13th April 25

"I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved"

This week I attended a retirement conference for Church of Scotland ministers. They hold one annually for ministers who are approaching 64 years of age and I fall into that category.

The minister leading the conference told of one of the most sobering moments of his life.

He was retiring from being a parish minister, and he was in the process of clearing his manse. He has been a single minister, and so he called on the help of some friends, to help him move his stuff.

They eventually reached the study, which was the last room to clear, and there on the table was a mountain of sermons that he preached over the last 30 – 40 years; he kept every one of them, and was unsure what to do with them. Many sermons dated back to pre-computer days and so were painstakingly hand written, and he had the habit of sticking a paper clip onto the page of the sermon.

As his friends approached the mountain of sermons one of them said, “You can't get rid of them”, and for a moment he felt quite proud, he thought to himself “My friends want me to keep them, they must think they are pretty good”, and in the next moment, he said, his bubble was burst, when his friend suggested that he shouldn't get rid of them until he takes the paper clip offeach sermon and then they can shred them. It would be the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of his sermons by removing the paper clips.

This they did, and he was left with three tubs of paper clips that came in all shapes and sizes, some rusty and some shiny.

But in the days ahead, he reflected on the paper clips, and he thought that behind each paper clip was a sermon, a word from God, a message that he had painstakingly created in his study.

The paper clip defined his ministry, he looked back over his 30 – 40 years and the people he served, the folks he buried, the young people baptised, the sick visited, the school work, the parish work, the coffee mornings and the never-ending succession of meetings, and the paper clips were all that he had now as a reminder of his former life.

He realised that the paper clips spoke of the past but now a new path had been created for him.

I wonder how Jesus felt on Palm Sunday, as he faced his final journey?

He knew that this was the beginning of the end.

He knew that his destination was a cross. He had spoken of it often and all around him the crowds are singing Hosanna, which means Save us Lord!

The people were looking to him, to save them from Roman oppression, from taxation; from Jewish religious law; from pain and disease.

They cried out for a Saviour.

Hosanna! Hosanna! Save us and do it now!

Their expectations were high as Jesus rode on the back of a lowly animal. No white stallion for Jesus, but a small ass, his feet almost touching the ground.

But this was so typical of the man who had led a revolution of love and compassion. His life ran counter to that of the powerful.

His ways were not of this world; his ways were about turning the other cheek, going the extra mile.

His Kingdom was not built on human greatness but on God's grace.

So, as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, perhaps this was his paperclip moment, as he also looked back on his three years! Yes, just three years of ministry, but three years that would transform this world. It's not the length of ministry that’s important, it's what we achieve within the years that matters to God.

In three years, Jesus imparted his vision into the minds of his followers. In three years, he had demonstrated to people Kingdom values and now in one week, he was going to transform the world, this was the battle between darkness and light and death and life. We call it Holy Week!

Today, we remember Jesus making his move for the city.  In those days as you entered Jerusalem, you would enter through a gate. It was a walled city and there were many gates for entry.

It is not surprising that Jesus' last teaching/sermon in John's gospel was about him being a gate. I am the gate, he said, whoever enters through me will be saved.

The gates of Jerusalem have long stood as silent witnesses to the city’s rich and tumultuous history, serving as both practical entry points and symbolic thresholds to the holy city. These ancient portals, some dating back to biblical times, have played crucial roles in the defence, commerce, and religious life of Jerusalem throughout the centuries. Each gate, with its unique architecture and strategic location, tells a story of the city’s past and continues to be an integral part of its present.

The gate that Jesus would likely have entered through on Palm Sunday was the Sheep Gate. It makes sense, it all ties in.

The carpenter acclaimed to be the Son of God comes on a lowly donkey through the sheep gate into Jerusalem.

Why the Sheep Gate?

The Sheep Gate's primary function was to facilitate the entry of sheep for temple sacrifices, which were central to the atonement rituals prescribed in the Mosaic Law. This gate, therefore, symbolises the means by which the Israelites could approach God through the sacrificial system. It underscores the necessity of a sacrificial offering for the atonement of sin, pointing to the holiness of God and the need for purification.

Jesus claimed to be the sheep gate, as we heard that this morning in our reading.

The symbolism of the Sheep Gate is found in the words of John the Baptist, the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The Sheep Gate can be seen as a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrificial death. Just as sheep entered through this gate for sacrifice, Jesus entered Jerusalem, ultimately to be sacrificed for the sins of humanity. This connection highlights the fulfilment of the Old Testament sacrificial system in the person and work of Christ.

Yes, Jesus refers to Himself as the "Gate for the sheep": "So He said to them again, 'Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.'" Here, Jesus identifies Himself as the entry point to salvation, emphasizing that through Him alone can one enter into a relationship with God. This metaphorical use of the gate imagery reinforces the idea that Jesus is the ultimate means of access to spiritual safety and eternal life.

In a broader context, the Sheep Gate also symbolizes the believer's journey. Just as sheep entered through the gate to be consecrated for sacrifice, believers are called to enter through Christ, the gate, to offer themselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). This act of spiritual worship is a response to the grace and mercy received through Christ's sacrifice.

Conclusion

So, today this is my penultimate sermon to you. It lies at the top of the bundle that needs to be shredded and come next week, I also will have a few tubs of paper clips.

But I hope that through my 30 year journey I have also remained faithful to the one who said, I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved, because at the end of the day that’s all that matters. Are we saved? Has Christ saved us?

When we reach the final gates, which are the gates of heaven, it is the gatekeeper who will be there waiting to greet us, the one who said, I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved.

Today, we meet with our Saviour Jesus coming to bring salvation. 

Hosanna was the cry of the crowd and it is also our cry today, Lord Jesus save us, save us from evil, save us from the time of trial, save us from pain and save us from death.

The cry of Hosanna has not really changed that much, and the truth is he has saved us, he has saved us through his Cross which we are going to consider in our sacrament of communion.

The Sheep Gate, therefore, is rich in symbolism, pointing to the central themes of sacrifice, and access to God.

As the crowds enteredJerusalem with Jesus, perhaps they were also singing that old psalm which is sung every year at the General Assembly, as the communion elements are brought forward and placed on the communion table:

Ye Gates, Lift Up Your Heads On High;

Ye Doors That Last For Aye,

Be Lifted Up, That So The King

Of Glory Enter May.

But Who Of Glory Is The King?

The Mighty Lord Is This;

Even That Same Lord That Great In Might

And Strong In Battle Is

Even That Same Lord That Great In Might

And Strong In Battle Is.

Ye Gates, Lift Up Your Heads On High;

Ye Doors That Last For Aye,

Be Lifted Up, That So The King

Of Glory Enter May.

But Who Is He That Is The King

Of Glory? Who Is This?

The Lord Of Hosts, And None But He

The King Of Glory Is

The Lord Of Hosts, And None But He

The King Of Glory Is.

Let us worship God now and sing to his glory in the beautiful hymn by Isaac Watts, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross…