This verse also asserts that the purpose for which Jesus went outside the gate to suffer was so that he could cleanse the people by means of his blood. "Blood" is used as referent to Jesus' sacrificial death for our sins. According to verse 12 the result of that death is the cleansing of people.
Surprisingly, Jesus does not begin this story by describing himself as the “good shepherd” but rather as the “gate” into the sheep pen. He thereby claims to be the one and only way into the pen—a theme he will repeat in some of his other “I am” statements.
“So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured” (Heb. 13:12–13).
Our Suffering Has Meaning in Christ. As Christians living in the twenty-first century, it is difficult for us to imagine life without a Savior. Jesus has always been there for us, and we can't imagine a world without Him—which means we often take Him (and the possibility of heaven) for granted.
As the “good shepherd,” Jesus is the self-sacrificial protector of his flock. So, if Jesus is “the gate for the sheep” and “the good shepherd,” two images that declare His identity of protector and provider, then what does that make us? We are His beloved sheep who depend on Him for both protection and provision.
The theme woven throughout Scripture is this: we are like sheep, prone to wander from the fold in search of false hope that can never fully satisfy. Because our Shepherd is good, the gate to salvation is open, but we'll never find it on our own.
Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.
before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The crown of thorns (two to three inch thorns) cut deeply into His scalp.
When Jesus took on human flesh in the Incarnation, He forever redeemed our human suffering. Therefore, suffering always teaches us about God, about ourselves, and about our relationship with him. If we “offer it up” we surrender all the pain to the redeeming power of the cross of Christ.
In the face of human suffering, rather than asking why, Jesus swung into action and healed all kinds of sicknesses; he raised the dead and consoled the afflicted and comforted the broken-hearted; he forgave sinners, liberated those in the power of the devil, and welcomed the oppressed and rejected (Cf. Matthew 9:35).
'Gates' in biblical Israel weren't just a doorway into the city. They were where prophets cried out and kings judged, and people met, like in the ancient city of Dan.
This means accepting any suffering and disgrace that comes to us as His disciples, for the sake of eternity (v. 14; see John 15:18–21). We can even rejoice in this privilege (v. 15)!
There are spiritual gates that God uses to bring divine protection to the life of a man. In Mal. 3:10-12, God talks about opening the windows of heaven and this implies that there must be a gate.
The gate is an entryway into an unknown place, or a place of great significance; it is a threshold, and may connect the living and the dead.
A gate is an exit or entry point. There are twotypes of gates, the physical and the spiritual gates; every physical gate has acorresponding spiritual gate! Before you conquer a physical gate, it'simperative that you conquer a spiritual gate. Upon every gate, there are strongmen!
Tower of Babel story
…which in Babylonian was called Bab-ilu (“Gate of God”), Hebrew form Babel, or Bavel. The similarity in pronunciation of Babel and balal (“to confuse”) led to the play on words in Genesis 11:9: “Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth.”
Suffering can make us more resilient, better able to endure hardships. Just as a muscle, in order to build up, must endure some pain, so our emotions must endure pain in order to strengthen.
1. the bearing or undergoing of pain, distress, or injury. 2. something suffered; pain, distress, or injury. SIMILAR WORDS: disˈtress.
Through His suffering, He shows us the way, He teaches us the truth, and His offers us life eternal. Jesus' message to the disciples was “Do not be afraid!” Seeing the risen Christ confirms the hope and the light after the darkness of the passion and death.
Love God above all else. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Through His actions, and specifically miracles, Jesus taught important lessons about faith, kindness, and God's ability to make great things from our most humble offerings.
The five major milestones in the New Testament narrative of the life of Jesus are his Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. In the gospels, the ministry of Jesus starts with his Baptism by John the Baptist, when he is about thirty years old.
The gate and the shepherd work together for the well-being of the sheep, so that the flock thrives. Jesus is both the gate and the shepherd at the same time; he guards and protects his sheep from danger, and he provides for their nourishment, for their life in abundance.
Sheep are the followers of Christ, while goats chose not to follow Christ. The parable is based on the differences in behavior between sheep and goats. Sheep are gentle, quiet, innocent animals.
According to the New Testament, the Beautiful Gate was one of the gates belonging to the Temple in Jerusalem prior to its destruction by the Romans in AD 70. It was referred to as "beautiful" in chapter 3 of the Acts of the Apostles.