The sheep are God’s chosen people. In eternity past, God with His foresight had chosen His people. In time, before Christ came, God put His chosen people into the custody of the law. After Christ came, He wanted all of His people to come out of the law’s custody. The blind man who was cast out of the Jewish synagogue and who came to the Lord Jesus is one of God’s chosen people. He was under the custody of the law, but he was taken out of it unto the Lord Himself.
What does it mean to say that Christ is the door? Most Christians think that the door is for people to enter into heaven. Perhaps some of you reading this message still hold on to this concept. But the door here is not for you to go to heaven, for this door enables people to go in and out. If this door were the door into heaven, how could people go out of it? This door is not the door into heaven.
The Lord is the door to the sheepfold. Originally, the fold was the law, and the Lord was the door into the law. The Lord was not only the door into the law; He is also the door for people to come out of the law. Verse 9 says, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out and shall find pasture.” Christ is the door, not only for God’s elect to enter into the custody of the law, as did Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc., in the Old Testament time before Christ came; but also for God’s chosen people, such as Peter, James, John, and Paul, to come out of the fold of the law after Christ came. So the Lord indicates in verse 9 that He is the door not only for God’s chosen people to go in, but also for God’s chosen people to go out. Those who went into the law were people like Moses, the psalmists, and the prophets. Christ was the door for these people to go into the fold of the law. In other words, they went into the fold through Christ and for Christ. If we adopt this point of view when reading the writings of Moses, the psalmists, and the prophets, we will realize that they entered into the law of God through Christ. Christ was their entrance into the law.
At the time the Lord Jesus came, so many people were still in the fold. However, after the coming of Jesus, God no longer intended to keep His chosen people in the fold of the law. God wanted them to come out of the law into Christ. Thus, by that time, Christ no longer was the door for God’s chosen people to enter into the fold; He was the door for those who were already in the fold to come out. The blind man was one who was coming out of the fold. Formerly, all of the servants sent by God went into the law through Christ. But although Christ had come, the fold was still full of sheep who were confined within it. What should they do? They had to come out of the fold through Christ. During the Old Testament age, God sent many of His servants into the fold of the law through Christ. Now during the New Testament age, God intends to bring His people out of the law through Christ as the door. Now I believe you understand that the sheepfold was the Old Testament law, which was utilized by the Jews to form the religion of Judaism. Then Judaism became the fold to confine all of the Lord’s chosen people. But Christ has come and the pasture is ready. Therefore, there is no need for the sheep to be confined any longer in the custody of the Judaistic law. They must be released from the fold of the law that they might enjoy all of the riches of the pasture.
To summarize, Christ as the door is both the entrance and the exit of the sheepfold. Firstly, the Old Testament saints went into the fold, which was the law, through Christ as the door. Now the New Testament believers are to come out of the law through Christ as the same door. Next, the fold of the law was used by God as a slave to keep and take care of His children. It was used then to bring them to Christ Himself who was the schoolmaster. After they had been sent to the schoolmaster, there is no further need to remain under the hands of the slave. The fold of the law, which became Judaism, confined all of His chosen people. But Christ is the door through whom the New Testament believers may come out of Judaism and come into Him as the pasture.
Moreover, the Lord is also the shepherd. He is not only the door of the fold, but also the shepherd. He comes to call His people out of the fold, and His sheep can recognize His voice. He is the first one out of the fold, which is the law. Now He walks before His sheep, who all will eventually follow Him. Peter, James, and John came out of Judaism. Even Paul came out of Judaism. All of the Jews who believed in the Lord Jesus followed Him out of the Judaistic fold.
The blind man was one who came out of Judaism. He was cast out of the synagogue of Judaism. He was cast out of that fold because of the living Jesus. Therefore, the Lord took the opportunity to speak forth this parable. The Lord let the Jews know that their religion was just a fold. He made it known that the pasture is now ready and that it was unnecessary for the sheep to remain in their fold. Now is the time for the sheep to come out of the fold and to enjoy the riches of the pasture. The one the Jewish people cast out of their synagogue became one who enjoyed the Lord as the pasture.
The Lord is first the door, then the shepherd, and finally the pasture. The shepherd takes all of the sheep out of the fold through Himself as the door and brings them to Himself as the pasture. He is the shepherd who brought the sheep out of the fold; He is the door through whom the sheep are brought out; and He is the pasture to whom the sheep are brought. He simply brought the sheep out of Judaism through Himself, unto Himself, and for Himself. He is everything—the exit, the shepherd, and the pasture.