I am the Door

A Hobbit's Door. At least it looked like one to me. This is a door in a wall in Northhamptonshire, England.
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We were in Europe lately for a couple of weeks visiting friends and our daughter. Our daughter is in Spain.

I love taking photos of doors, windows, lights, flowers, and other random things. My pictures aren't all that great, but for me they carry a lot of meaning. I love the imagery of Christ being the Door. When I see a fascinating door, I think of Him.

John 10:9
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

Yes, it's a different kind of door that Jesus is talking about. The door mentioned in John 10 involves an opening in the stone wall of a sheepfold. It is the shepherd himself who fills that gap, so in a very real sense, the shepherd is the door, a good shepherd, anyway. Through this opening, the sheep can go in and out and find pasture, Christ said. At least that is what I am told.

The idea is that if anyone wants to be saved, he or she must believe in Jesus Christ their Savior. He is the only Savior, the only Door, the only entrance into God's sheepfold. In order to get into that relationship with God, a person has to pass through the Door, Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd who cares for the sheep in that way. He gives His life for His own. He did that by dying on the cross for our sins.

John 10:11
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

I found this one illustration of a sheepfold like the one that Jesus was talking about in John 10. Notice that the shepherd is sleeping in the opening. That way, no sheep can wander out into the darkness, and no predator can get in to kill the sheep. If necessary, the shepherd would give his life in defense of his sheep.

Christ did just that when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. He gave His life for His sheep, and now gives His life to His sheep, the ones who put their trust in Him.

Even so, I love ancient doors, especially the ones attatched to old cathedrals or old churches or just ancient buildings. We saw a lot of them in Europe, so I have a lot of door photos. Here are just a few. They are all in Spain. I liked Spain best. What an incredible empire they built!

A door in the wall around the Alcazar in Sevilla.

I think that this is a door into the parroquia in Lebrija.

I call this Door Vader. This is a sidedoor in the Parroquia in the town of Lebrija, where our daughter lives and teaches.

A door into an old monestary on the grounds of La Alhambra. This building is now a hotel.

A Moorish door in a building near La Alhambra in Granada.