Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." - John 10:9
I worry about us people. Even though Jesus says doors are important for us to understand, we have all sorts of trouble with doors.
We go in "Exit" doors, just like people did recently at Walmart.
We go out "Entrance" doors, just like people did recently at Walmart.
We push doors that say "Pull", just like people did last night at the gas station.
We pull doors that say "Push", just like people did last night at the gas station.
We totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door. I'll never forget when I was starting college. My mom was helping me move in. And because all the carts were in use by other students who were moving in, my mom and I were both carrying armloads of clothes and linens from the parking lot, through the courtyard, and toward the dorm. When we got to the Clement Hall outside doors, not only did nobody open a door for us, but as I myself opened one of the ten or so doors with the tips of my fingers and the edge of my foot and then held it open for my poor loaded-down-with-linens mom, a group of 12 or so college girls with absolutely nothing in hand acted as if my mother and I didn't exist and the door was propped open just for them. They not only went out of their way to ignore the other nine closed doors so they could go through the one I'd struggled to open, but not a one of them said "hello" or even "excuse us", not to mention they of course did not say "thank you". My mom and I looked at each other in disbelief, but looking back on it, I'm not sure why we were surprised. People totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door.
And "push" or "pull" or "Exit" or "Enter" on a door means nothing to most human beings.
Maybe this is why Jesus, in Luke 13:24, says, "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Maybe he knows that instructions and doors are a hard concept for us people to follow.
But make no mistake, Friends, our Lord Jesus has opened a door to the best life, to abundant life, to eternal life with both the tips of his fingers and the edge of his feet nailed to a cross and his arms loaded-down-not-with-linens-but-with-sin, even as groups of 12 or so of us with absolutely nothing in hand act as if he doesn't exist and we saunter through the door with nary a "hello" or even "excuse us" not to mention there's rarely a "thank you" as Jesus makes plain in Luke 17. I bet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit look at each other in disbelief, but rarely are they surprised because God certainly knows that we people totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door.
And again we're reminded how badly we need God's unfathomable mercy and grace.
May each door that we pass through today be a reminder of Jesus's loving promise, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9)
And maybe we can pass along his wondrous love by holding the door for someone and instead of waiting for a "thank you", we could heap on some grace with a "God bless you, and have a nice day!"
Just like God has heaped grace on us.
Praise God!
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