“When I hear the words, ‘I am the gate’, I picture a a sturdy metal farm gate. But when Jesus’ audience heard these words, they would have thought of something very different. In their time, shepherds often became a gate in order to protect their sheep. At night a shepherd would lie across the gateway on the sheep pen to keep the flock in and the predators out. A shepherd committed to the protection of his sheep was willing to sacrifice both comfort and safety.”

• Carla Harding, Lectio363 Oct. 5, 2022 on John 10:7-10