{"id":24243,"date":"2020-04-26T06:00:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-26T11:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/?p=24243"},"modified":"2023-08-17T08:49:52","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T13:49:52","slug":"i-am-the-gate-coloring-page","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/2020\/04\/26\/i-am-the-gate-coloring-page\/","title":{"rendered":"I Am the Gate (Coloring Page)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"I<\/p>\n

Continuing with our series on the “I AM” statements of Christ<\/a>, this week’s coloring page is based on John 10:7-9<\/a>. Here Jesus proclaims, “I AM the Gate.”<\/p>\n

In its entirety, this passage reads: <\/p>\n

Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"I<\/a><\/p>\n

I Am the Gate<\/a><\/div>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I AM the Gate<\/h2>\n

When some folks hear the word “sheepfold”, they picture a modern day pen. A sheep pen is a small, fenced, often portable enclosure, like this:<\/p>\n

\"portable
[photo source<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If this is the mental image you get reading this verse, you are missing much of the meaning behind Christ’s calling Himself the Gate and the Good Shepherd. After all, I can see lots of ways to get into the pen above without going through the gate. One could climb over the fence, or tunnel under it, or slip between the rails on any side.<\/p>\n

But this modern pen bears little resemblance to the sheepfolds of Jesus’s day. These were normally stone-walled structures, often built in front of caves or crowned with thorny brambles to deter anyone or anything from climbing over. They looked more like this:<\/p>\n

\"Jesus<\/p>\n

And since there was not an abundance of wooden or metal gates in those days, the shepherd would station himself at the entrance to the sheepfold to act as the doorkeeper. Nothing got in or out apart from his knowledge and consent. <\/p>\n

And this sets up Christ’s next “I AM” statement: “I am the Way… no one comes to the father except through me.” Watch for the coloring page for that verse next week. <\/p>\n

Print the Whole Series<\/h2>\n

If you’re interested in printing or coloring the other “I AM” statements in this series, you’ll find the ones I’ve already posted linked below:<\/p>\n