Back in 2019, I traveled to Romania on a mission trip, and while I was there, our team had the opportunity to visit a Romanian Orthodox church in Bucharest. It was a rather small church, but its distinct beauty made up for its humble size. The front doors were made of solid wood, carved with an ornate floral design. Chandeliers and metallic lanterns hung from above. The walls were trimmed with gold and covered from floor to ceiling with brightly painted icons of saints who’ve passed on to glory.
Yet, despite its beautiful architecture and design, our group felt a spiritual heaviness as we walked through the doors. At the front of the room, a white-haired woman in a long coat kneeled on her knees before a priest, presumably confessing her sins to the man. The eyes of the icons stared down at us with glowing halos around their heads, reminding us of the common practice of venerating the saints. Our entire team felt a sense that it was a place of works-based religion and a place where many worshippers sought out a human mediator rather than going straight to God.
The Romanian Orthodox Church is certainly not the only church that practices these things. There are several different denominations and sects of Christianity that practice confession and veneration of the saints, that seek out mediators between them and God. However, the reality is that we have no need for an earthly mediator. We have no need to confess all our sins to a priest or honor the saints of old in a particular way. Why? Because we have Jesus. And Jesus is the Door.
In what has been labeled as His Good Shepherd discourse, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees about strangers, and sheepfolds, and of course—shepherds. As He begins to tease out the true and deeper message of His speech, Jesus says,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:7b-9, ESV
Now, most of you reading this are probably not a shepherd (or a shepherdess, as it were), and you may be wondering what all of this “door of the sheep” stuff means. Well, back in ancient times, when sheep weren’t roaming the fields and looking for their next snack, they would be kept in sheepfolds—usually overnight—so that they would remain secure and protected and avoid becoming the next snack of a hungry predator. These sheepfolds had only one door for sheep and shepherds to enter, and every night, the sheep would follow the voice of their trusted shepherd to the safe place beyond the door.
In this specific discourse, Jesus compares Himself to this door of the sheepfold and compares us to the sheep. He is the only entrance, the only way to security and protection, and it is only through Him that we can find safety. But what does this practically mean for our day-to-day lives?
Through Jesus, we are able to have access to the Father. Historically, the people of God could not personally access Him. They only heard from Him through the prophets, and only the priests could enter into His presence. But Jesus, being the very Word of God, became our great high priest, sacrificing Himself to pay for our sins. He tore down the barrier between God and man so that we may now draw near to His throne with confidence when we find ourselves in need (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Jesus’ role as high priest was not merely a one-time event. Scripture tells us that He lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). This is why Jesus taught His disciples to pray in His name (John 14:13-14). Jesus is actively interceding on our behalf, and the truth is He is the only Person who can truly do so. As He says in a later I Am statement, Jesus is the only way to the Father.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6
The death and resurrection of Jesus does more than just give us a direct line to the Father or give us supplementary support in the Son. The work of Christ saves us. In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches that the gate which leads to salvation and life is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14). In John 10, He clarifies that He is that narrow gate, He is that solitary door. As is the case with all of His I Am statements, Jesus is claiming divinity, divine power over the souls of man, and He’s offering divine grace and mercy to anyone who would come to Him.
Similar to His intercession, Jesus’ salvation of us is not a one-time event. He continually watches over us, protects us, and keeps us within the safety of His sovereign will. When we go out and find pasture, when we go out into the world, Jesus is always with us, provides for us, and shields our hearts and minds. Our salvation in Him is secure, and it is something we can never squander or lose.
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:28
Jesus is the Door. The only way to the Father. The only way to salvation. We don’t need to confess our sins to a priest or pastor. We don’t need to bow our heads before statues or icons. We only need Christ, our Advocate and our Mediator. In Him, we are safe. In Him, we are secure. In Him, we are saved.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:5
