobey our parents, snub their advice, and call them old-fashioned. We claim to be caring, kind hearted, partake of the flesh and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, yet how fast are we in forgiving our brother or sister? We claim to stand up for justice and peace, yet how quick are we to judge a person by their race, status, and religion?
Jesus said, this door is very narrow. Often we are too preoccupied by opening other doors and forget what our priorities should be and what The Door offers. To your surprise let me tell you what The Door offers: bullying, harassment, singling out, discrimination, persecution, and hatred. The list is long. Sorry to disappoint you. If you want to hear kind words, I’m afraid this article isn’t for you or even Christianity may not be for you.
Christianity is not for weak people. Do you see the cross? It was not nails that held Christ to the cross -- it was Love. I will repeat what my father always says, the cross is made up of two pieces, one which is vertically oriented, representing our relationship with Christ and the other horizontally oriented, signifying that we share what we receive.
The life of a Christian is a daily struggle. A true Christian mustn’t just stay at church surrounded by fellow Christians. Jesus calls every Christian to step out in faith and spread the Good News, proclaiming God’s Glory to all nations. This is faith in action!
The key is there, but how many actually have the courage to choose it from all the other keys? I hope that those reading this will consider this question seriously and meditate on it.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life,” John 8:12.
Vahé Jébéjian
The door. What is Jesus talking about here? What door is he talking about? Well, we can be sure that it’s not any door. Indeed, he is comparing himself to a door, and as any door surely this door has a keyhole and needs a key to unlock it. But where is the key to this door? How can we have access to it?
Believe it or not you have the key. Billions of people have it. In what condition is the key? To illustrate, let me tell you a story.
After a wedding service, the pastor gives the couple a Bible as a gift. The couple was very happy about it. Two years later, the pastor decides to pay the couple a visit. The couple was very happy to see him. They said, “Oh, Father! How nice to see you. We still have the Bible you gave us at our wedding. It is very precious for us”. “How nice, let me have a look at it,” said the pastor. He opened a chapter in Matthew and saw the check he had put in the Bible two years ago as a gift for the couple was still there. They had not even opened the Bible.
Indeed the Bible is the key. But how do you use it? Do you do the same thing the couple did? Leave it untouched, under your pillow, lying in the dust in your library or do you wear it off? Yes, many have the key to the door but only some use it. We pray hoping that God will speak to us directly. Well, he does! That’s why he has left us with the key which is just sitting there on your desk.
Can anyone pass through this door? The answer is: No. It doesn’t mean that if you have the key that you can open it. It’s like a key chain. You have many keys on it. The key to this specific door is well marked, yet other keys opening more “interesting” doors distract us. Keys to the delights of this world distract us. Riches, lust, social standing, addictions, the Internet, gadgets consume us. The key is right there in front of us, yet we choose other keys that will give us temporary pleasure.
How wide is this door? Clearly, we have problems to even open it. It is accessible to absolutely anyone. No specific names are written on the door, saying this door is reserved for such and such. Rather “come all of you who seek comfort and justice” is written on it.
We go to church, yet we choose to gossip. Instead of joining the youth group we go clubbing, indulge in smoking, enjoy pornography, and do all sorts of things that distract us from the One who is really worth our attention. We claim to be “good” Christians, following Christ as our leader, yet we choose to disobey our parents, snub their advice, and call them old-fashioned. We claim to be caring, kind hearted, partake of the flesh and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, yet how fast are we in forgiving our brother or sister? We claim to stand up for justice and peace, yet how quick are we to judge a person by their race, status, and religion?
Jesus said, this door is very narrow. Often we are too preoccupied by opening other doors and forget what our priorities should be and what The Door offers. To your surprise let me tell you what The Door offers: bullying, harassment, singling out, discrimination, persecution, and hatred. The list is long. Sorry to disappoint you. If you want to hear kind words, I’m afraid this article isn’t for you or even Christianity may not be for you.
Christianity is not for weak people. Do you see the cross? It was not nails that held Christ to the cross -- it was Love. I will repeat what my father always says, the cross is made up of two pieces, one which is vertically oriented, representing our relationship with Christ and the other horizontally oriented, signifying that we share what we receive.
The life of a Christian is a daily struggle. A true Christian mustn’t just stay at church surrounded by fellow Christians. Jesus calls every Christian to step out in faith and spread the Good News, proclaiming God’s Glory to all nations. This is faith in action!
The key is there, but how many actually have the courage to choose it from all the other keys? I hope that those reading this will consider this question seriously and meditate on it.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life,” John 8:12.
Vahé Jébéjian