I AM the Door

Have you ever wondered why Jesus speaks in so many metaphors? Why not just say, "I am God" or "I am the Messiah" - why all the imagery? Why not be more direct? One of the gifts of metaphors is they give people multiple access points into ideas that could be easily dismissed through more direct, black and white communication. This week's metaphor is no exception. Doors open, close, mark a change in location, and even function as a portal of sorts. With this wide range of interpretive possibilities on hand, Jesus says, "I am the door for the sheep." Clearly, Jesus has sheep/shepherding imagery at work here along with the door, but we'll save that primarily for next week. For this week we'll simply wrestle with the door imagery. What in the world does that mean and why was it so important for Jesus to have us see Him in this way?