On the Farm

      “Yes, I (Jesus) am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come in and go freely and will find good pasture.” John 10:9

  I am not sure if I fully understand this passage. Does it mean the sheep go back out of the gate freely or does it mean they will be able to go freely once the gate has been passed through? Isn’t a gate a passageway for multiple purposes? What’s on one side of a gate has as much purpose as what is on the other.

  We had sheep on the farm. In late spring, once the pastures had achieved ideal growth to sustain the flock through the summer, the gate would be opened daily to let them out for a day’s grazing. The first time each year the flock would skip and dance with the joy of their release and in uncontainable delight. They finally had fresh grass instead of hay. It always made me smile.

  Mid afternoon, the sheep would wander back though the open gate to the shade of the barn to drink, rest, and chew their cud. Once the heat of the day passed, they would head out again. At twilight I would call them back to the barn to be locked in for the night for protection against predators. They got a handful of sweet grain as a reward for coming when called.

  I had always read this passage with a black and white perspective believing that only what was on one side of the gate was good. I suppose this idea was readily enforced by fear and the concerned question, “Am I on the right side of the gate?”

   I don’t think that is what this metaphor is saying after all. I think it’s more important to realize that, through Jesus opening the way, we will find good pasture. We will be able to discern where the toxic weeds are. We will be able to find rest if that’s what we need.

 

  I have to give thanks, once again, for the farm and all I learned as a shepherd.

  As for cows? They were great at fence jumping. Closed or opened gates were readily ignored in their quest for my neighbour’s carefully manicured lawn even though we had plenty of pasture for them.

  Is there a lesson there? Yup. Cows may be smarter than sheep but shortcuts always landed them in trouble because they really, really ticked me off. Never mind that if the cows were on the road and a car hit them, I was responsible. They wouldn’t have known about that.

  Thank You, Lord, I can finally smile about this. AMEN!