The Gatekeeper
“So Jesus told `em straight out. ‘C’mon, y’all listen up; I’m shootin’ straight with ya. I am the gate to the sheep’”—John 10:7 (“The Gospel of John Cowboy Style”).
My father and a couple of other guys were hauling some cattle to our home place that he had purchased in an auction from the local sale barn. His plan was to unload the cattle into the corral to examine them before letting them loose into the pasture. Because I was the youngest (about 10 at the time) I was selected to hold the gate open while they unloaded and pushed the cattle into the corral.
At first, it was working great and I might add that I was doing a really good job. The cattle were stumbling off the back of the trailer and the men were herding the cattle into the corral with no problem.
Oh, and I might mention that on the way home from the sale barn, my father told me about one of the cows he had bought: “you’re going to have to look out for a cow with a crooked horn. She’s a mean one!!” Well, you might guess what my mind was on the rest of the trip home.
And guess what! About half-way through unloading the cattle, I glanced up and saw standing over to one side that ‘ol cow with one crooked horn and she had me in her sights. I froze! Full throttle fear gripped me and when she started toward me, I did the only logical thing I could think of at the moment: I let go of the gate and ran for my life.
Well, the gate closed and the cattle scattered. It took the better part of the balance of the day to round them up and to push them all, crooked-horned cow included into the corral.
As a gatekeeper, I didn’t do a very good job. In fact, fear took over and I failed at the task with which I had been entrusted.
But the 10th chapter of John tells of a gatekeeper who is faithful and will never fail at His task. He just flat out told His disciples that He was the gate to the sheep . . .
“So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep . . . if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:7, 9).
You see, Jesus is the true and dependable gatekeeper. Our salvation and eternal life is not dependent on a ten-year-old boy trying to hold a gate open, or on any other person for that matter. But our eternal salvation is totally dependent upon Jesus, who Himself is the “Door” or in cowboy lingo, the “Gate.” . . . “if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved!”
Elvis Presley sang the Old Spiritual . . .
“He’s so high (so high you can’t get over Him) So wide (so wide you can’t get around Him) So low (so low yo@Great God Almighty (you must come in at the door).”
