by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
We continue with the next εγώ εἰμι (“I AM”) declaration that has a metaphor as its nominative predicate. Previously, the Lord Jesus had already said that he was the true bread of life that came down from heaven (John 6:35, 48, and 51) and the light of the world (John 8:12). And as we saw in John 8:58, the Lord escaped from the attempts of the Ἰουδαῖοι to stone him after he claimed to be ever-existing and timeless. These attributes were, of course, correctly understood by his opponents as a claim to deity and self-identification with the LORD God of Israel himself.
The next “I AM” statement, found in John 10:7 once again uses the solemn “Amen, amen” distinctive formula in the Gospel of John. The Lord repeats his “I AM” declaration in the first part of John 10:9.
The Greek verse of John 10:7 and my translation are given below:
Εἶπεν οὖν πάλιν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα τῶν προβάτων.
Therefore, Jesus again said to them; “Amen, amen I say to you (pl) that I AM the door of the sheep.”
For emphasis, the Lord repeats his εγώ εἰμι declaration in John 10:9:
ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα· δι’ ἐμοῦ ἐάν τις εἰσέλθῃ σωθήσεται καὶ εἰσελεύσεται καὶ ἐξελεύσεται καὶ νομὴν εὑρήσει.
“I AM the door; if anyone entered through me (!), (he) will be saved, and will come in and come out and find pasture.”
From our previous discussion of John 8:58, we have already seen that the ἀμήν, ἀμήν…, “amen, amen,” (usually translated as “truly, truly” or “verily, verily”) actually point to the self-revelation of the divinity of the Lord Jesus as it alludes to Isaiah 65:16.
After studying the theologically-heavy verses of chapter 8, we are again favored with a very rich chapter 10 in the Gospel of John. Part of the context of these statements in John 10 is what actually transpired in the preceding chapter. In John 9, the Lord Jesus heals a man born blind, on a Sabbath day (again!). Its parallel is found in John 5 where the Lord miraculously healed an invalid man by the Pool of Bethesda (which may have been a Greco-Roman Asclepion cultic center). This time the miraculous healing is by the Pool of Siloam. [One wonders if the Gospel writer John, under inspiration by the Holy Spirit, designed it that these 2 Sabbath healings using water (albeit from 2 different pools) were to be compared and contrasted against the other; or alternatively, to serve as the ends of a (Hebraic) literary chiasm hinged on the John 6 or John 8 εγώ εἰμι (“I AM”) declarations.]
The effects of the 2 healings on the Lord’s opponents were very much the same: condemnation for not honoring the Sabbath and the resulting conflict and arguments between the Lord and the Ἰουδαῖοι (and the Pharisees in chapter 9). Then the Lord Jesus found the formerly blind man who was thrown out by the Ἰουδαῖοι and asked him if he believed in the Son of Man who had given him sight. The man said he believed and worshipped the Lord who then spoke out about physical and spiritual blindness (John 9:39).
In doing so, the Lord called attention to Old Testament (OT) Scriptures and some messianic expectations attested to by the prophets. For example, Isaiah 35:10 declares that the eyes of the blind would be opened when the LORD God comes to save his people. Similarly, Isaiah 29:18 prophesies that the eyes of the blind will see during the day of Israel’s restoration. Then Isaiah 6:10 specifically states that the LORD God has judged his people and “blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts.” After this, the conversation with the Pharisees apparently spilled over into chapter 10.
Going back then to John 10:7, we look at the Greek word θύρα (“thura”). It is a noun that means “door,” “entrance,” “opening,” “gate,” or “portal” according to our lexicons and is found 39 times in the New Testament (NT). It has a number of Hebrew counterparts: פֶתַח (“petach”),דֶּלֶת (“deleth”), דַל (“dhal”) and שַׁעַר (“shaar”). In the Septuagint (LXX), θύρα (“thura”) is the Greek word used (which occurs 170 times) to translate these different Hebrew words.
For example, in Genesis 6:16 narrating God’s instructions for Noah to build the Ark before the flood, a door was to be set on its side. The Hebrew (וּפֶ֥תַח הַתֵּבָ֖ה בְּצִדָּ֣הּ תָּשִׂ֑ים) uses the word פֶתַח for “door” and the LXX has the Greek θύρα for this. The Ark offered protection and literally, life for Noah and his family. Those who did not enter the Ark’s door perished in the Flood. In another OT example, 2 Chronicles 29:3 tells of King Hezekiah opening and repairing the Temple doors (פָּתַ֛ח אֶת־דַּלְתֹ֥ות בֵּית־יְהוָ֖ה וַֽיְחַזְּקֵֽם׃). The Hebrew word for door here comes from דֶּלֶת which the LXX also translates as θύρα.
In the NT, in Acts 14:27, Paul and Barnabas narrate in Antioch, Syria about their First Missionary Journey to southern Asia Minor which covered places in the province of Galatia, such as Antioch (in Pisidia), Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. They declared all the good that God had done and how God had opened a “door of faith” to the Gentiles (…καὶ ὅτι ἤνοιξεν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν θύραν πίστεως). The same Greek word θύρα, for door is used. This “door of faith” opened to the Gentiles was for redemption and life everlasting; parallel to the door of Noah’s Ark.
There are many other Scripture parallels and examples of the use of θύρα/door as a metaphor for sanctuary and protection, redemption and salvation, and even evangelistic and ministry opportunities. One can review the following verses to get a sampling: Luke 13:24, 1 Corinthians 16:9, 2 Corinthians 2:12, Colossians 4:3, and Revelation 3:8; 3:20 (2x); 4:1.
Revelation 4:1 narrates the Apostle John’s vision when he looked and beheld an open door to heaven (Μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ θύρα ἠνεῳγμένη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ) and was shown the heavenly throne room of the Lord God. This θύρα/door is the ultimate entrance to the LORD God’s presence. Perhaps no other parallel can be more stunning than this.
A major contextual theme of John 10 is about the concept of God as a shepherd to his people, Israel. This is found expressed beautifully in the well-known and beloved Psalm 23; but also in Ezekiel 34 (which we will explore further later). In John 10:7 and 9, the Lord extends the metaphor further. Aside from being the shepherd, he is himself the door/gate to the sheepfold! As the door of the sheep to the sheepfold, the Lord offers something more than just temporal protection. This sanctuary speaks of eternal life and salvation.
We will continue next week with another, perhaps better known εγώ εἰμι statement. This declaration by the Lord Jesus as the “door” of the sheep also serves to segue into the next declaration with a metaphorical predicate in the same chapter.
God bless us all.